Training and Research in Colon Cancer Survival

 描述(由申请人提供)：这是对Polly Newcomb博士的已设立的研究员奖的续签，以表彰他将30%的精力致力于结直肠癌存活期的培训和研究。她是一位经验丰富的癌症预防和控制研究员，拥有长期和成功的持续资助记录，作为首席研究员，她获得了近4000万美元的直接奖励。作为一名有效的导师，她与40多名年轻科学家合作，帮助他们在癌症预防和控制领域走向独立的职业生涯。这个K05使她的职业生涯专注于结肠癌生存的流行病学和遗传学。在K05的支持下，她获得了额外的技能，获得了4个R01提案的资助，作为PI，并与24名优秀的初级调查人员合作，撰写了约70份专注于癌症生存的研究报告。癌症存活率的流行病学仍然是一个重要领域，因为癌症幸存者的人口由于筛查和治疗的成功而迅速增长；今天，美国有1400多万人有癌症病史。因此，确定提高结直肠癌患者生存率的方法是患者、临床医生和护理人员的高度优先事项。 结直肠癌是一种由环境、行为和遗传因素共同作用引起的复杂疾病，确诊后的寿命也必须反映这些共同影响。这个K05奖项的研究目标是：1)进一步发展和积极参与新出现的结直肠癌国际生存分析(ISACC)，该国际生存分析目前包括23项研究和近27,000项结直肠癌，以便与该联盟的调查人员和被辅导者一起发起研究项目，以利用参与研究收集的多样化和注释良好的人群和生物标本；2)测试由BRAF突变、KRAS突变、CpG岛甲基化表型(CIMP)和微卫星不稳定(MSI)状态定义的结肠癌基因组是否与结直肠癌生存有关，并评估这种关联是否被流行病学因素或常见的生殖系遗传变异所改变；3)利用肿瘤基因组、流行病学因素和生殖系遗传变异，开发和验证生存预后模型。癌症的生存是一个具有挑战性的预防研究领域，具有分析和控制偏见的独特方法，这使得初级研究人员的指导对于成功产生重大和有影响力的研究结果至关重要。华盛顿大学有一批优秀的博士后和博士后学员，学员的资金来自纽科姆博士担任导师和/或执行委员会成员的4项培训补助金。Newcomb博士定期单独和每周集体会见受训者，以发展研究指导、分析、手稿准备、拨款撰写和负责任的研究指导方面的专业知识。K05奖的续展将是一个宝贵的机制，可以更好地了解可以提高癌症存活率的因素，并通过这样做，培养在癌症控制方面具有高技能的初级研究人员。

 DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This is a renewal of an Established Investigator award for Dr. Polly Newcomb to dedicate 30% effort to training and research in colorectal cancer survivorship. She is an experienced cancer prevention and control investigator with a long and successful record of continuous NIH-funding, with nearly $40 M in direct awards to her as Principal Investigator. An effective mentor, she has worked with over 40 young scientists on their way to independent careers in cancer prevention and control. This K05 has allowed her to focus her career on the epidemiology and genetics of colon cancer survival. With support of the K05 she has obtained additional skills, had 4 R01 proposals funded as PI, and worked with 24 outstanding junior investigators to author ~70 study reports focused on cancer survivorship. The epidemiology of cancer survival continues to be an essential area, as the population of cancer survivors is rapidly growing because of screening and treatment successes; today more than 14 million U.S. individuals have a history of cancer. Therefore, identifying approaches to improve survival in colorectal cancer patients is a high priority for patients, clinicians, and caregivers. Colorectal cancer is a complex disease caused by the joint action of environmental, behavioral, and genetic factors; longevity after diagnosis too must reflect these joint effects. The research goals of this K05 awards are to: 1) Further develop and actively participate in the newly emerging International Survival Analysis of Colorectal Cancer Consortium (ISACC) that currently includes 23 studies and nearly 27,000 colorectal cancers, in order to initiate research projects with Consortium investigators and mentees to leverage the diverse and well-annotated populations and biospecimens collected by the participating studies; 2) Test whether the colon tumor genome, as defined by BRAF mutation, KRAS mutation, CpG Island Methylator Phenotype (CIMP), and microsatellite instability (MSI) status, is associated with colorectal cancer survival, and assess whether this association is modified by epidemiologic factors or common germline genetic variants; and 3) Develop and validate a prognostic model for survival utilizing the tumor genome, epidemiologic factors, and germline genetic variants. Cancer survivorship is a challenging area of prevention research with unique methods for analyses and controlling bias, making mentorship of junior investigators key to the successful production of significant and impactful research results. There is an outstanding pool of pre- and post-doctoral trainees from the University of Washington, with mentee funding available from 4 training grants with which Dr. Newcomb serves as a mentor and/or on the Executive Committee. Dr. Newcomb regularly meets with trainees individually, and weekly as a group, to develop expertise in study conduct, analyses, manuscript preparation, grant writing, and the responsible conduct of research. The renewal of the K05 award will be an invaluable mechanism to better understand the factors that can enhance cancer survival, and in doing so, develop junior researchers highly skilled in cancer control.