Community

Just a few years ago, it was difficult to get any meaningful sequence data from formalin-fixed, paraffin-embedded patient tissue samples. These biopsy specimens, which are tissues preserved in formaldehyde and embedded in wax for storage, are easy to make and store, even in remote research locations. Many are available, and more are made all the time, for use in experimental research and drug development. Because there are so many samples that have been taken over numerous years, they can also be used to help study the evolution of diseases and viruses.

Back to school. They’re familiar words in an unfamiliar time. Most years, they signal the return of the stressful but manageable rituals of supply shopping, schedules, and summer’s end. This is not most years. The National Institutes of Health (NIH), NCI at Frederick, and the Frederick National Laboratory recognize the challenges their employees face this season. Fortunately, they provide multiple resources that empower their staff, enable flexibility, and promote well-being.

The COVID-19 pandemic has been the biggest health topic of the year so far, but the 2020–2021 flu season is quickly approaching. With COVID-19 putting a strain on public health systems, it’s important to get a flu vaccine to protect yourself and your community from further illness and strain this winter. Occupational Health Services is offering a flu vaccine for NCI at Frederick and Frederick National Laboratory staff, including subcontractors and construction subcontractors.

A recent Data Science Discussion Panel, hosted virtually by the Scientific Library, provided more than 60 participants with expert insights about data science in cancer research from six members of Advanced Biomedical Computational Science (ABCS), part of the Biomedical Informatics and Data Science Directorate of the Frederick National Laboratory for Cancer Research.

Steve Hughes, Ph.D., compares HIV research to a war. He and his colleagues are entrenched on a microscopic battlefield, fighting a conflict where seemingly small victories could mean a leap forward. Right now, they are grappling with the emergence of HIV strains resistant to existing antiretroviral drugs, medicines that suppress the virus in people living with HIV.

The fourth annual Technology Showcase is making a big pivot this year, moving to an entirely virtual event on September 9, 2020. Although the move was made out of necessity, it also offers exciting new opportunities to reach more partners and licensees beyond Frederick, Md.

Like many Werner H. Kirsten student interns, Allison Kang didn’t know what to expect when she made the transition from the carefully managed environment of her high school science labs to a professional cancer lab at one of the nation’s premier research facilities. Kang had just finished her junior year at Urbana High School when she began working in the Neutrophil Monitoring Laboratory under Debbie Long Priel and Doug Kuhns, Ph.D. And it didn’t take long for her to realize that there were big differences between her school’s A.P. Biology lab and a working scientific research lab.

For foreign fellows transitioning to life in the United States, NCI at Frederick employees are an integral resource. As citizens or residents of the country and the Frederick community, they represent valuable sources of information, emotional support, and scientific guidance. It’s true that the training staff fill many of these roles, but all staff can play a part in welcoming and helping foreign fellows. To help employees and principal investigators who work with new foreign fellows, current NCI at Frederick fellows and staff have offered the following tips.

Moving to a new place can be difficult, especially for young scientists coming to the U.S. for fellowships. There are the usual challenges of long-distance travel, adjusting to a new locale, and—in some cases—becoming proficient in another language. On top of that, there’s the added pressure to settle in and begin working as soon as possible. To help incoming and recently arrived fellows, current NCI at Frederick fellows and staff have offered the following advice.

Sharing a lab with another team may sound like an inconvenience to some, like the professional equivalent of sharing a bedroom with a sibling. But not for Alex Compton, Ph.D.; Alan Rein, Ph.D.; and their colleagues. In their case, sharing a lab led to a rich collaboration, mentoring opportunities, and a study that uncovered facets of how cells interact with viruses.