Volume LXXV, Number 15
www.towntopics.com
Cancer Research Institute Adds Princeton University As Its Newest Branch
House Tour’s Virtual Format Offers Unique Opportunities . . . . . . . . 5 Princeton University Acceptance Rate at Record Low . . . . . . . . . . 8 Council Votes on Several Measures at Meeting . . . 9 Don't Call It a Spinoff — Better Call Saul Is a Great American Film . . . . . . . 12 PHS Wrestler Ayres Wins 3rd Straight N .J . Girls’ State Title . . . . . . . . 22 Sophomore O’Brien Comes Out Firing for Hun Girls’ Lax . . . . . 25
Jordan Young Helps PDS Girls’ Lax Win Season Opener . . . . . . 25 Art . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15 Berkshire Hathaway Fox & Roach Realtors . . 16,17 Calendar . . . . . . . . . . 18 Classified Ads . . . . . . 27 Mailbox . . . . . . . . . . . 11 New To Us . . . . . . . . . 20 Performing Arts . . . . . 14 Real Estate . . . . . . . . 27 Sports . . . . . . . . . . . . 21 Topics of the Town . . . . 5 Town Talk . . . . . . . . . . 6
Princeton University is the home of a new branch of the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research, it was announced Tuesday, April 13. The sole focus will be on cancer metabolism and its promise for new and better ways to prevent and treat the disease, according to statements from the two institutions. Princeton joins the Ludwig Institute’s locations at Memorial Sloan-Kettering, the University of Oxford, Johns Hopkins University, MIT, Stanford University, Harvard University, and the University of Lausanne. “The new branch offers us the chance to capitalize on multiple areas where Princeton is a world leader and has world-leading technologies that haven’t yet been applied to cancer,” said Joshua Rabinowitz, a professor of chemistry and the Lewis-Sigler Institute for Integrative Genomics at Princeton. Rabinowitz, who specializes in cancer and metabolism, is the director of the branch. “We want to continue to push the frontiers of those technologies, because ultimately technologies drive biological understanding, which opens up new avenues for cancer treatment and prevention,” he said. The clinical aspect of the program will be conducted in the tri-state area, including in partnership with RWJBarnabas Health and Rutgers Cancer Institute of New Jersey, the state’s only U.S. National Cancer Institute-designated Comprehensive Cancer Center and a consortium cancer center between Rutgers and Princeton universities and the Institute for Advanced Study. Among the questions to be addressed are: Since tumors feast on glucose, should cancer patients eat more sugary treats or fewer? When advanced cancer patients see their bodies wasting away, should they fight back with carb-loading or steak? How does cancer hijack a patient’s metabolism to grow and metastasize? The branch will focus on dietary strategies to prevent and treat cancer; how bodies inadvertently support tumor growth and metastasis; and the interplay between a patient’s metabolism, gut microbiome, and anti-cancer immune response. “Diet is an overlooked therapeutic strategy that can either help turn on an Continued on Page 7
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Wednesday, April 14, 2021
NJ, Local Officials Pause J&J Vaccinations In accordance with Tuesday’s recommendation from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), the state of New Jersey and the Princeton Health Department are pausing their administration of Johnson & Johnson vaccinations. The CDC and FDA are investigating potentially dangerous blood clots in six women that occurred in the days after they received the J&J vaccine. Approximately seven million people have had the vaccine, including about 300 vaccinated by the Princeton Health Department. “This temporary pause in administering the J&J vaccination is to provide the FDA and CDC with necessary time to evaluate and further investigate these rare cases, and craft further recommendations,” said Princeton Health Officer Jeff Grosser. He noted that the Princeton Health Department, which currently has 100 doses of the J&J vaccine that are being stored at the proper temperature, will not administer additional J&J vaccines until the CDC and FDA provide clear guidance on the next steps. The New Jersey Department of Health (NJDOH) also announced Tuesday that it is suspending J&J vaccinations pending
further guidance from federal health officials. All New Jersey vaccination sites have been told to put J&J vaccinations on hold until further notice. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy on Tuesday urged the 235,000 New Jersey residents who have gotten the J&J vaccination not to worry. No adverse effects similar to those reported elsewhere from the J&J vaccination have been seen in New Jersey, he said. “It is important for residents to be aware
that these six cases were among women ages 18-48, with symptoms occurring 6-13 days post-vaccination,” Grosser said. “If any residents have concerns on the vaccine or experience symptoms such as severe headache, abdominal pain, leg pain, or shortness of breath, they should contact their health care provider and the CDC Vaccine Adverse Emergency Reporting System (VAERS).” Beginning Monday, April 19, all individuals 16 and older will be eligible to receive Continued on Page 7
Documentary on Local Wildlife Debuts At Princeton Environmental Film Festival Last November Jared Flesher, parttime staff videographer in Princeton University’s Office of Sustainability and founder of his own video production company based in Ringoes, heard about an astrophysicist who had occupied himself and his three sons during the pandemic by taking photos of animals in the woods with a $40 motion-sensor camera. “He’d been running around for a few months during the pandemic with a wildlife camera just to see what was out there, exploring around the lake to see what other life was there,” Flesher said.
“During the pandemic a lot of people were feeling cooped up wondering what to do with themselves.” Flesher, who describes himself as a storyteller with a passion for nature and for just looking around, wasted no time in following up on the doings of this astrophysicist, who turned out to be Hungarian-born Princeton University Professor Gaspar Bakos. Bakos lives next to a tiny patch of forest bordering on Lake Carnegie and is known for having helped discover more than 140 planets outside our Continued on Page 10
HONORING A HOMETOWN HERO: Mayor Mark Freda designated April 9 as Paul Robeson Day during the Memorial Wreath Laying ceremony at the bust of Robeson in front of the Arts Council of Princeton . The event was the culmination of the Robeson Week of Remembrance . Attendees share why it is important to commemorate Paul Robeson in this week’s Town Talk on page 6 . (Photo by Weronika A. Plohn)
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