Cancer Stats in China, New Handheld Microscope and More…

Here are a few news worthy items in the world of cancer research:

A new report estimates there were 4.3 million new cancer cases and more than 2.8 million cancer deaths in China in 2015, with lung cancer the most common cancer and the leading cause of cancer death in China.
Mechanical engineers at the University of Washington along with other partners have developed a handheld microscope to aide clinicians in distinguishing good cells from cancerous cells right at the point of care. Read more about this technology in Biomedical Optics Express.
Data published in the journal Cancer Chemotherapy and Pharmacology was the key to the first ever FDA approved immunotherapy for pediatric cancer. The treatment called dinutuximab was used in clinical trials where children demonstrated improvement in overall survival.
Expanding lung cancer screening to include people who quit smoking more than 15 years ago could detect more cases and further reduce associated mortality, according to a study by Mayo Clinic researchers published in the Journal of Thoracic Oncology.

Phenotypic Drug Discovery, Moonshot, Partnership, and Publications

Posted on January 20, 2016 by Donna

A selection of interesting MSK-related news items:

The Phenotypic and Biomarker-based Drug Discovery symposium, presented by The New York Academy of Sciences’ Biochemical Pharmacology Discussion Group on October 27, 2015, featured current work in phenotypic drug discovery and highlighted the need to bridge commercial and academic research to improve phenotypic drug design. Read an overview of the event published on January 12. Several individuals helped to organize this meeting including Ralph Garippa, RNAi Core Head from MSK.

The Moonshot Initiative announced by President Barack Obama is drawing tremendous support. Dr. Baselga, Physician-in-Chief and Chief Medical Officer at MSK is quoted. View video from the World Economic Forum (YouTube; published on Jan 19, 1:05:47 min) to learn more about this endeavor. Listen to Vice-President Joe Biden as he speaks to international leaders in cancer research, cancer treatment and data science to discuss potential opportunities to advance the pace of progress in the fight against cancer.

For those of us who are Twitter users, Phil Bradley has compiled a list of 10 New Twitter Tools. The tools offer a range of solutions, from help posting longer tweets and adding images to ways of exploring analytics and strategizing your posts.
Last month on the Guggenheim’s blog Checklist, Caitlin Dover visited with with Arlene Shaner, Historical Collections Librarian at New York Academy of Medicine‘s Rare Book Room to see examples of the long tradition of doctors as artists. NYAM’s own Urban Health Matters Blog, Lisa O’Sullivan, PhD, also explored the interconnectedness between art, medicine, and the humanities.
Earlier this week, Ars Technica reported that a draft deal on surveillance had been reached by the US and the EU.
For those of you interested in further research on intellectual freedom, Steven Greechie has written Intellectual Freedom Associations: Resources for Online Research, in the current issue of College and Research Library News.