Vitamin D Deficiency Leads to Increased Intra‐Prostatic Androgens in African American Men

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PROJECT SUMMARY This proposal is for a Research Supplements to Promote Diversity in Health-Related Research to R21 CA231610. I propose to support a third year graduate student in the lab, Mr. Jason Garcia, to work on this project. Mr. Garcia is Mexican American whose career goal is “to earn a faculty position at a university catering to underrepresented students seeking an education in the STEM fields while continuing to investigate cancer disparities.” He has designed a supplement aim to complement the Aims of the R21. Aim S1: To quantify megalin-mediated import of serum globulins, vitamin D binding protein and sex-hormone binding globulin, into prostate cells and tissues. These experiments use the cutting edge methods of ex vivo tissue slices and prostate organoids to provide Jason expertise in patient-derived preclinical models relevant to cancer disparities research. Additionally, the technical skills gained with the protein manipulation, confocal microscopy and informatics quantitation will broaden his breadth of expertise in the laboratory setting. Training: To accomplish Mr. Garcia's goal and prepare him for a competitive postdoctoral position, the last 2 years of his training will focus on excellence in cancer disparities research, mentoring of undergraduate or high school students, as well as several didactic elements outlined in the proposal.