Training in Cellular and Molecular Imaging of Cancer

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application seeks support for a new, pre-doctoral educational and training program in Cellular and Molecular Imaging of Cancer at Vanderbilt University and Meharry Medical College. Biomedical imaging in vivo has developed from early uses of X-rays for diagnosis into a compendium of powerful techniques useful not only for patient care but also for the study of fundamental biological processes at the cellular and molecular levels. A variety of technical and molecular tools have evolved in recent years to propel cellular and molecular imaging into the forefront of cancer research. However, there is a critical need for scientists working at the interface of the physical and biological sciences to be trained in the ability to make the connections between imaging and basic biological processes in cancer. We propose to address this need with a comprehensive didactic educational and research training program designed for 10 outstanding pre-doctoral scientists (5 in each of two years). We will recruit trainees who have recently completed an undergraduate degree in a relevant science (particularly in Biomedical Engineering, Physics, Chemistry, Molecular Biophysics, Electrical Engineering or Biology) who will pursue research focused on molecular and/or cellular imaging of cancer. The didactic component of the proposed program will consist of courses, seminars, and a journal club. The courses will be organized into two tracks: one for those whose prior training emphasized relevant physical sciences and one for those with prior training in relevant biological sciences. The two tracks converge by the end of the second year so that all trainees, regardless of previous training, will be equipped with the necessary background to combine quantitative imaging and cancer biology at the highest levels. All trainees will be mentored in the ethics of biomedical research as well as in grant writing. Furthermore, both the didactic and research training components are designed to synthesize the physical and biological disciplines thereby creating a unique multi- and interdisciplinary training program for the study of cancer. For the research component, each trainee will have two mentors representing the disciplines of imaging science and cancer biology. Trainees will be integrated into ongoing NIH funded investigations within a leading biomedical imaging institute with strong connections and roots within a leading cancer center. By combining the resources and programs of the Vanderbilt University Institute of Imaging Science (VUIIS), the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center (VICC), and the Cancer Center at Meharry Medical College (CCM), we believe we have an outstanding infrastructure and personnel to create a leading, exemplary training program in cancer imaging.