Head & Neck Cancer Program News
OCRI Investigators Present at IADR/AADR Annual Meeting in Boston
The Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM) Oral Cancer Research Initiative (OCRI) had a strong presence at the 93rd General Session & Exhibition of the International Association for Dental Research (IADR) and the 44th annual Meeting & Exhibition of the American Association for Dental Research (AADR), which took place in Boston from March 11–14, 2015. This prestigious scientific meeting is a forum for investigators to discuss and learn about advances in research. The program consisted of oral sessions, symposia, high profile keynote speakers, workshops and poster sessions. OCRI investigators organized and participated in various activities including... More
Dr. Philip Trackman Receives Funding from Australian Pharmaceutical Company
The Trackman Laboratory has received funding from Pharmaxis, an Australia-based pharmaceutical company specializing in respiratory and immune diseases, to evaluate the ability of an inhibitor of lysyl oxidase like-2 (LOXL2) activity to inhibit oral cancer growth in mice. Professor and Director of Graduate Programs in the Department of Molecular & Cell Biology Dr. Philip Trackman and his colleagues have been conducting work on the molecular mechanisms of the connective tissue enzyme, lysyl oxidase, for several years, focusing their study on its potential therapeutic effects in oral cancer. This research focuses on LOXL2, which is one of five members of the... More
Researcher Spotlight: Maria Trojanowska, PhD
OCRI member, Dr. Maria Trojanowska, is a Professor of Medicine and Director of the Arthritis Center at Boston University School of Medicine. Dr. Trojanowska and her team investigate the molecular and cellular mechanisms regulating extracellular matrix (ECM) synthesis in healthy tissues and in pathological conditions. Their main area of research focuses on the pathogenesis of scleroderma or systemic sclerosis (SSc), a devastating autoimmune disease characterized by a distinct pathogenic triad of microvascular damage, dysregulation of innate and adoptive immunity, and generalized fibrosis in multiple organs. Specifically, the goal of Dr. Trojanowska and her team is to uncover how disregulated signaling... More
2014 A Productive Year for OCRI ARC
2014 was a hugely productive year for the OCRI’s Etiology and Pathogenesis of Oral Cancer (EPOC) Affinity Research Collaborative (ARC). We are pleased to report that renewed funding has been granted by the Evans Center for Interdisciplinary Biomedical Research for 2015. The EPOC ARC consists of a number of OCRI investigators who work collaboratively on multidisciplinary projects with the overarching goal of deciphering the molecular mechanisms underlying oral cancer development and progression to metastasis, and identifying novel druggable targets for effective and lasting oral cancer therapies. Over the course of 2014, the EPOC ARC has effectively utilized both internal and... More
Head & Neck Cancer Symposium Proceedings Published
The proceedings of the first annual Head & Neck Cancer Symposium, which took place at Boston University in April 2014, were published in the December 2014 issue of the Annals Reports by the Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences (NYAS). The NYAS is one of the oldest and most respected academic journals in the United States, with an impact factor ranking 6th out of 55 for Multidisciplinary Sciences in 2013. The symposium, co-hosted by the Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, received outstanding reviews from participants and has now become an... More
Researcher Spotlight: Bob Varelas, PhD and Vikki Noonan, DMD
Since its founding in 2011, the Oral Cancer Research Initiative (OCRI) has demonstrated the value of collaborative and multidisciplinary research. The goal of the OCRI is to bring together professionals from disparate fields to work together on the diverse issues related to oral cancer. Two such OCRI members at the Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine (GSDM), Assistant Professor in the Department of Biochemistry Dr. Bob Varelas and Associate Professor and Director of Clinical Oral Pathology in the Department of Oral and Maxillofacial Surgery Dr. Vikki Noonan, are truly reflective of this collaborative mission since they recently co-authored a... More
OCRI Hosts Third Internal Advisory Board Meeting
The Oral Cancer Research Initiative hosted its third Internal Advisory Board (IAB) meeting on June 27 in the Dean’s Conference Room on the first floor of the Boston University School of Medicine Instructional Building. The Board members in attendance were Dr. David Center from the Boston University School of Medicine, Dr. David Coleman also from the Boston University School of Medicine, Dean Jeffrey W. Hutter from the Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine, and Dr. Catherine Klapperich from the Boston Univeristy School of Biomedical Engineering, The meeting was held to provide updates on the activities of the... More
OCRI at the 5th World Congress International Federation of Head and Neck Oncologic Societies and the American Head and Neck Society Annual Meeting
Boston University’s Oral Cancer Research Initiative (OCRI) was represented at the 5th World Congress of the International Federation of Head and Neck Oncologic Societies (IFHNOS) and the American Head and Neck Society (AHNS) by OCRI Director and Associate Dean for Research Dr. Maria Kukuruzinska, who attended the meeting on Monday, July 28 and Tuesday, July 29. The conference was held in New York City from July 26 to July 30th, 2014, and was jointly hosted by the IFHNOS and the AHNS to mark the centennial anniversary of the establishment of the first Head and Neck Cancer Surgery service in the world, More
Researcher Spotlight: Philip Trackman, PhD
Dr. Philip Trackman is a Professor and the Director of Graduate Programs in the Department of Molecular and Cell Biology at the Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine. Dr. Trackman is also an important member of the Oral Cancer Research Initiative (OCRI) and is currently investigating the molecular mechanisms of the connective tissue enzyme, lysyl oxidase, and its potential therapeutic effects in oral cancer. Dr. Trackman became interested in cancer research in 1990, after cloning lysyl oxidase for the very first time. This enzyme family has tumor inhibitory properties and also enhances tissue fibrosis and metastasis. In the... More
GSDM Establishes Center for Oral Diseases
The Boston University Henry M. Goldman School of Dental Medicine recently established the Center for Oral Diseases (COD), a clinical center focused on patient care as well as the study and treatment of oral disease. It is anticipated that the COD will play a significant role in the Oral Cancer Research Initiative (OCRI) by facilitating collaborations between basic scientists and clinicians in the fight against oral cancer. This facility, under the direction of Dr. Andrew Salama, will study and treat a wide variety of mucosal diseases of the oral cavity including oral epithelial dysplasia, oral cancer, salivary gland disorders and mucosal... More