Fan Page is here

Just look at the right column. You will see badges that link to our Twitter and Facebook Fan Page. Now you have three ways to stay connected and updated. Please use these resources to show your support for friends and families.
We hope to see you May 8th.

Hope Starts Here Facebook Fan Page

As if Twitter and a Blog aren't enough, the UMBTC will soon be on Facebook. We are developing a Fan Page so that our message can get out to more people. We especially would like more people to participate in the upcoming 5th Annual Hope Starts Here Challenge on May 8th. Check back soon for more details.

Hope Starts Here Challenge Update

Here is the preliminary schedule of events for the 5th Annual Hope Starts Here Challenge, May 8th, 2010.

• Registration opens 8 AM
• Long Ride Start 9 AM
• Long Run Start 10 AM
• Short Ride Start 10:30 AM
• Walk Start 10:40 AM
• Short Run Start 11 AM
• Lunch Start 11:30 AM

All times Eastern.

Website should be updated soon. We'll try to include course maps for the 5K and 15K run.

Check out our new logo:

Where are they now?

This happy young man is Steven Davis. I caught up with Steven this past weekend (January 29, 2010) in Ann Arbor. Steven is completing his second year of Dental School and is preparing for his written boards.

Steven is the first student to receive his Master's Degree through the UMBTC.  His award winning research showed that knocking down the enzyme  MGMT using a technique called RNA interference (RNAi) can make brain cancer cells more sensitive to chemotherapy.  MGMT is a normal enzyme that repairs DNA damage, so it is very important in keeping our cells healthy. Most chemotherapy works by damaging DNA. So if cancer cells have active DNA repair mechanisms, the DNA damage caused by chemotherapy is fixed, thus thwarting the destruction of the cancer cell. By using (RNAi), Steven showed that the levels of MGMT in a malignant glioma cell can be reduced and that cell becomes more sensitive to temozolomide (Temodar) chemotherapy.

Steven set the bar high for the next generation of graduate students.
Congratulations, and good luck in your future endeavors.