Duquesne University Researcher Aleem Gangjee Receives $1.6 Million Grant To Explore Nontoxic Cancer Fighter

Duquesne University cancer researcher Dr. Aleem Gangjee has received at $1.56 million, three-year grant from the National Institutes of Health's National Cancer Institute to further develop his latest research into treatments that do not harm normal cells like most cancer-fighting compounds.

Dr. Aleem Gangjee

In his 30 years of research as a distinguished professor of medicinal chemistry in Duquesne's School of Pharmacy, Gangjee has developed compounds that target the basic building blocks of cancer cells' DNA. What sets his new research apart is that the compounds don't harm normal cells like standard  treatments.

"There are several drugs that try to inhibit synthesis of DNA," Gangjee said. "But they are extremely toxic."

Gangjee, a native of India, wanted his compounds to be so selective that they would impact cancer cells alone, not normal cells. To do so, he focused on a specific system, called a transport system that is expressed only in select tumor cells. The system is not expressed in normal cells, so the mechanism itself avoids toxicity.

This transport system shuttles chemicals from outside cancer cells to the inside of the cells, carrying Gangjee's tumor-fighting compounds like a Trojan horse, fighting cancer from the inside out. These compounds hitch a ride on a transport system special to certain types of ovarian, breast, liver, lung and colon cancers. Once they gain entry to the cancer cells, they selectively block the signaling systems involved in synthesizing DNA.

"To our knowledge, this is the only type of targeted therapy that deals with transport into tumor cells using a folate transporter," Gangjee said. "The killing mechanism in these cells brings another advantage, that is, the compounds indirectly inhibit the signaling machinery" of cancer cells.

"It is wonderfully selective, exquisitely selective and very, very potent," said Gangjee, a native of India who previously had used a different transporter as his Trojan horse. "The beauty is we do this selectively in tumor cells only, because our drugs don't get into the normal cells."

Gangjee's lab employs 14 people, including graduate assistants.

Founded in 1878, Duquesne is consistently ranked among the nation's top Catholic research universities for its award-winning faculty and tradition of academic excellence. The University is nationally ranked by U.S. News and World Report and the Princeton Review for its rich academic programs in 10 schools of study for 10,000-plus graduate and undergraduate students, and by the Washington Monthly for service and contributing to students' social mobility.

Source: Duquesne University

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GlobalPittsburgh Co-Hosting International Night at Savoy May 15 With Pittsburgh Social Exchange and Hispanic Chamber of Commerce

GlobalPittsburgh is teaming up with the Pittsburgh Social Exchange and the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce (PMAHCC) to host the 3rd Annual International Night at the SAVOY Restaurant and Lounge in the Strip District on Wednesday, May 15 from 6-8 p.m.

Join us as we experience "The Good Life" and celebrate the international culture of our great city with food, drinks, fun, and business networking! Admission includes delicious cuisine from different lands across the world. Meet and mingle with members and friends of Global Pittsburgh, the Pittsburgh Metropolitan Area Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and hundreds of other business people. Space is limited, and we have sold out in previous years, so register now by clicking HERE.

Admission for GlobalPittsburgh members (and PSE/PMAHCC members) is $15 in advance and $45 for non-members. Admission at the door (if tickets are available) is $50 per person. If you are not a GlobalPittsburgh member, now is the time to join. It's only $40 per year, or $50 per household. CLICK HERE for membership information. You can sign up and pay online, and then get member ticket price to this event.

Savoy is located at 2623 Penn Avenue, Pittsburgh, PA 15222. To register, please CLICK HERE.

The Pittsburgh Social Exchange is Pittsburgh's premier networking organization, with the goal of helping members build their business and professional career by connecting them with other local professionals. PSE specializes in high-caliber events that are designed to bring together local professionals and help them increase their professional opportunities through business networking. For more information, go to www.pittsburghsocialexchange.com.

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Pittsburgh Deejay and Radio Host Carla Leininger Wins International Press Award for Promoting Brazil

Pittsburgh deejay and radio host Carla Andréa Leininger is among the 2013 Brazilian International Press Awards recipients for her efforts to celebrate Brazilian culture and Brazil’s positive image overseas.

Carla Leininger

Leininger, who was born in Brasilia, Brazil, and moved to Pittsburgh in the late 1970s, started the city's first Latin American radio program in 1999 -- now called the Brazilian Radio Hour or Cantinho Brasileiro no Radio -- and is creator and presenter of a world music series of events known as Global Beats.

“We like to think that we put the 'happy' in Pittsburgh’s Friday Happy Hour," Leininger said of the radio program, which airs Fridays at 6 p.m. on Carnegie Mellon University's radio station, WRCT 88.3 FM. "Folks are riding home in their car, listening to some soft samba music. That puts anyone in a good mood."

The Brazilian International Press Award ceremony takes place May 3 at the end of a seminar known as Focus Brasil, which has become an annual forum for leaders of the Brazilian communities abroad. It fosters issues of interest such as Brazilian culture and the teaching of the Portuguese language.

