MOLECULAR GENETICS OF TUMOR VIRUSES AND CELLS

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DESCRIPTION (Applicant's Description): The purpose of the proposed training program is to prepare highly qualified men and women for creative careers in basic biomedical research related to cancer. As in the past, a primary emphasis of the program is research training in the molecular genetics of tumor viruses and cells. The faculty of the Program are members of the Department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at Johns Hopkins. The research interests represented among the faculty include: the replication of DNA tumor virus genomes, the regulation of cellular proliferation by growth factors and oncogenes, the control of the mammalian cell cycle, the regulation of gene expression in normal and neoplastic growth, the molecular genetics of retrotransposons, the mechanisms of cellular signal transduction, and the principles of protein-nucleic acid interactions. A majority of the faculty receives direct research support from the NCI or the American Cancer Society (ACS). One faculty member holds an ACS Professorship and two hold ACS Faculty Research Awards. The program will include both predoctoral (8) and postdoctoral (4) trainees. Predoctoral trainees must have a strong background and outstanding undergraduate accomplishment in quantitative science, and preferably some background in modern biology including genetics. They must first be accepted into the interdepartmental Graduate Program in Biochemistry, Cellular and Molecular Biology at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and must satisfactorily complete the first year course and laboratory rotations of that program. At the end of the first year students are selected for admission into the Program in Molecular Genetics of Tumor Viruses and Cells at an average rate of about two per year with a steady state number of eight. The remainder of their training consists of laboratory research designed to encourage creativity and self-reliance, required elective coursesrelated to basic cancer research, practical instruction in the techniques of modern molecular genetics, and participation in research seminars and journal clubs. All courses given by any branch of the University are open to their students. Postdoctoral trainees must have completed the requirements for the Ph.D. or M.D. and must have outstanding accomplishment and potential for creative careers in cancer-related research at a basic or clinical level. They spend almost all of their time carrying out an individual research project under the close supervision of a faculty member participating in the program. They also participate actively in research seminars and journal clubs involving the entire program personnel and, as appropriate, take a formal course related to cancer biology offered within the University. The primary training facilities are located within the department of Molecular Biology and Genetics at the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine and consist of modern research laboratories, a variety of support facilities, lecture and seminar rooms and a library.