(AUGUST 25, 2021) Randall Holcombe, M.D., M.B.A., director of the UVM Cancer Center and Juckett Professor of Cancer Research, commented on the role of mRNA in cancer treatment research.

Randall F. Holcombe, M.D., M.B.A., has been appointed director of the UVM Cancer Center (UVMCC) and chief of the Division of Hematology and Oncology in the Department of Medicine. Holcombe will officially begin his tenure August 1, 2021.

Sarah Nowak, Ph.D., and David Seward, M.D., Ph.D., were invested as the inaugural holders of a Huber Early Career Green and Gold Professorship of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine during a virtual ceremony March 30. UVM Professor of Pathology and Laboratory Medicine Emerita Sally Huber, Ph.D., established two separate Green and Gold professorships, one in honor of each of her parents, that will provide crucial funding to promising assistant professors who are likely to develop into successful, independent basic scientists or physician-scientists.

New findings, reported in Nature Communications and published by UVM researchers, describe the discovery of a unique dependence of cancer cells on a particular protein, which could lead to desperately-needed treatment for hard-to-treat cancers.

In developing therapies for hard-to-treat breast and ovarian cancers in patients with BRCA gene mutations, scientists aim to identify ways to keep cancer cells from using DNA break repair pathways. New findings from researchers including UVM Professor Sylvie Doublie demonstrate a previously-unknown capability for a key enzyme in this repair function that shows promise as a new avenue for treatment development.

An interdisciplinary team of Vermont researchers and a partner at Yale's Smilow Cancer Center, conducted an economic evaluation to establish an overall cost-effectiveness comparison of two approaches to the treatment of low-volume metastatic prostate cancer. Their findings, published in JAMA Network Open, strongly support the addition of prostate radiation therapy to standard androgen deprivation therapy.

Despite the many challenges presented by the pandemic, the resilience of UVM Cancer Center patients and continued commitment of providers have led to a silver lining: a way to ensure patients in locations throughout Vermont and upstate New York are receiving the physical and mental health support they need right from the comfort of their own homes.

UVM faculty members Andrea Villanti, Ph.D., M.P.H., associate professor of psychiatry, and William Copeland, Ph.D., professor of psychiatry, have been named to a list of the world’s most influential researchers - the Highly Cited Researchers list is compiled and published annually by Clarivate Analytics.

Renier Brentjens, M.D., Ph.D., director of cellular therapeutics in the Human Oncology and Pathogenesis Program at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, presented the 5th Annual Stetson Lecture in Technological Advances in Medicine via Zoom on September 8. He discussed “CARs and Armored CARs: Improving CAR T Cell Therapy for Cancer.”

New findings from a collaborative Vermont study published in the Journal of Medical Internet Research highlight how having a uniquely flexible survey instrument and using incentives can help capture the most relevant data and keep young Vermonters engaged.

The University of Vermont received $181.7 million in research funding during the 2020 fiscal year - the largest in UVM history by a wide margin. The Larner College of Medicine had the largest number of grants.

Despite the many challenges academic institutions have faced in 2020, the Vermont Integrative Genetics Resource (VIGR) shared core facility at the University of Vermont Cancer Center and Larner College of Medicine has achieved strong funding support and achieved some significant milestones over the past six months.