Retired Catholic bishop Samuel Ruiz will give a free lecture titled “”The Pursuit of Justice from the Perspective of the Poor”” at 8 p.m. on Oct. 28 in the Hojel Hall Auditorium of the Institute of the Americas.
The lecture, which is sponsored by UCSD’s Burke Lectureship in Religion and Society, will be in Spanish, and an English translator will be on hand. It is the only lecture he will give on the West Coast this year.
As a humanitarian who has championed the rights of the poor in the impoverished Mexican state of Chiapas, Ruiz has received many awards, including the Martin Ennals Award, given for defending human rights. He has also been nominated for the Nobel Peace Prize three times.
Ruiz first assumed his duties in San Cristobal de las Casas in 1960. He has since been dubbed “”the red bishop”” by critics who have accused him of inciting rebellion in Mexico’s poorest state.
Ruiz, 78, retired when he reached mandatory church retirement age.
Researchers find method to slow leukemia growth
A method that induces leukemia cells to stimulate the immune system against only the leukemia cells was discovered by UCSD cancer researchers.
Using the blood samples of 12 patients with acute myeloid leukemia, the white cells were separated and given two growth factors, granulocyte-monocyte colony-stimulating factor and interleukin-4, which stimulate T-cells to attack. After eight days, the growth factors were discontinued, and interleukin-2 and anti-CD3/anti-CD28 monoclonal antibodies were added. These additions stimulated the growth and proliferation of the T-cells, which orchestrate the immune response to infected or malignant cells.
The team of UCSD researchers was led by Edward D. Ball, who is a doctor at the Rebecca and John Moores UCSD Cancer Center, a professor of medicine at the UCSD School of Medicine and director of the UCSD Blood and Marrow Transplantation Program.
The details of the study are reported in the October issue of Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation.
Fishing tournament reaps funds for Cancer Center
Proceeds from the 15th annual “”For Pete’s Sake”” Memorial Marlin Tournament, which raises money to support cancer research, will push this year’s grand total of contributions to the Rebecca and John Moores UCSD Cancer Center to over $1 million.
The proceeds from the tournament, which was held Oct. 10 through 12 at the Hacienda Beach Resort in Cabo San Lucas, Mexico, will be matched by Cancer Center Director David Tarin.
The winner of the tournament was the Gaviota II Team of Alan Aden, Mike Flora and Richard Mullin. Second place went to the Amigo Team, and the third-place winner was the Black Jack Team of Kyle Eggers and Roger Reemelin.
The tournament was founded in honor of Pete Lopiccola, a boat captain and avid fisherman who lost his life to leukemia in 1988. The Lopiccola Foundation also contributes a portion of the tournament proceeds to help children in Cabo San Lucas who have medical needs.
AHA holds undergraduate research project
The American Heart Association announced this month that it is currently accepting applications for the 2003 Undergraduate Student Research Program.
Participants in the program will be assigned to a cardiovascular research facility in California, Nevada or Utah for 10 weeks over the summer of 2003 to work under the supervision of experienced scientific researchers.
Topics of research available for participants range from basic molecular research to physiological studies. Past topics have included vascular wall biology, ion transport and cellular pharmacology.
The program is to be completed between June 1 and Aug. 31, 2003. Applicants must be enrolled full time in a college or university, and have junior or senior status in the fall of 2003. Other restrictions apply and are available for viewing at http://www.heartsource.com.
The application deadline is Feb. 3, 2003.
