Summary • Editorial June 2017 • In memory of Enrico Mihich by Gios Bernardi • 29th Pezcoller Symposium: Abstracts of oral presentations Abstracts of posters • Call for Nomination 2018 Pezcoller Foundation-AACR International Award for Cancer Research • Call for Nomination 2018 Pezcoller Foundation EACR Award • Call for Nomination Scholar-In-Training Awards News from the Year 27 – No. 48 Pezcoller Foundation Word June 2017 June 2017 Editorial Editorial It’s a great pleasure to report that the recipient Function Co-Sustain-Mammary Epithelial Differ- of the 2017 Pezcoller Foundation-AACR Interna- entiation Through Dna Damage Repair” at the tional Award for Cancer Research is David Living- Washington Convention Center during the AACR ston M.D., Emil Frei Professor of Medicine, Har- Annual Meeting. vard Medical School, Boston, MA and Professor Dr. Livingston has presented the Pezcoller Foun- of Genetics, Deputy Director Dana-Farber Can- dation-AACR International Award for Cancer cer Institute, current Chairman of the Pezcoller Research Lecture at the University of Padova, Symposia. hosted by the Department of Molecular Medicine directed by Prof. Stefano Piccolo. The Selection Committee met in Philadelphia He also gave the Pezcoller Foundation-AACR In- on December 5th 2016 and was chaired by Jedd ternational Award for Cancer Research Lecture D. Wolchok, MD, PhD of the Memorial Sloan Ket- at the University of Trento, at the Centre for tering Cancer Institute of New York. The other Integrative Biology directed by Prof. Alessandro members of the Committee were: Donatella del Quattrone. Bufalo, PhD, Senior Researcher Regina Elena Na- Afterwards the award was solemnly given in tional Cancer Institute Rome, Italy; Manel Estell- the prestigious hall of the Buonconsiglio Castle er, MD, PhD, Laboratory Director, Cancer Epige- in Trento on May 5. In this occasion David Liv- netics Group Institute d’Investigació Biomèdica ingston was introduced by the President of the de Bellvitge (IDIBELL), Barcelona, Spain; Judy Pezcoller Foundation Dr. Enzo Galligioni. The Garber, MD, MPH, FAACR, Director Center for ceremony was also attended by dr. Nancy David- Cancer Genetics and Prevention Dana-Farber son, past President of the AACR. Cancer Institute Boston, MA; Mien-Chie Hung, PhD, VP for Basic Research, Professor and Chair Gios Bernardi M.D. Department of Molecular & Cell Oncology, UT Editor and President Emeritus MD Anderson Cancer Center Houston, TX; Karen Knudsen, PhD Director Thomas Jefferson Univer- sity Sidney, Kimmel Cancer Center, Philadelphia, PA; Daniel S. Peeper, PhD, Professor of Function- al Oncogenomics Netherlands Cancer Institute, Amsterdam, Netherlands; Stefan M. Pfister, MD Professor Division of Pediatric Neurooncology, German Cancer Research Center, Heidelberg, Germany. Dr. Livingston’s work has been pivotal to our un- derstanding of the retinoblastoma pathway of cell cycle control as well as the transcriptional co-activation function of the key regulatory pro- teins, p300 and CBP. Furthermore, he is credit- ed with the landmark discovery of the central functions of the tumor suppressors, BRCA1 and BRCA2, which has revolutionized the fields of breast and ovarian cancer research. Dr. Living- ston is lauded by his colleagues as the founder of a wide range of scientific fields, far beyond the realm of cancer research. Dr. Livingston’s tremendous reputation as a re- Picture on front page: spected and admired scientist, colleague, and 2017 Pezcoller Foundation-AACR International mentor is evident through his continued impact Award for Cancer Research in the Main Hall of on the scientific endeavor. the Buonconsiglio Castle, Trento Dr. Livingston has presented the Pezcoller Lec- From the left: Enzo Galligioni , President – David ture, “Brca1, Other Fanconi-Gene, And Swi/Snf Livingston, winner – Nancy Davidson, AACR The Pezcoller Foundation Journal - June 2017 3 In memory of Enrico Mihich by Gios Bernardi Memorial Enrico Mihich MD, true friend and fundamen- Pezcoller Foundation for almost thirty years. tal support for Pezcoller Foundation, died De- Together with the Foundation’s presidency, he cember 29, 2016 at the age of 88, in Boston MA. was the architect of the fundamental agree- Mihich was born in Fiume (Rijeka) in 1928. ment between Pezcoller and AACR to estab- He graduated from the University of Milan in lish the Pezcoller Foundation-AACR Interna- 1951 and then moved to the Sloan Kettering tional Award for Cancer Research in 1997, a Cancer Center, in New York City, in 1952. partnership that continues today. He was the He joined Roswell Park Cancer Institute in inventor and initiator of the Pezcoller Sympo- 1957 and from 1969 to 2006 he was Chair sia, and served as chairman of the Pezcoller of the Molecular Pharmacology