Leininger attended the Focus Brasil seminars for a few years to network with fellow Brazilians and to let everyone know that the Brazilian flag was waving high above the Pittsburgh skyline. It paid off.

Not only was Leininger recognized for her radio program this year, but a special edition of the Focus Brasil Conference was held in the city recently. The event caught the recognition of city of Pittsburgh officials, and April 13th was declared Focus Brasil Day in the city.

Global Beats was created to foster multicultural exchanges and to be an agent of social change through the sounds and fusion of world music. It features lounge and dance music from around the world, because quality music comes in all shapes, languages, colors, and sounds.

This summer, Global Beats and the Pittsburgh Cultural Trust are collaborating and presenting Pittsburgh's first World Music Day at the Three Rivers Arts Festival. Two major world music acts are expected to debut at the festival, thanks to a grant from Vibrant Pittsburgh, a nonprofit organization committed to attracting, retaining, elevating and educating people of all backgrounds, including new Americans, and creating an environment that is inclusive and welcoming.

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CMU Alumnus Launches Cookstove Project Empowering Rural Women in Africa; Crowdsource Funding Underway

Carnegie Mellon University Graduate Lucas Belenky has launched a company in Africa selling a specialized cookstove that he says will empower rural women in developing countries and also have a positive environmental and public health impact by using less firewood and creating less smoke.

The Baker Cookstove on the
manufacturing floor in Kenya.

Belenky, who received a graduate engineering degree from CMU in 2009, has spent the last four years working and living in Nairobi, Kenya. His company, Top Third Ventures Ltd., has developed the Baker Cookstove, which replicates the three-stone-fire system of cooking used in much of the developing world.

"It is basically three rocks that support a pot with an open fire in the middle," the company wrote on its Indiegogo crowdsourcing campaign page. "This cooking style is very inefficient and leads to many environmental and health problems."

Belenky's company modeled its steel stove design on the three-rock-fire system so women (who do the vast majority of cooking in developing countries) would be more likely to use the new stove.

"The high thermal efficiency rating of the Baker Stove allows women to cook with only a third of the wood they used to use and in much less time," the company wrote. "This saves lives because less wood means less smoke"

Less smoke from cooking fires, which are often placed in poorly ventilated spaces, means improvements in health conditions, the company said.

"Indoor air pollution kills 4 million people every year," it said. "This is more than malaria and HIV/AIDS combined."

"The company I built over the last 16 months is now launching its first product that will change the lives of rural women in Africa, while reducing deforestation, and combating climate change," Belenky announced on LinkedIn. 

Top Third Ventures crowdfunding campaign is currently underway to raise enough money to achieve proof-of-concept and bring on board larger investors. More information can be found at http://www.indiegogo.com/projects/baker-stove-an-energy-efficient-cookstove-for-the-developing-world

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Pittsburgh Picked As First Location For Web Video Series on Entrepreneurship Outside Silicon Valley

Pittsburgh has been picked as the first location for a web video series on entrepreneurship outside Silicon Valley by the Ewing Marion Kauffman Foundation, which features Pittsburgh Region companies and startup support organizations like Innovation Works on its entrepreneurship.org website.

"Thirty years ago, Pittsburgh was given up for dead," the site reads. "City leaders realized that if the town were ever to recover it would need a more diversified economy and that entrepreneurship would be key. The stories below explore how Pittsburgh went about creating a new entrepreneurial ecosystem and the challenges it still faces."

View the series at http://www.entrepreneurship.org/en/ID8/Pittsburgh.aspx



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GlobalPittsburgh Member Heyl & Patterson Joins Initiative To Supply Mining Equipment In Southern Africa

Heyl & Patterson Inc., a world leader in thermal processing systems and bulk material handling, announced that it has joined the Pennsylvania Mining Export Program (PAMEX), an initiative that provides assistance to Pennsylvania-based companies to successfully penetrate the Southern African market.

Heyl & Patterson is one of 10 Pennsylvania companies participating in the program. PAMEX is part of the Pennsylvania Office of Trade Development, and is designed to promote and increase Pennsylvania mining and service equipment in the Southern Africa region, with assistance from the United States Department of Commerce.

 The scope of PAMEX includes the nations of Angola, Botswana, Lesotho, Malawi, Mozambique, Namibia, South Africa, Swaziland, Tanzania, Zambia and Zimbabwe. These nations are also known as the Southern Africa Development Community. Implementation of the program will be conducted by the Pennsylvania Authorized Trade Representative (ATR) office based in Pretoria, South Africa. Heyl & Patterson has been an industry leader in the design and manufacture of thermal processing systems and bulk material handling equipment since its founding in 1887.

“PAMEX provides us with mining representatives who are familiar not only with the nation of South Africa, but the entire Southern Africa market, and this gives us the ability to expand our reach geographically,” said John Edelman, President of Heyl & Patterson. “This business venture could have a significant impact on Heyl & Patterson, and is a significant step in our strategy to expand our presence in growing markets.”

