HIGHER EDUCATION The Michigan Daily - Thursday, October 21, 1999 - 7A 4New trials start for Harvard prof.s anti-cancer drug i " By Eli M. Alper Harvard Crimson :CAMBRIDGE, Mass. (U-WIRE) - After decades of research, Andrus Professor of Pediatric Surgery M. Judah Folkman is one step closer to his research goal of attacking cancer by c ng off the flow of blood to tumors rather than attacking them directly. This week, doctors will begin testing endo- statin, a cancer-fighting drug developed from Folkman's research, on human beings for the first time. ndostatin is the first of several anti-cancer drugs under evaluation which prevent angiogen- esis, the growth of new blood vessels in the body. Doctors hope that, by stopping the growth of blood vessels around a cancerous tumor, the drug can shrink tumors and prevent the cancer from spreading. Susan Craig, spokesperson for the Children's Hspital in Boston, where Folkman conducts his research, says that endostatin has been success- ful in studies on mice, reducing cancerous tumors to nearly microscopic size with no observable side effects. Folkman has been working on restricting blood vessel growth, particularly near tumors, for more than 30 years, according to Emery Professor of Organic Chemistry Elias Corey. "The whole theory of angiogenesis inhibition was developed by Dr. Folkman," Craig said. Folkman's research aims at preventing tumors from growing, rather than targeting them directly, as treatments like chemotherapy do, Corey said. "If you block the supply of oxygen to tumor cells, then that's an approach to controlling tumors" Corey said. "It's a very interesting sci- entific hypothesis. (Folkman) has been working in a pioneering way to test that." Although endostatin might prevent blood ves- sels in the body other than those around a tumor from forming, Corey said normal adult tissue can remain healthy without angiogenesis. Only tumors would be adversely affected, he said. "The (new blood vessel) requirement for existing tissue is minimal:' Corey said. "The requirement for rapidly-growing tissue is sub- stantial." The first endostatitti stng on humans will be conducted by Iana-Farber Partners CancerCare --- a coalition of Massachusetts General Hospital. Brigham and Women's Hospital and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. Two other institutes, one in Houston and another in Wisconsin,will begin testing the drug later in the year. Todd Ringler, a spokesperson for Dana- Farber Partners CancerCare, said that the first phase of testing will look only for toxic side effects. Fndostatin's efbetiveness will be noted, but it will only be studied directly if the drug proves non-toxic. Ringler said "hundreds" of applicants volun- teered for testing. Only three were selected for the initial round of tests, although up to 27 more w ill be selected later. No control patients will be used. he added. Ringler said the first phase of the study will take 9 to 12 months. Final, complete approval for human use will take years, he said. Despite high public expectations, Ringler said that researchers are remaining cautious. "This clinical trial is merely one of hundreds of clinical trials:' Ringer said. "We want to keep expectations down" Corev said historically, the odds are against endostatin succeeding. "Only 5 to 10 percent of drugs survive human testing," Corey said. "Of those, one in five wl turn out to be successful drugs." Explicit photos found on U. Miss Website Let's give 'em something to talk about * Delta Kappa Epsilon social air says photos feature former umbers By Chris Thompson Daily Mississippian OXFORD, Miss. (U-WIRE) - Four pho- tographs featuring a pair of nude female strippers with as many as eight fully-clothed males were posted on the Delta Kappa Epsilon page of the University of Mississippi Website.. The university's M-Book explicitly states that students "may not possess, willingly receive or ribute obscene material" on the university's work system. The M-Book is the university's handbook of standards and activities. According to the M-Book, anyone who violates the policy could have his or her computer equip- ment impounded and may also face other discipli- nary actions including possible suspension or expulsion from the university. At least four of the males pictured in the photographs are wearing Delta Kappa Epsilon T-shirts. in one of the photographs a stripper appears to erforming a sex act with one of the males while he has a dollar bill in his mouth. The other three photographs depict the males and the strip- pers touching each other. The breast and groin arias of the strippers are blacked out in all of the photographs. "Something like that is totally against policy," s i4 Thomas Wallace, interim vice chancellor for student life. Wallace said the university was to begin investigating the photographs yesterday. Wallace said he contacted Kathy Gates, director of academic computing and support services, and asked her to inspect the Website Tuesday night. According to Wallace, Gates shut down the Website around 10:15 p.m. Tuesday so that outside parties could not view or alter the site. A web counter on the site had recorded over 2,000 hits before Gates shut down the site. Scott Burton, social chair of the fraternity, said the photographs were "taken at an off-campus party about the second week of school" and that the females were "hired entertainers from Jackson." "There were no sexual acts performed," said Burton, who also said that he was responsible for arranging the party. Burton said the party was held in a hotel ban- quet hall and that the hotel was not in Oxford. According to Burton, all of the males in the pho- tographs were fraternity members except for one security guard, whose face was blacked out. "This is a bunch of guys at a party, nothing more, nothing less," said George Wade, president of the Ole Miss chapter of Delta Kappa Epsilon. "1 don't feel I need to defend these pictures" Both Burton and Wade said that no illegal activ- ities took place at the party, and they did not know posting the photographs violated university policy. The national Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity was chartered in 1844, and the Ole Miss chapter was founded in 1850. The chapter was kicked off campus in 1985 for a hazing incident, and this semester is its first semester back on campus since the incident. x JEREMY MENCHIK/Daily LSA sophomores Karen Soules, Geni Michaud and Julia Klein watch last night in the East Lounge of Alice Lloyd Residence Hall as other members of the theater troupe "Talk to Us" practice their plays about students with disabilities for their upcoming show this Tuesday. U. Minnesota receives $9M grant Former USC student given sentence for killing infant By Jennifer Kelleher - Daily Trojan LOS ANGELES (U-WIRE) - Former University of Southern California student Linda was sentenced last week to 10 years in state pon for killing her newborn baby in 1997. Under a plea agreement, Chu will serve five of the 10 years, said Los Angeles Deputy District Attorney Steven Slavitt, adding that he did not know where or when she would enter prison. A campus maintenance worker found Chu's newborn child dumped at the bottom of a trash chute in Century Apartments on May 7, 1997, when Chu was a sophomore majoring in business. She was arrested a month later while on sum-. mfer break at her home in Illinois. She was later radited to Los Angeles. Chu pleaded guilty on Friday to felony child endangerment charges and admitted to a special allegation that she was responsible for her daugh- ter's death. At a pretrial hearing in December 1997, evidence was presented that Chu's baby was alive at birth and then strangled. Chu kept her pregnancy a secret and delivered the child in her apartment shower. On Feb. 18, 1999, she pleaded no contest to child abuse charges. Had she been convicted, she would have faced serving 25 years to life in prison, according to the Los Angeles Times. Slavitt said the plea deal came as a surprise. "She didn't enter (the plea deal) until right before trial,' he said. "We were prepared to go to trial" Chu's defense attorney Shawn Chapman could not be reached for comment. By Craig Gustafson Mrinncsota l) ihr MINNEAPOLIS (U-W IRL) -- University of Minnesota researchers received a S9) million grant from the National Institutes of Health to study nicotine levels in the bloodstreams of cigarette smokers. The NIH grant will fund research at the University for the next five years and will sup- port four separate projects to help cigarette smokers kick the habit. The grants came from the National Cancer Institute and National InstituiC on Drug Abuse, divisions of the NIH. The NCI and NIDA will spend more than S70 million, divided among several institutions. Minnesota, along with sixth other schools, was chosen from a field of 30 institutions. Together the research facilities will create a consortium called the Transdisciplinary Tobacco Use Research Center. "It's now clear that a large number of people cannot stop smoking,' said Stephen -echt, a University cancer researcher. "Our goal is to reduce the amount a person smokes." A recent NCI study showed that 80 percent "It'now clear that a large number of people cannotstopsmoking --Stephen Hecht University of Minnesota cancer researcher of smokers cannot or will not quit. If someone can't quit, then the goal should be to reduce the amount of cigarettes smoked, l-echt said, Reducing nicotine levels in people, he explained, is one of the first steps toward cut- ting down on smoking-related health risks. According to the NCI, tobacco-related dis- eases cause more than 450,000 deaths each year, including I70,000 cancer-related deaths. A 1997 Center for Disease Control study revealed that nearly 30 percent of 18- to 24- year-olds in Minnesota smoke. And a 1998 Boynton Health Service survey revealed that about 36 percent of Minnesota students used tobacco-related products. Alan Leshner, director of the NIDA, said nicotine addiction is such a complex subject that a wide-ranging approach is needed to understand addiction in young people. To address the multiple facets of cigarette addiction, each of the seven participating uni- versities has a unique research objective. Minnesota's goal is to treat smokers who have been resistant to conventional methods of inter- vention or who have not been previously target- ed. Dorothy Hatsukami, a Minnesota professor' of psychiatry, will lead researchers on the four ° projects to meet that goal. The projects include: examining different techniques to reduce smoking such as nicotine patches; focusing on nicotine levels of individ- uals with heart disease; reducing tobacco- smoke in children, specifically secondhand" smoke; and finding new nicotine replacement therapies in animal studies. r ,t , _" t _ ::, 'U' has not ruled out computer requirement YSITTER NEEDED WEEKDAY oons. Two boys, 2 & 5. Must have own trans. 