The Role of Viruses in Human Cancer

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): We propose to recruit an outstanding junior scientist as a tenure track assistant professor to augment and strengthen our core center In tumor virology. To date, specific human tumor viruses have been causally associated with at least 15-20% of all human cancers and are widely suspected to contribute to additional cancers. We have identified three research areas as critical program needs: viral immunology (including Innate immunity and vaccine development), systems biology analysis of viral replication and oncogenesis, and antiviral therapeutics. Approval of this grant would trigger the creation of a new joint position between two world-renowned research centers at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, the Institute for Molecular Virology (IMV) and the McArdle Laboratory for Cancer Research (McArdle), with McArdle providing the official tenure home and IMV providing laboratory/office space and additional physical and administrative resources. Recruitment efforts would begin immediately after a positive funding decision and would follow our traditional, rigorous selection processes that have proven successful over many years in identifying and recruiting outstanding young faculty. As a key objective of this grant, we also would focus the recruitment on a junior woman and/or minority faculty member, consistent with the NIH goals. As with other IMV/McArdle faculty, the new hire would be integrated within the staff of the virology core provided by these two research centers. In addition, the new hire would become a member of campus-wide graduate programs, the Paul P. Carbone Comprehensive Cancer Center (UWCCC) and the Wisconsin Center for Infectious Disease. As has always been our policy all new faculty hires are provided extensive personal mentoring that is coordinated through a hands-on mentoring committee of 5 highly-involved senior faculty. Our young faculty are highly protected in their first 2-3 years from extensive teaching and administrative or committee service commitments to allow them time to focus on their new independent positions, and to establish their research into respected, productive world-class programs. Multiple mechanisms are in place for evaluating the impact of this program on our capability to conduct multidisciplinary research.