Interdisciplinary Training in Nanotechnology for Cardiovascular and Lung Diseases in North Texas

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Although nanotechnology can be used to detect disease and improve the outcomes of cardiovascular and pulmonary healthcare, there are relatively few doctoral graduates that are trained to apply new advances in nanotechnology with a strong basic, health and translational science background. To bridge this gap, our long-term objective is to develop and operate a bioengineering doctoral training program in nanomaterials, nanoengineering and nanomedicine (DT-NEN) for cardiovascular and lung diseases. To reach this goal, we designed an integrative and interdisciplinary research training program for DT-NEN trainees by grouping participating mentors who have extensive training track records into four focused areas: (i) basic and translational sciences related to cardiovascular and lung diseases, (ii) nanoengineering strategies to facilitate vascular and lung tissue regeneration, (iii) nanomedicine for cardiovascular and lung diseases, and (iv) nanomaterials and imaging applications in detection of cardiovascular and lung disorders. Our DT-NEN program is novel as it will train doctoral students in various NEN applications for cardiovascular and lung diseases, including the use of NEN to study mechanisms involved with disease development and to facilitate tissue repair/regeneration and the traditional applications that are associated with the detection and treatment of these diseases. In addition to a new NEN curriculum, our DT-NEN trainees will also participate in several innovative training activities such as “I Engage Mentoring,” “Emerging Nanomedicine Landscape,” “Nanotechnology Risk and Toxicology Management” and “NEN Perception and Acceptance” to broaden their NEN experience. The program will also increase student involvement from underrepresented groups, especially the large Hispanic undergraduate population in Texas, via extensive recruitment activities, including “The Maverick Bridge Program,” “MavGrad Engineers” and “Students Recruiting Students.” The program will provide financial support to three pre-doctoral students in their second through third years, and the mentors and co-mentors will pay these trainees from their research grants thereafter. After completing the program, our trainees will be able to bridge the gap between theories and experiments, basic biology research and translational sciences as well as experimental and clinical applications associated with NEN for cardiovascular and lung diseases to bring these multidisciplinary fields together to facilitate improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of these diseases. Another outcome is that our DT-NEN program will provide outstanding training and research experiences to equip the next generation of investigators familiar with NEN advances in order to improve the detection and treatment efficiencies, thereby leading to better quality of life for many patients and lower associated healthcare costs. We also anticipate that the DT-NEN program will provide highly trained bioengineers, who will serve as the major workforce in various settings, including government agencies, hospitals, industrial and start-up companies as well as medical centers and universities.