Engineering approaches to molecular imaging

描述(由申请者提供)：这是分子成像(TPMI)培训计划的续展申请，该计划支持6名博士前学员。分子成像是一个高度交叉的研究领域，涉及来自生物、工程、物理和医学的科学家。在过去的四年里，NIBIB资助的项目已经为24名一年级到三年级的研究生提供了直接支持，并通过匹配资金为另外12名研究生提供了间接支持。该计划的核心是生物医学工程研究生小组，这是一个跨越25个部门的跨学科计划，负责管理博士学位。生物医学成像和细胞与分子系统工程这两个研究生课程结合在一起，创建了这个培训计划。TPMI包括由教师领导的教学和经验部分，他们正在开发最先进的仪器和化学，或应用这些新方法来解决重要的生物和医学问题。教学计划包括跨越生物、数学和仪器的核心课程，以及涵盖每种分子成像模式的许多选修课，以及细胞生物学和受体-配体相互作用。一个独特的动手操作的分子成像实验室，使用分子和基因组成像中心，促进探索每种成像方式的分辨率、对比度和灵敏度。学生们还参加了一门特定学科的课程 研究伦理学课程，参加国际分子成像会议，在两周中选择 分子成像杂志俱乐部，并参加一年一度的静修。研究培训通过参与我们的一个非常合作的研究实验室，并完成与行业、临床医生或再生医学实验室有关的分子成像项目来进行。在接下来的5年里，TPMI将扩大我们的知名度和招聘努力，加强我们与加州大学戴维斯临床和翻译科学中心的联系，并增加一个针对TPMI的研究务虚会。加州大学戴维斯分校相对较新的分子成像项目已经成功地培养出了学术界和工业界的领军人物。培训员和受训人员每年由5名成员组成的执行委员会挑选和评估，以确保有效的研究和培训工作。参与培训者的评估标准包括出版记录、赠款支持、学生培训记录，以及在定量和多学科合作背景下对分子成像项目的重视。我们从所有以前的实习生那里收集反馈，以指导我们改进我们计划的各个方面。 相关性：我们的受训人员在快速发展的活体分子成像领域进行的研究将通过开发非侵入性成像基因和蛋白质靶标的策略来推动该领域的发展，目标是更好地了解疾病的发生和发展，并加速将基本知识转化为临床新的诊断和治疗方法。我们将培养新一代科学家，利用核医学、超声、核磁共振和光学成像来发现疾病并指导治疗。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This is a renewal submission of the Training Program in Molecular Imaging (TPMI), which supports 6 pre-doctoral trainees. Molecular imaging is a highly interdisciplinary research field, involving scientists from the biological, engineering, physical and medical sciences. Over the last four years, the NIBIB-funded program has provided direct support for 24 first- to third-year graduate students and, through matching funds, it has provided indirect support for an additional 12 graduate students. The heart of the Program is the Biomedical Engineering Graduate Group, a cross-disciplinary program spanning 25 departments that administers the Ph.D. degree. Two graduate tracks, biomedical imaging and cell & molecular systems engineering, are combined to create this training program. The TPMI includes didactic and experiential components led by faculty who are developing state-of-the-art instrumentation and chemistries, or applying these new methods to solve important biological and medical problems. The didactic program includes core courses spanning biology, mathematics and instrumentation, and many elective courses covering each molecular imaging modality, as well as cellular biology and receptor-ligand interactions. A unique hands-on molecular imaging laboratory, using the Center for Molecular and Genomic Imaging, facilitates exploration of the resolution, contrast and sensitivity of each imaging modality. Students also take a discipline-specific research ethics course, attend an international molecular imaging meeting, choose between two weekly molecular imaging journal clubs, and attend a yearly retreat. Research training occurs through Participation in one of our extraordinarily collaborative research laboratories, and completing molecular imaging projects linked with industry, clinicians or regenerative medicine laboratories. In the next 5 years, the TPMI will expand our visibility and recruitment efforts, enhance our links with the UC Davis Clinical and Translational Sciences Center, and add a TPMI-specific research retreat. The relatively new molecular imaging program at UC Davis has successfully produced leaders in academics and industry. Trainers and trainees are chosen and evaluated annually by a 5-member Executive Committee that ensures an effective research and training effort. Assessment criteria for participating trainers include publication records, grant support, record of student training, and emphasis on molecular imaging projects within a quantitative and multidisciplinary collaborative context. We collect feedback from all former trainees to guide us in improving all aspects of our program. RELEVANCE: Research conducted by our trainees in the rapidly growing field of in vivo molecular imaging will advance the field by developing strategies for non-invasively imaging gene and protein targets, with the goals of better understanding disease initiation and progression and accelerating the translation of basic knowledge into new diagnostic and therapeutic approaches in the clinic. We will train a new generation of scientists to detect disease and guide treatments using nuclear medicine, ultrasound, MRI, and optical imaging.