Research for Life Newsletter
Volume I, Issue 1, Summer/Fall 2008
International Post-Doctoral Research Fellows
Niccoló is completing his second
year in the lab of A. Thomas Look, MD at Boston’s
Dana-Farber Cancer Institute on the project “A zebrafish
model to study expression and function of the NPM1 gene and NPM
Leukemic mutants.”Niccoló Bolli, MD, the Princess Giulia Borghese & Anna Bulgari Fellow for 2008-09, represents the fourth generation of medical doctors in the Bolli family. “I grew up in Perugia around my father, grandfather, and great-grandfather who were dealing with patients, curing them. In the Italian countryside, there is often a deep relationship between the patient and his or her physician. I came to appreciate this.”
Early on in his medical career, Niccolò was influenced by Brunangelo Falini, MD, a full professor of hematology and researcher in the Department of Clinical & Experimental Medicine at the University of Perugia’s School of Medicine, in whose laboratory he worked while in Italy. This relationship sparked his interest in focusing his initial research efforts in the area of leukemia.
Niccolò explains, “Leukemia is a subtype of cancer of the blood. While there is no cancer mass, the white blood cell count becomes very high and these cells don’t work on the body’s behalf. There are 30 to 40 subtypes of these cancerous blood cells, and the one I have focused on in my research is the most common acute leukemia subtype in adults. We are starting to understand the molecular basis of this cancer. In many cases, when one does not know what is wrong with the cells, it is hard to find the best cure.”
He continues, “Professor Falini discovered, quite by chance, that in 30 percent of the cases, the nucleophosmin 1 gene was mutated. Little by little, we realized this was a big thing because it helped to define a subset of this type of cancer. It was in Professor Falini’s lab that this discovery was first made.” A paper on the topic, “Cytoplasmic nucleophosmin in acute myelogenous leukemia with a normal karyotype,” was published in The New England Journal of Medicine in 2005. “Professor Fanili had collaborated with A. Thomas Look, vice-chair for research in the Department of Pediatric Oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in the past, so it was natural for me to wish to continue my research at Dana-Farber under an AICF fellowship.”
AICF’s post-doctoral research fellowship came at a critical point in Niccolò’s career. “My AICF fellowship has enabled me to take the work completed in Italy to the next level. In Professor Look’s lab at Dana-Farber, we are not working in vitro, but making an animal model of the mutated protein in the zebrafish model system. This is critical, since we believe this protein is directly related to leukemia. We did not have the facilities, expertise, or funding to do this project in Italy. AICF has provided the tools, the means, and the opportunity for making a critical breakthrough that would benefit those suffering from leukemia.”
What does he do when he’s not in the lab? “I enjoy road racing with the Harvard cycling community here in Boston and have made some good friends in the lab. We often hang out together in pubs or restaurants and attend concerts.” Niccolò pointed to what he perceives as a major difference between America and Italy—“It’s easier to get things done here, in every aspect of life”—and reflected on what he misses most. “I miss the small town way of living. We’re always in a rush in America; I have now become this way as well.”
“My AICF fellowship has enabled me to take the work completed in Italy to the next level. AICF has provided the tools, the means, and the opportunity for making a critical breakthrough that would benefit those suffering from leukemia.”
Laura is completing her second year in
the lab of Pier Paolo Pandolfi, MD, PhD at Harvard Medical
School’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center on the
project “Study of the oncosuppressor activity exerted by
miR-17 family in hepatocellular carcinoma through LRF/Pokemon
downregulation.”Laura Poliseno, PhD, The Alexander Bodini Foundation Fellow for 2008-09, obtained degrees in Biology and Molecular Biotechnology from the University of Pisa before coming to the U.S. in 2006. “After I spent my first year here under an Istituto Toscano Tumori Fellowship, Dr. Pandolfi instructed me to apply for the prestigious AICF Fellowship, which would enable me to stay in the U.S. and continue my work in his laboratory.”
Scientific Advisory Board Executive Committee member Pier Paolo Pandolfi, MD, PhD, Director of Research at Harvard Medical School’s Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Laura’s mentor, explains, “During her first year as an AICF Fellow, Laura discovered that miR-20a is able to effectively modulate LRF/POKEMON expression. This is the first element in the definition of the complex regulatory network for such an intriguing cancer gene and powerful developmental regulator.” In layman’s terms, Laura’s work in Dr. Pandolfi’s lab helped to identify a new oncosuppressor that can inhibit the development of cancer in humans. Now in year two of her AICF Fellowship, Laura is working to determine the role of miR-20a in the suppression of hepatocellular tumorigenesis.
