Unsurprisingly, the new Basic Research Program at the Frederick Cancer Research Center took some time to gain momentum despite the preparations that had been made. Margaret Kripke, Ph.D., head of the program’s Immunobiology of Physical and Chemical Carcinogenesis Section at the time, recalls that her first year was dedicated to setting up her new laboratory, hiring staff, moving around, and finishing projects she had started in her former laboratory at University of Utah.

The Scientific Library recently hosted its first virtual discussion of 2021, featuring Yvonne A. Evrard, Ph.D., operations manager for the NCI Patient-Derived Models Repository at NCI at Frederick and the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research. These virtual discussions are one way the Library uses its position as a research information hub to engage scientific researchers through collaboration, interaction, and discussion.

By early 1974, the concept of the first investigator-initiated research program in Frederick was firmly approved. The idea had passed through the necessary channels, and the National Cancer Institute and the Frederick Cancer Research Center set about making it a reality.

We are all trying our best to lower our chances of contracting COVID-19, but certain circumstances still place us at risk. Occupational Health Services has been serving the NCI at Frederick and Frederick National Laboratory community by answering questions about the coronavirus and offering guidance on how to handle specific situations, like being exposed to the virus, living with someone who is sick, or traveling from another state or country. Here is some information that can help you make the right choices to keep you and your coworkers safe.

As the winter of 1973 turned to spring, the Frederick Cancer Research Center (FCRC), the forerunner to the Frederick National Laboratory and the National Cancer Institute (NCI) at Frederick that exist today, neared the one-year mark since its opening. The more than 250 employees had made sound progress, given the challenges of converting the old Fort Detrick biowarfare facilities into a fledgling cancer center. Their efforts had drawn some attention, too.

The NCI at Frederick Scientific Publications Database added 303 publications by NCI at Frederick researchers between October 1 and December 31, 2020.

As the pandemic has forced many people to work from home or cancel their plans, the Werner H. Kirsten (WHK) interns have been no exception. Every year, NCI at Frederick and Frederick National Laboratory welcome a new group of high school seniors as interns through the WHK Student Intern Program. The students participate in a yearlong internship under the wing of a mentor in either a research area or administrative area in support of research.

National Cancer Institute Director Norman “Ned” Sharpless, M.D., had a message for NCI staff on Monday as he welcomed them to an unorthodox installment of the annual NCI Director’s Awards via video from a bedroom-turned-office inside his house. “The show must go on because you have made sure that the work of the NCI continued and even flourished during a difficult time for our nation and our world,” he said.

The Werner H. Kirsten Student Intern Program has been a fixture at NCI at Frederick for 31 years, a respected and beloved tradition that has given more than 1,200 high school seniors a unique learning opportunity. This summer, it even received one of the Presidential Awards for Excellence in Science, Mathematics and Engineering Mentoring from the National Science Foundation. So when the COVID-19 pandemic threatened to break the three-decade streak this school year, dedicated staff and scientists stepped up to ensure the tradition would continue.

A new advance in our understanding of HIV comes from what Steve Hughes, Ph.D., calls “an odd observation.” Certain people living with HIV had only partially suppressed levels of virus in their blood despite being on effective antiretroviral therapy (drugs used to manage HIV). At first, an explanation seemed like it would be simple—but it wasn’t.