February 16, 2006
Health Sciences briefs
Snowboarding for breast cancer
The sixth annual Mamafest: Snowboarding for Breast Cancer event will be on Saturday, March 11, at the Summit at Snoqualmie West, with support from the event going to the UW Medical Center’s Cancer Genetics Clinic and other local organizations.
Some of the participants hit the slopes with snowboards, while others collect pledges, make donations or volunteer to help with the event. The event includes local music, booths, demonstrations, raffles and “Mamajam Slopestyle” for showing off snowboard skills. To learn more, visit online at http://www.mamafest.org or contact Robin Bennett, manager of the UW clinic, at 206-598-8408.
Benditt Endowed Lecture
Dr. Napoleone Ferrara, from the Department of Molecular Oncology at Genentech, Inc., will present the Department of Pathology’s 10th Annual Earl P. Benditt Endowed Lecture on Wednesday, Feb. 22, at 4 p.m. in room T-739 of the Health Sciences Center.
Ferrara is the discoverer of VEGF (vascular endothelial growth factor), the critical molecule behind tumor angiogenesis and the basis for recent therapeutic advances in treatment of cancer. His presentation is entitled “VEGF: From Bench to Bedside.” The lecture is free and open to everyone.
The lectureship is dedicated to the memory and scientific legacy of Dr. Earl P. Benditt, professor with the Department of Pathology from 1957-1996 and department chair from 1957-1981.
Spectrometer available
The Trace Organics Analytical Center in the Department of Environmental and Occupational Health Sciences is now offering use of its Agilent 7500CS ICP Mass Spectrometer to the UW research community. The machine is particularly useful for very sensitive measurement of the amount of metals in organic samples such as shellfish or hair, according to Russell Dills, manager of the resource. Elements that are difficult to measure, such as mercury, tin, cobalt and arsenic, can be detected in a sample with parts-per-trillion sensitivity and a wide range, Dills said. For rates and more information, contact Dills at 206-543-3263 or by e-mail at russ1@u.washington.edu.
