Breast Cancer Research, Anabolic Steroids Among Topics Addressed at UAlbany Conference
Elwood Jensen, pioneer in hormone receptor research, highlights Oct. 23-24th forum
Contact(s): Catherine Herman (518) 956-8150
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Elwood Jensen, the keynote speaker at the UAlbany Conversations in the Discipline conference on cancer research. (Photo courtesy Wittenberg University) |
The University at Albany will host the two-day conference examining current hormone research, approaches, perspectives, and methods as it relates to the study of cancer and other diseases. Jensen's studies on estrogenic hormones changed the understanding of how steroid hormones work, serving as a major contribution to the treatment of breast cancer. According to the Lasker Foundation, Jensen's research transformed the treatment of breast cancer patients, and today saves or prolongs more than 100,000 lives annually.
"We're honored that the University at Albany has the opportunity to host the first Conversations in the Capital District conference," said Vice President for Research Lynn Videka. "We also express our gratitude to Dr. Jensen and all of the esteemed panelists who will join us to address this critically important field of research."
Jensen, along with Herbert Jacobson of Albany Medical College, will discuss "50 Years of the Estrogen Receptor" to commemorate their discovery of the receptor. A member of the National Academy of Sciences, Jensen was the 2004 winner of the Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research. Jacobson is one of a group of Albany Med scientists who in 2005 developed a compound that was found to decrease breast cancer in mice.
Other topics covered in the two-day conference include "Operation Which Doctor," in which Chris Baynes of the Albany County District Attorney's office will discuss the illicit nationwide distribution ring of anabolic steroids, human growth hormones, and other controlled drugs. Paul Davis of the Ordway Research Institute will present "The Thyroid Hormone and Health," which will cover advances made in the understanding of the mechanisms and functions of the thyroid hormone.
The conference was made possible by a grant from the Conversation in the Disciplines program offered by the State University of New York. The Conversation program has brought experts and speakers together on a wide variety of subjects, including progesterone and early development; estrogen; the effects of pollutants on disadvantaged groups; and adaptation to psychologically stressful events.
The conference will feature workshops and panel discussions devoted to latest findings, and will be held Oct. 23-24 in the Life Sciences Research Building on the UAlbany main campus.
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