Training Program in Quantitative Ocular Genomics

 描述(申请人提供)：在过去的半个世纪里，人类遗传学已经成为生物学和医学的主导领域。这不仅源于它解释甚至最基本的生物过程的关键能力，也源于它不断增长的能够阐明分子、细胞、有机体和种群生物学的新技术和方法。然而，这些技术和方法在不同疾病和表型上的应用差异很大。尽管视力在医学、社会和文化方面具有重要意义，但研究人员尚未充分利用与眼病相关的现有基因和表型数据。这主要是由于缺乏在眼部表型和基因组学方面接受过充分培训的科学家。定量眼球基因组学(TPQOG)培训计划的主要目标是通过培训眼病和计算基因组分析交叉点的研究人员来满足这一需求。该计划建立在范德比尔特遗传研究所(VGI，前身为人类遗传学研究中心)和范德比尔特眼科研究所(VEI)之间的基础关系之上。新开发的VGI在范德比尔特大学医学院的研究实体组织中占有核心地位 在过去的十年里，VEI在研究深度和广度上都有了极大的增长。对于博士前培训，该项目建立在范德比尔特现有的博士前跨学科研究生项目(IGP)及其大量优秀学生申请者的基础上。到目前为止，TPQOG的博士前学生一直是人类遗传学或生物医学信息学博士课程的一部分。凭借Vanderbilt在统计遗传学、计算基因组学、遗传流行病学、生物信息学以及临床和基础眼科研究方面的独特优势，所有博士前学员都将接受严格的教学计划和密集的研究培训。博士后实习生通过定期研讨会、期刊俱乐部、非正式工作进展研讨会和年度静修，通过个性化的教学和实验室培训，融入我们广泛而丰富的研究环境。该项目已经在该领域产生了重大影响，培训了四名博士后和四名博士后研究人员，学习与眼病相关的计算基因组学。鉴于新的VGI的建立和独特的Vanderbilt基因组资源的持续扩大，如其DNA生物库(BioVU)，我们相信下一个赠款时期将更加富有成效。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Human genetics has become a dominant field in biology and medicine over the past half-century. This stems not only from its critical ability to explain even the most basic biological processes, but also from its growing repertoire of novel technologies and methods that can elucidate molecular, cellular, organismal, and population biology. However, the application of these technologies and methods to different diseases and phenotypes has varied greatly. Despite the medical, social, and cultural importance of eyesight, researchers have not taken full advantage of available genotypic and phenotypic data related to eye diseases. This is due primarily to the lack scientists who have been adequately trained in both ocular phenotyping and genomics. The principal goal of this Training Program in Quantitative Ocular Genomics (TPQOG) is to fill this need by training researchers at the intersection of eye disease and computational genomic analysis. The Program builds upon the foundational relationship between the Vanderbilt Genetics Institute (VGI, formerly the Center for Human Genetics Research) and the Vanderbilt Eye Institute (VEI). The newly-developed VGI holds a central place in the organization of research entities at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center, and the VEI has grown tremendously in research depth and breadth over the past decade. For predoctoral training, the program builds upon Vanderbilt's existing predoctoral Interdisciplinary Graduate Program (IGP) and its large pool of excellent student applicants. Thus far, the predoctoral TPQOG students have been part of the Human Genetics or Biomedical Informatics PhD programs. With Vanderbilt's particular strengths in statistical genetics, computational genomics, genetic epidemiology, bioinformatics, and clinical and basic ophthalmological research, all predoctoral trainees undergo a rigorous didactic program and intensive research training. Postdoctoral trainees are integrated into our extensive and rich research environment through individualized didactic and laboratory training enhanced by regular seminars, journal clubs, an informal works-in-progress seminar, and an annual retreat. The program has already made a substantial impact on the field, training four predoctoral and four postdoctoral researchers in computational genomics related to eye diseases. Given establishment of the new VGI and the continued expansion of unique Vanderbilt genomic resources such as its DNA biobank (BioVU), we believe that the next grant period will be even more productive.