Laura expounded upon the many opportunities for Italian researchers in the U.S. “All the big cancer centers in the U.S. have the most sophisticated machinery available. Given the right machinery and the right collaboration, nearly anything is possible. I could not have imagined this scenario when I was in Italy.” Laura continues, “Whatever the experiment, we can afford to buy the reagents to accomplish it. Funding is not always available to scientists in Italy, so once we get used to this aspect of working in the U.S. it becomes more difficult for us to consider going back.”
Laura appreciates the fact that communication channels in the U.S. are relatively straightforward. “If I find the right person and ask the right question, I will receive the answer I am looking for.”
“All the big cancer centers in the U.S. have the most sophisticated machinery available. Given the right machinery and the right collaboration, nearly anything is possible.”
Cancer Screening, Outreach, and Education:
Partners in Service to the Underserved
Jasseth Palmer and daughter Shaiel in
front of the Brooklyn Seventh Day Adventist Church.Brooklyn Seventh Day Adventist Church
The Brooklyn Seventh Day Adventist Church requested AICF’s breast cancer screening services on a day when the large mobile mammography clinics were already booked.
Jessica Jacobs, MPH, Director of Cancer Screening, Education, and Outreach, asked Tom Herman, CEO of Multi-Diagnostic Services, Inc. in Jamaica, Queens—AICF’s medical provider—to visit the Church to assess the possibilities for utilizing our portable mammography unit. This equipment is brought into the sites and operated in a private room set aside for screening purposes. Mr. Herman relates, “I explained to Health Ministries Director Jasseth Palmer that it was going to be impossible to bring the heavy equipment up six steps to get it into the Church.”
Undeterred, Mrs. Palmer reached out to her colleagues within the Church community. Within weeks, the Church had constructed a ramp that enabled Multi-Diagnostics to screen 33 women on one rewarding day. “We figured that the benefits to the women in our community far outweighed the costs of building a handicapped-accessible ramp to accommodate the equipment,” explains Mrs. Palmer. “Many of these women had not had mammograms before, and when we met them on the day of screening we were able to strengthen our relationships with them. We did not see the ramp as a major obstacle.”
“With will power and determination, the Church’s leaders made it happen,” adds Mr. Herman.
Executive Director Addie Backlund joins
Ed Goldberg, Senior Vice President of Macy’s (left) and
Speaker Christine Quinn (right) in addressing the crowd
gathered outside Macy’s Herald Square.
New York City Council
AICF participated in a press conference outside Macy’s flagship store in Herald Square on May 7, 2008 at the invitation of New York City Council Speaker Christine C. Quinn as part of Speaker Quinn’s year-long women’s health campaign and to mark Mother’s Day.
The Actors’ Fund, a national human services organization that helps professionals in performing arts and entertainment in times of need, crisis, or transition, established the Al Hirschfeld Free Health Clinic in New York City in 2003 to provide free health care to uninsured and under-insured entertainment professionals. The Clinic provides free primary and specialty health care, health screenings, wellness education and insurance counseling from their building at 475 West 57th Street. James Spears, MD of the Center for Family Medicine at the Columbia University Medical Center is the Clinic’s full-time medical director, overseeing a variety of volunteer practitioners and specialists from the community.
Female entertainment industry professionals affiliated with the Clinic—theater and film actors, dancers, stage managers, crew members, and puppeteers—are an example of the diverse range of underserved groups that benefit from AICF’s no-cost or low-cost mobile mammography program. “Aspiring actresses who come to New York from all parts of the country are typically uninsured, and particularly if they are out of work,” explains Health Services Manager Janet Pearl.
Another group accommodated is the aging, professional female usher whose health benefits end when the house goes dark. “Things are fine when a show has a long run, but after it closes, no performance means no work—and no insurance. COBRA is too expensive for these women. Even though New York State may pay 50% of COBRA, it’s still $300 per month.”
Then there are the actresses who keep New York as their home base but are constantly performing in traveling shows. These women often neglect their primary care needs altogether. “It is common for women to schedule mammograms who’ve not had one in years.”
