UTPA - Cancer Center at UTHSCSA Border Partnership (1 of 2)

描述(申请人提供)：拉美裔/拉美裔人口是美国最大的少数民族，拉美裔人口最集中的地方是美墨边境。为了满足这一人群在癌症研究和教育方面的特殊需求，建议在德克萨斯大学泛美分校和位于圣安东尼奥的德克萨斯大学健康科学中心癌症中心之间建立合作伙伴关系。这项申请的目标是发展研究和培训合作伙伴关系，以增加美国-墨西哥边境的癌症研究基地。拟议的项目不仅将发展基础科学方面的转化研究，还将解决拉美裔边境人口中与癌症有关的健康差距问题。该申请的具体目标是：1.在UTPA发展和促进癌症研究；2.促进致力于减轻拉美裔人口癌症负担的研究，重点是美墨边境地区；3.增加来自南得克萨斯州的癌症研究人员的数量。为了实现这些目标，提出了两个试点项目和一个培训方案。第一个试点项目是一个基础科学项目，它将利用UTPA合成多环芳香化合物的专业知识和UTHSCSA的专业知识来测试这些化合物是否为抗癌剂。第二个试点项目旨在了解基因测试中增加乳腺癌风险的态度和决策过程。第三个项目是UTPA学生的暑期本科项目，让他们在实验室工作并学习癌症生物学，目的是增加来自南得克萨斯州社区的对癌症研究感兴趣的学生数量。这种多维度的方法将加强德克萨斯州边境地区拉美裔/拉丁裔人口中的癌症研究和教育。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Latino/Hispanic population is the largest minority in the US and the highest concentration of Latinos is along the US-Mexico Border. To address the specific needs of this population in cancer research and education, a partnership between The University of Texas-Pan American and the Cancer Center at The University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio is proposed. The goals of this application are to develop research and training partnerships to increase the cancer research base on the US-Mexico border. The projects proposed will not only develop translational research in basic science but also address cancer related health disparities in the Hispanic border population. The specific goals of the application are: 1. to develop and foster cancer research at UTPA; 2. to foster research dedicated towards reducing the cancer burden of the Hispanic population with emphasis on the US-Mexico border, and 3. to increase the number of cancer researchers coming from South Texas. To accomplish these goals, two pilot projects and a training program are proposed. The first pilot project is a basic science project which will take advantage of the expertise at UTPA to synthesize polycyclic aromatic compounds and expertise at UTHSCSA to test these compounds as anticancer agents. The second pilot project is directed toward understanding the attitudes and decision making processes in genetic testing for increased breast cancer risk. The third project is a summer undergraduate program for UTPA students to work in laboratories and to learn about cancer biology with the goal of increasing the number of students from communities in South Texas interested in cancer research. This multidimensional approach will heighten cancer research and education in the Hispanic/Latino population along the Texas border.