Noted

• Pfizer announced the launch of a competitive, peer-reviewed grants program to support clinical research investigating palbociclib (Ibrance) in advanced breast cancer. The multiyear program will award up to six grants totaling as much as $3 million. For specifics, visit www.aspireresearch.org.

• Under the direction of the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Medicine, researchers and other experts will convene this fall to explore issues associated with human gene–editing technologies, such as CRISPR-Cas9, and an international committee will work to recommend standards, guidelines, and practices governing the use of these technologies in biomedical research.

• Roche announced that the FDA has approved the cobas KRAS Mutation Test for diagnostic use. The real-time PCR test is designed to identify KRAS mutations in tumor samples from patients with metastatic colorectal cancer and help oncologists determine an appropriate therapy.

• A recent report from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (available at www.cdc.gov) concludes that about 20% of women are not up to date with cervical cancer screening and 25% are not up to date with breast cancer screening; about 40% of adults are not up to date with colorectal cancer screening.

• In new guidelines, the American College of Physicians says that clinicians should screen women ages 21 to 30 who are at average risk of cervical cancer every 3 years, using the Pap test alone (Ann Inter Med 2015 Apr 30 [Epub ahead of print]). Women younger than 30 should not be tested for human papillomavirus (HPV) as part of cancer screening because of the high prevalence of HPV infection in this age group.

• Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center announced that it has received a $150 million commitment from David H. Koch. The contribution will help fund a 23-story, 750,000-square-foot outpatient medical building in New York, NY.

For more news on cancer research, visit Cancer Discovery online at http://CDnews.aacrjournals.org.