The ATR will conduct market research and appointment setting in the Southern Africa markets. A Mining Marketing Representative (MMR) will attend initial business meetings scheduled on behalf of the Pennsylvania companies, and those companies are expected to follow up on the meetings with potential importers within three working days. This process will result in reportable sales.

Founded in 1887 in Pittsburgh, Heyl & Patterson provides high quality, custom engineered solutions for thermal processing and bulk material handling applications around the globe. Thermal processing products and services include some of the largest high-efficiency Dryers and Coolers in the world, as well as Calciners, Bulk Material Processors and Pilot Plant Laboratory Testing. Heyl & Patterson is the innovator the Rotary Railcar Dumper and offers a wide range of bulk material handling equipment, including Railcar & Barge Movers and Barge Unloaders.

For more information, go to www.heylpatterson.com.
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Pittsburgh City Council Passes Resolution Supporting National Immigration Reform With Path to Citizenship

Pittsburgh City Council has passed a unanimous resolution urging lawmakers at the state and federal level to adopt comprehensive immigration reform measures that would include a path to citizenship for the nation's 11 million undocumented immigrants.

In addition to reflecting the nation's core values of fairness and equality for all people, simplifying the citizenship process for undocumented immigrants would result in positive economic benefits for all American works, according to Councilwoman Natalia Rudiak, lead sponsor of the measure.

"The creation of a pathway to citizenship for aspiring Americans would improve wages and working standards for all workers by giving immigrant workers a voice in the workplace and halting employers who take advantage of failed immigration policies to exploit employees," the Council resolution stated. "Immigration reform is an urgent federal responsibility and must occur in a comprehensive, thoughtful manner guided by our nation's values of due process, civil and human rights, accountability, and proportionality."

At a press conference following the Council's action, Rudiak gathered together dozens of supporters, including representatives from labor, business, faith-based and other community groups, including the region's immigrant community.

"There is no reasonable system for people to become citizens of this country," she said. "That's why we have 11 million people living in the shadows. If we actually had a reasonable pathway to citizenship, people would not be doing that."

Rudiak, whose mother emigrated from Poland, said a Polish cousin of hers is now working in Spain because she was unable to find work in the U.S. even after graduating from Carlow University with honors.

"Not because she wasn't talented and not because they didn't want to hire her, because they did, but because the immigration process in this country is so absolutely onerous and literally takes years to get through," she said. "That's far too much red tape for any employer to be able to hire someone legally through the system."

Here is the text of the Council resolution:

"WHEREAS, the City of Pittsburgh has always been proud of its immigrant history, providing the backbone of industry and manufacturing and making Pittsburgh vital to the progress of the United States; and

"WHEREAS, immigrants from all over the world have been a significant portion of Pittsburgh’s growth over the past decade, bringing new life and investment to our City’s neighborhoods, educational systems, and commercial endeavors; and

"WHEREAS, each day thousands of immigrants work, own homes, open businesses, and contribute to the economic, social, and cultural well-being of the City; and

"WHEREAS, above all, we believe in the human dignity of all Pittsburgh residents; and

"WHEREAS, our country’s immigration system is fundamentally broken, holding back our economy and fostering a sense of divisiveness and fear in communities throughout America; and

"WHEREAS, the City of Pittsburgh recognizes that immigration reform must protect the rights of all workers and families and provide sufficient channels for migration in the future; and

"WHEREAS, the creation of a pathway to citizenship for aspiring Americans would improve wages and working standards for all workers by giving immigrant workers a voice in the workplace and halting employers who take advantage of failed immigration policies to exploit employees; and

"WHEREAS, the City of Pittsburgh recognizes the hopes of millions of immigrants to reunify their families and, as Pittsburghers have always held the core values of family and hard work, we recognize the dreams of young immigrants to get a quality education and contribute to our communities; and

"WHEREAS, immigration reform is an urgent federal responsibility and must occur in a comprehensive, thoughtful manner guided by our nation's values of due process, civil and human rights, accountability, and proportionality.

THEREFORE BE IT RESOLVED, that the Council of the City of Pittsburgh hereby urges the 113th Congress to enact comprehensive immigration reform as outlined in this resolution that establishes a clear, fast, and reasonable pathway to citizenship, keeps families together, upholds our values as a nation, promotes economic growth, and creates a fair immigration system guided by respect for the human rights of all persons; and

THEREFORE BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED, that a copy of this resolution shall be delivered to the United States Speaker of the House and President of the Senate, members of the Pennsylvania General Assembly, and the Governor of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania.

SPONSORED BY COUNCILWOMAN NATALIA RUDIAK

CO-SPONSORED BY COUNCIL PRESIDENT DARLENE M. HARRIS AND COUNCILMEMBERS REV. RICKY V. BURGESS, PATRICK DOWD, BRUCE A. KRAUS, R. DANIEL LAVELLE, COREY O’CONNOR, WILLIAM PEDUTO, AND THERESA KAIL-SMITH
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