Interdisciplinary Training in Virology and Gene Therapy

描述(由申请人提供)：病毒学的发展促进了几个学科的发展，包括基因疗法。基因疗法有望为各种疾病提供治疗选择。基因治疗中的关键问题是运载工具的开发。为满足国家需求，加州大学洛杉矶分校病毒学和基因治疗培训项目旨在为博士后和博士后学员在基因治疗相关领域寻求研究生涯提供独特和出色的环境。该计划将在基础病毒学及其在基因治疗中的应用方面建立坚实的培训。我们的研究兴趣包括病毒进入、病毒基因表达调控、病毒基因组复制、病毒感染过程中的细胞生物学、病毒颗粒组装、病毒致癌和病毒免疫学，以及设计新的载体和体内跟踪病毒载体。凭借对逆转录病毒、腺病毒、SV40、丙型肝炎、脊髓灰质炎病毒、流感病毒和疱疹病毒的强大基础研究计划，我们的教职员工一直并将继续开发这些病毒的病毒载体，并使用非侵入性成像技术监测体内基因表达。学员将在培训期间接触临床和诊断问题，以帮助他们的研究项目的治疗应用，并鼓励他们与基础和临床导师形成翻译合作。培训环境中的这一桥梁将促进基因治疗从基础科学到临床应用的转化。培训计划包括1)与我们的一个或多个教员一起进行的原创研究工作；2)提供病毒学、基因治疗和成像方面的全面背景的正式课程工作；以及3)由特邀演讲者、教职员工和受训人员主持的定期研究会议和研讨会。培训委员会将通过竞争过程挑选受训人员。任命可以延期，进展令人满意(博士前最多三年，博士后两年)。在加州大学洛杉矶分校，这一严格的培训计划强调基础科学和治疗应用的垂直整合，培养出病毒学和基因疗法长期发展所需的科学家。 相关性：医学进步最有希望的领域之一是基因治疗，基因治疗是通过改变基因来纠正导致人类疾病发展的遗传问题，包括癌症、艾滋病和免疫紊乱。由于病毒将基因运送到另一个有机体中的细胞的天然能力，它们被用作将新基因运送给患者的载体。这一培训计划旨在培养病毒学和基因治疗领域的未来科学家，他们将能够设计出新的、更有效的病毒载体，了解如何将这些载体应用于人类疾病，并确保未来有新的基因疗法可用。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Developments in virology have led to the advancement of several disciplines, including gene therapy. Gene therapy holds promise of therapeutic options for a variety of diseases. The key issue in gene therapy is the development of delivery vehicles. To fulfill the national need, the UCLA Virology and Gene Therapy Training Program aims to provide a unique and outstanding environment for predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees pursuing research careers in fields related to gene therapy. This Program will establish a solid training in fundamental virology and its applications in gene therapy. The research interests of our faculty encompass viral entry, viral gene expression regulation, replication of viral genome, cell biology during viral infection, viral particle assembly, viral carcinogenesis and viral immunology, as well as designing novel vectors and tracking viral vectors in vivo. With strong basic research programs on retroviruses, adenoviruses, SV40, hepatitis C, poliovirus, influenza virus and herpesviruses, our faculty has been and will be continuously developing viral vectors from these viruses and monitoring gene expression in vivo using non-invasive imaging technologies. The trainees will be exposed to clinical and diagnostic issues during their training to assist the therapeutic applications of their research projects, and be encouraged to form translational collaborations with basic and clinical mentors. This bridge in training environment will enhance the translation from basic science to clinical application in gene therapy. The training program constitutes 1) original research work with one or more of our faculty; 2) formal course work which provides comprehensive background on virology, gene therapy, and imaging; and 3) regular research conferences and seminars, presented by invited guest speakers, faculty members and trainees. The training committee will select trainees via a competitive process. Appointments are renewable with satisfactory progress (up to three years predoctoral, 2 years postdoctoral). At UCLA, this rigorous training program with emphasis on vertical integration of basic sciences and therapeutic applications produces the scientists required for long-term development of virology and gene therapy. RELEVANCE: One of the most promising fields of medical advancement is gene therapy, in which changes to genes are introduced to correct genetic issues that lead to human disease development, including cancer, AIDS, and immune disorders. Because of the natural ability of viruses to deliver genes to cells in another organism, they are used as the vector to deliver the new genes to a patient. This training program is designed to produce future scientists in the fields of virology and gene therapy that will be able to design, new, more effective virus vectors, understand how to apply these vectors to human diseases and ensure that new gene therapies are available in the future.