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Dr. Brandon Manley is a urologic oncologist at the Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Florida. He received a 2020 Young Investigator Award for an “Investigation of the Aberrant Epidermal Growth Factor Receptor Splicing Proteome to Determine Drug Repurposing Strategies for ccRCC”, which examines how EGFR, an effective drug target in various cancers, could be useful in kidney cancer.We spoke with…

Dr. Chiara Di Malta is a postdoctoral fellow at the Telethon Institute of Genetics and Medicine in Pozzuoli, Italy. She received a 2020 Young Investigator Award for her project, called “Exploiting the potential of MiT/TFE factors inhibition to treat inherited kidney cancers”, which focuses on two types of genetic renal cell carcinomas.   We spoke to Dr. Di Malta about…

Dr. Ritesh Kotecha is a medical oncologist at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York. He received a 2020 Young Investigator Award for his project “HLA Evolutionary Diversity - A Population Specific Biomarker for Kidney Cancer Immunotherapy”, which will examine inherited cell membrane proteins as potential biomarkers for personalized kidney cancer immunotherapy. We spoke to Dr. Kotecha about his…

Dr. Frank Mason is a cell biologist and research assistant professor at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center in Nashville, Tennessee. He received a 2020 Young Investigator Award for his investigation of the “Therapeutic vulnerability of SETD2 mutant RCC.”We spoke with Dr. Mason about his work and what it may mean for patients. Can you describe your project? Dr. Mason: What…

Dr. Heather Christofk and Dr. Brian Shuch of the University of California, Los Angeles received a 2020 Advanced Discovery Award for their investigation of “Intracellular asparagine regulates mTORC1 activity and cancer cell proliferation”, which takes a closer look at how the amino acid asparagine might be important in kidney cancer growth. Dr. Christofk is a Professor of Biological Chemistry, and…

Dr. Haifeng Yang and Dr. William Kim received a 2020 Advanced Discovery Award for their project to “Investigating the anti-tumor efficacy of a STING agonist on PBRM1-deficient ccRCC tumors,” which will examine whether a novel compound can help in kidney cancer treatment. Both Yang and Kim trained with Dr. William Kaelin, Jr. at the Dana Farber Cancer Institute as postdoctoral…

Eric Perakslis, PhD is a member of the KCA's Board of Directors and currently works as a Rubinstein Fellow at Duke University. We spoke with Eric about what motivated him to join our Board of Directors. What motivated you to get involved with the Kidney Cancer Association?What I first noticed about the KCA was the strong bond between the organization…

In this three-part series, guest writer Megan Conley describes her experience with kidney cancer. Megan is a featured speaker at the KCA’s upcoming IKCS 2020 and Virtual Patient Symposium (register now).  Read part one: “For Megan Conley, an Unexpected Diagnosis”. Read part two: "How much we take for granted." After five days in my Washington D.C. hospital following a partial nephrectomy for…

Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier and Dr. Jennifer Doudna. The 2020 Nobel Prize in Chemistry was awarded last week to two researchers for developing a technique – akin to “genetic scissors” – that lets scientists precisely snip pieces of DNA wherever they want to. Dr. Emmanuelle Charpentier of the Max Planck Unit for the Science of Pathogens in Berlin, Germany and Dr.…

IKCS 2020 will feature three special lectures: a keynote address by 2019 Nobel Laureate Dr. William G. Kaelin and two memorial lectures from the recipients of the KCA’s Andrew C. Novick Award and the Pieter de Mulder Memorial Award. IKCS 2020, to be held November 6-7, will be the first virtual symposium in the KCA’s 30-year history. It is also…