and Cancer Symposium Committee until 2008 and since Therapy Program at the Buffalo University. then together with David Livingston. Every Starting from 1984, he served six years as year he took part also in the Symposia Stand- a member of the NIC, National Institute of ing Committees. Cancer. Despite the more than evident difficulties, he Dr. Mihich retired from Roswell Park in 2007, continued to participate in all our symposia, moved to Brookline, MA, and joined the while this year, on the occasion of the 29th Dana Farber Cancer Institute as a Presidential Symposium, he will not be with us and we will Scholar, serving as a special assistant to the surely miss him. president for sponsored research. The Board of Pezcoller Foundation, with its He published more than 400 scientific papers President Galligioni and myself, would like to and worked in the editorial boards of prestig- extend our heartfelt condolences to his wife ious peer-reviewed journals. Marisa, his daughter Sylvia and his grand- He was a true friend and partner of the daughters. Picture: dr. Enrico Mihich, 2010 4 The Pezcoller Foundation Journal - June 2017 29th Pezcoller Symposium Building New Bridges Between Basic and Cancer Science Trento, Italy, June 22-23, 2017 Symposium FOCUS AND GOAL Th is issue of our Journal is dedicated to the 29th of more precise and, hence, eff ective therapy Pezcoller Symposium entitled “Building New for individual patients. Th ese major advanc- Bridges Between Basic and Cancer Science” to es, notwithstanding, cure still remains elu- be held in Trento from June 22 to June 23, co- sive, especially for advanced and particularly chaired by David Livingston, Alberto Bardelli, aggressive cancers. One major reason is that Massimo Loda and Stefano Piccolo. the basic scientifi c forces that drive cancer de- Th is Symposium will focus on a growing set of velopment, establish its aggressive and some- observations in the cancer fi eld and their im- times lethal nature, and wall it off from im- plications for the future. Th e past decade has munological killing remain incompletely or witnessed the development and application of poorly understood. Th us, without the growth groundbreaking technologies that have im- of new, basic cancer science knowledge, fre- proved cancer diagnosis, prognosis making, quent cures of most advanced or aggressive and therapy. As a result, the outlook for cancer cancers will be diffi cult to achieve. Hence, this patients has brightened. Chief among these Symposium aims to defi ne the limits of our new approaches are a strong and productive understanding of the basic biology of cancer thrust towards the discovery and development cells and of the cells of the tumor microen- of powerful targeted agents for cancer thera- vironment in which cancers arise and prolif- py; the discovery and development of novel, erate. It will also propose and describe new immunologically-directed therapies that have opportunities for moving beyond these limits. led to extraordinarily positive therapeutic ef- In essence, this meeting has been built upon fects in certain cancer patients; and the grow- the premise that ongoing progress in these en- ing value of deciphering the sequences of can- deavors will be needed to achieve ever better cer genomes and its contribution to the design cancer therapy and prevention. 5 29th Pezcoller Symposium BUILDING NEW BRIDGES BETWEEN BASIC AND CANCER SCIENCE Trento, Italy • June 22 - 23, 2017 PROGRAM THURSDAY JUNE 22, 2017 FRIDAY, JUNE 23, 2017 8.00 Registration Session I, part 3 The Roots of Cancer (continues) 8.35 Enzo Galligioni Welcome Chair/Moderator: Stefano Piccolo 8.45 David Livingston Focus & Goals 08.00 Gioacchino Natoli 08.55 The Enrico Mihich Lecture Transcriptional Control of Differentiation in Cancer Cells Robert Weinberg 08.25 Discussion Mechanisms of Malignant Progression 08.40 Valerie Weaver Tissue Tension Reprograms the Tumor Session I, part 1 The Roots of Cancer 09.05 Discussion Chair/Moderator: Pier Giuseppe Pelicci Session II, Frontiers of Immunological 09.40 Gerard Evan and Therapeutics Science Targeting the Engines of Cancer, not the Drivers Chair/Moderator: Alberto Bardelli 10.05 Discussion 09.20 Robert Schreiber 10.20 Alan D’Andrea Personalizing Cancer Immunotherapy PARP Inhibitor Resistance and Acquired Vulnerability in Ovar- 09.45 Discussion ian Cancer 10.00 Laurie Glimcher 10.45 Discussion Stressed out: A Novel Approach to Cancer Immunotherapy 11.00 Fabrizio D’Adda di Fagagna 10.25 Discussion DNA Damage Response in Cancer and the Role of non coding RNA 10.40 Coffee Break 11.25 Discussion 10.50 Giulio Draetta 11.40 Coffee Break Targeting Critical Dependencies in Pancreatic Cancer 11:50 Pier Giuseppe Pelicci 11.15 Discussion Biological Heterogeneity of Tumors 11.30