996-8379. BABYSITTER NEEDED. Mornings. Wanted 2 hrs per day. Every other week. Transportation req. Pays well. 528-2895. BABYSITTER- Seek playful, creative, responsible person with real interest in young children as sitter for our boys, 4 and 5. Part- time. flexible hours, need car. 662-3560. CHILD CARE wanted in my home. Tues, Thurs. 8-4pm for 5 yr. old twin boys. Own t s. nonsmkr. loves chidren. 213-6775. LOVING, ENERGETIC BABYSITTER wanted for 3 year old & infant 5 - 10 hours/week. Need references, reliable car. Please call 994-7345. CANCUN & JAMAICA SPRING Brea'' PUT POSTERS UP ON CAMPUS or get a Specials! 7 Nights Air, Hotel, Free N. ' 'Is, group and go free to Bahamas, Cancun, Drinks From $399! 1 of 6 Small Businesses Jamaica or Florida for Spring Break! No Recognized For Outstanding Ethics! selling involved. Lowest prices and springbreaktravel.com 1-800-678-6386. reputable company make it easy. springbreaktravel.com 1-800-678-6386. EARLY SPRING BREAK specials! Bahamas Party Cruise 5 Days $279! Includes Most Meals! Awesome Beaches. Nightlife! Panama City, Daytona, South Beach, Florida $129! springbreaktravel.com 1-800-678-6368. #1Sprin Break Company Bianchi-Rossi Tours wants you to Go Loco in Acapulco! Make the first Spring Break of the New Millennium the Best by traveling with the Best. Leave the hi h school crowds in Cancun and 3Aazatlan. 800 -873-4.523 www.bianchi-rossi.com SPRING BREAK 2Q000 Acapulco. Cancun, Ski Canada and many others looking for reps, you could go free... Regency Travel. 209 South State St. A2 48104. Call 734-665-6122 or www.denise.kataiamaki @wspan.com Check a few of our low air rates Detroit-iohnnesburg-Detroit $1286.99 Detroit-Delhi-Detroit $1169.59 Detroit-Caracas-Detroit $501.40 SPRING BREAK 2000. Mexico-Jamaica-S. Padre. A local Travel Agency. Over 55 years experience located in Nickel's Arcade. Boersma Travel.994-6200 www.boersmatravel.com FREE CD of Indie music when you register at mybytescom, the ultimate website for your college needs. LESSONS: Guitar, Bass, Banjo, Piano, H. Dulcimer, Sitar, Balalaika Ino. Brass. Fiddle. Pere., etc. Herb David Guitar Studio 302 E. Liberty. 665-8001. LUPAS SUPPORT Group. United Methodist Church (State & Huron. 4th Monday monthly, 2 noon. 800-705-6677. POSTERS Outrageous College Humor www.posterworld.con SEEKING LAURA EDWARDS, juror from Jonathan Schmitz retrial. (She may be: a junor? in a sorority?) Please call collect. Dr. Carole Lieberman.(310)456-2458. MALE STUDENT Needs Housing Immediately. Call 231-775-0281 or email mbulgar @umich.edu' COM PUTERS Continued from Page 1A world, the majority of workers use laptops on a daily basis. This program is designed to put college students one step ahead in the working world because it aims to produce graduates who are familiar with computers, Hunt said. Still, Hunt said some MSU stu- dents and faculty are opposed to the proposed action because of its potential pitfalls for learning. They said computers could be an added distraction in classrooms and a financial burden for many stu- dents. They also said laptops would lack the ability to update and run com- plex programs. Northern Michigan University is one step ahead of MSU in its plans to integrate personal computing into the requirements of undergraduate students. In the Fall of 2000, all NMU stu- dents will be required to lease an IBM laptop through a university program. The program, which is the product of more than two years of research and development, also allows stu- Aintc atro t financial aid money for Joyal said. NMU decided on this program more than a year ago, MSU Provost LouAnn Simon maintains that it is, not the right one for MSU. Simon said that requiring students to own or rent a specific type of computer, like with NMU's program and another proposed program at the University of North Carolina, would unfairly force those who already own computers to spend money on a second computer. . Wanda Monroe, director of public relations for University of Michigan Chief Information Officer Josie- ' Marie Griffiths, said computer requirement programs are unique to each school. After looking into a program thzt " could work for the University, it was decided that a computer requirement was unnecessary, Monroe said. "The University of Michigan' already provides an excellent infor- mation-technology environment in computer labs around campus," Monroe said, "and we leave it up to students to take advantage of those facilities." xMonroe said the School of Business Administration recom- mends to its students that they own a. , comnuter. although it is not manda- #1 SPRING BREAK 2000 VACATIONS! nook Early & Save! Best Prices Guaranteed! Cancun. Jamaica, Bahamas & Florida! Sell Trips, Earn Cash, & Go Free! Now Hiring Campus Reps! 1-800-234-7007 www.endlesssummertours.com SPRING BREAK PANAMA CITY BEACH FLORIDA FROM '$99 PER PERSON SANDPIPER BEACON BEACH RESORT THE "FUN PLACE"! HOME OF THE WORLD'S LONGEST KEG PARTY DRINK DRAFT BEER ALL WEEK LONG TIKI BEACH BAR ENTERTAINMENT BY BOOGIE INCORPORATED BIKINI CONTESTS MALE HARD BODY CONTESTS 3 POOLS LAZY RIVER RIDE WATER SLIDE HUGE BEACHFRONT HOT TUB MINI GOLF GIFT SHOP SOITES UP TO 10 PEOPLE. 1 QAA ,siQ QQ'R?