NCI-Designated Cancer Center at Sanford Burnham Prebys

We are delighted to announce that Dr. Cosimo Commisso has been appointed as the new Deputy Director of our SBP Cancer Center, effective July 15, 2024! In this new role, he will work closely with our Director, Dr. Ze'ev Ronai and the rest of our leadership team to further enhance our research initiatives, strategically navigate the Cancer Center to new levels, help prepare it for the upcoming CCSG renewal, and drive key Cancer Center tasks as we establish our prominence nationwide. Congratulations Dr. Commisso! #cancerresearch #cancercenter

Please join us for the next Sanford Burnham Prebys Cancer Center Open House – The Science Behind Addiction, on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, at 3:30PM in Chairmen’s Hall.   This open house is unique as labs from Scripps Research and UC San Diego School of Medicine will participate with the NCI-Designated Cancer Center at Sanford Burnham Prebys! Guests will have the opportunity to mingle with cancer scientists, survivors, and research advocates during an informal evening reception featuring healthy nibbles and refreshing drinks. There will be poster presentations throughout the event, showing attendees the various approaches to the science behind addiction and the relation to cancer.   Please visit https://lnkd.in/gvhDfuhw for more information and to register for this event. All are welcome to attend, and the event is free of charge.   We look forward to seeing you at the Open House!   Cheers, SBP Cancer Center

What an incredible achievement! Congratulations Ani Deshpande!

Join us in raising awareness about sarcoma and bone cancer-rare and challenging forms of cancer that predominantly affect the pediatric population. Stay tuned to learn more about these types of cancer and how you can help raise awareness and support research for these forms of cancer. #sarcoma #bonecancer #cancerawareness Source: https://lnkd.in/gH_Hg5bN

Please join us for the next Sanford Burnham Prebys Cancer Center Open House – The Science Behind Addiction, on Wednesday, July 31, 2024, at 3:30PM in Chairmen’s Hall.   This open house is unique as labs from Scripps Research and UC San Diego School of Medicine will participate with the NCI-Designated Cancer Center at Sanford Burnham Prebys! Guests will have the opportunity to mingle with cancer scientists, survivors, and research advocates during an informal evening reception featuring healthy nibbles and refreshing drinks. There will be poster presentations throughout the event, showing attendees the various approaches to the science behind addiction and the relation to cancer.   Please visit https://lnkd.in/gvhDfuhw for more information and to register for this event. All are welcome to attend, and the event is free of charge.   We look forward to seeing you at the Open House!   Cheers, SBP Cancer Center

This spotlight edition celebrates Dr. Cosimo Commisso's 10th anniversary and recent promotion to full professor at Sanford Burnham Prebys! Cosimo is a Professor and the Director of the Cancer Metabolism and Microenvironment Program. However, Cosimo’s journey in science started in developmental biology where he studied neurodevelopment in fruit flies. A cancer diagnosis in his family prompted him to dedicate his career to translational cancer research. He joined Sanford Burnham Prebys in 2014 and established his lab studying pancreatic cancer. “What brought me - and kept me - at Sanford Burnham Prebys is the opportunity to focus on research, ample access to cutting-edge technology provided by our core facilities, and the possibility to recruit top talents to the lab”, Cosimo says. His lab studies how metabolic stress in pancreatic cancer cells architects the tumor itself and the tumor microenvironment. “Tumor cells consume nutrients at a very high rate that outpaces the rate of supply. This results in a local shortage of nutrients and induces metabolic stress in the tumor cells”, Cosimo explains. His team investigates how tumor cells handle this stress and actually use it to their advantage. The limitation of nutrients in the tumor negatively affects healthy cells that intermingle with tumor cells, the tumor microenvironment. When T cells and other tumor-infiltrating immune cells starve, they lack the energy to fight cancer cells. Fibroblasts, cells that normally support wound healing, can lose their cell identity and function in the starved tumor microenvironment. “In fact, fibroblasts that undergo metabolic stress can even take on new functions that support tumor growth”, Cosimo says. “When we identify how tumor cells adapt to metabolic stress and control the tumor microenvironment, we will be able to develop therapeutic interventions.” Besides his enthusiasm for science, Cosimo ensures to acknowledge his team: “I have been so lucky with all my previous and current recruits; they are remarkable scientists! All our achievements have been a team effort, and I am grateful for everyone’s contribution.” Congratulations to Cosimo and his team, we can't wait to see the impactful discoveries the Commisso lab continues to make! #pancreaticcancer #cancertreatment #cancermetabolism #SBPCancerCenter Learn more about the Cancer Metabolism and Microenvironment Program and the Commisso lab here: https://lnkd.in/gvkYHKKn https://lnkd.in/gNG9KiJu

We are excited to be welcoming our inaugural LEAP cohort of 8 trainees on Monday, July 1st . The Lab Experience As Pathway to Graduate School (LEAP to Grad School) is a one-year mentored training and career development experience designed to prepare recent college graduates with new skills and lab experience to become more competitive and succeed in STEM Ph.D. programs. This program is the newest of our many training and education programs, aimed at training and mentoring future STEM talent from our diverse local community. Please welcome the LEAP 2024-2025 cohort to SBP! 👏 🎉 More information about LEAP can be found here: https://lnkd.in/gKk_akK4

The NCI-Designated Cancer Center at Sanford Burnham Prebys is pleased to announce Dr. Lukas Chavez's promotion to Associate Professor and Dr. Cosimo Commisso's promotion to Professor. Please join us in congratulating them 👏🏽 🎉!

On May 28th, 2024 we held the first bi-monthly Cancer Center PI Meeting. The focus of the meeting was to have PIs highlight their newly awarded grants and discuss new collaborative initiatives. Check out the picture of our Cancer Center PI (in our cancer center t-shirts) after the first successful bi-monthly meeting!

🌈 Happy Pride Month 🌈 We hope you'll join us in celebrating diversity, equality and inclusion! #pride #LGBTQIA+