Conducting Research in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology

描述（由申请人提供）：随着人类基因组测序、日益复杂的生物信息学技术的发展、将实验室发现转化为靶向抗肿瘤治疗以及多模式治疗的进步，分子生物学出现了爆炸式增长。为了加快这一进程，必须在国家癌症研究所（NCI）概述的关键领域（癌症生物学、癌症预防和控制、癌症诊断、预后和治疗）建立科学严谨、高度整合的多学科培训计划。这项培训资助将推进个性化医疗的使命，为下一代学术儿科血液学家/肿瘤学家提供对疾病发病机制、治疗和结果的个性化理解。拟议培训计划的目标是建立一个独特的跨学科项目，利用范德比尔特医学院和范德比尔特-英格拉姆癌症中心的优势，以及我们目前在儿科血液学/肿瘤学方面的奖学金。我们的目标是准备学员成为成功的独立资助的科学研究者在基础，转化，临床人群为基础的癌症研究。所有符合条件的学员必须已经获得医学博士学位，并完成儿科或医学/儿科联合住院医师培训。预计每年将有两名新学员参加培训计划，该计划包括三年的培训，其中第2年和第3年的资金将由T32补助金提供。现有研究方向包括癌症流行病学、预防与控制、宿主-肿瘤相互作用、信号转导与细胞增殖、基因组维持、胃肠道、胸、头颈部和乳腺癌研究。此外，学员还有机会与儿科、内科、外科、生物化学、心理学、化学、物理、病理学、放射肿瘤学、细胞和发育生物学、生理学、药理学、神经病学和免疫学等部门的科学家一起工作。这些研究机会有两个明确的培训途径：1)基础和转化研究；2)临床和人口基础研究。基础和转化研究科学路径将专注于三个主要主题领域：基因组科学，化学生物学和蛋白质组学以及动物模型转化医学，并将为学员提供密集的指导研究经验，重点是实验室发现和实验室发现转化为靶向抗肿瘤治疗。临床和基于人群的科学途径旨在为受训者提供密集的指导研究经验，重点关注整个控制连续体中的癌症，包括预防，诊断和治疗，支持性护理，生存和姑息治疗。每个路径都有一个纲领性的目标，强调通过说教式教学和指导式研究提供深入的研究培训经验。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): There has been an explosion in molecular biology together with the sequencing of the human genome, development of increasingly complex bioinformatics techniques, translation of laboratory discoveries to targeting anti-neoplastic therapies and advances in multi-modality therapies. To accelerate such progress, it is essential to have scientifically rigorous, highly integrated, multidisciplinary training programs in the key areas outlined by the National Cancer Institute (NCI): cancer biology, cancer prevention and control, cancer diagnosis, prognosis and treatment. This training grant will advance the mission of personalized medicine to individualize understanding of disease pathogenesis, treatment and outcomes for the next generation of academic pediatric hematologists/oncologists. The goal of the proposed training program is to establish a unique interdisciplinary program that leverages the strengths of the Vanderbilt School of Medicine and the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center and our current fellowship in Pediatric Hematology/Oncology. Our objective is to prepare trainees to become successful independently-funded scientific investigators in basic, translational, clinical population-based cancer research. All eligible trainees will have already obtained an M.D. degree as well as completed residency training in pediatrics or combined medicine/pediatrics. It is anticipated that two new trainees per year will participate in the training program, which consists of three years of training, of which funding for Years 2 and 3 will be supported from funds from this T32 grant. The available programs of research include research in Cancer Epidemiology, Prevention and Control, Host-Tumor Interactions, Signal Transduction and Cell Proliferation, Genome Maintenance, Gastrointestinal, Thoracic and Head & Neck and Breast Cancer. In addition, trainees have the opportunity to work with scientists in the Departments of Pediatrics, Medicine, Surgery, Biochemistry, Psychology, Chemistry, Physics, Pathology, Radiation Oncology, Cell and Developmental Biology, Physiology, Pharmacology, Neurology, and Immunology. There are two defined training pathways under which these research opportunities fall: 1) Basic and Translational Research and, 2) Clinical and Population Based Research. The Basic and Translational Research Science Pathway will focus on three main thematic areas: genomic sciences, chemical biology and proteomics and translational medicine with animal models and will provide the trainee with an intensive mentored research experience that focuses on discovery in the laboratory and the translation of laboratory discoveries to targeted anti-neoplastic therapies. The Clinical and Population-Based Science Pathway is designed to provide the trainee with an intensive mentored research experience that focuses on cancer throughout the control continuum, including prevention, diagnosis and treatment, supportive care, survivorship and palliative care. Each of the pathways has programmatic goals with an over-riding emphasis to provide a deep research training experience through both didactic teaching and mentored research. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Advances in diagnosis, treatment and supportive care have led to significant improvement in outcome for the majority of children with cancer and blood disorders. To continue to accelerate such progress, it is essential to have scientifically rigorous, highly integrated, multi-disciplinary training programs focused on cancer biology, prevention and control, diagnosis, prognosis, treatment, survivorship and palliative care. The goal of the proposed pediatric hematology/oncology training program is to establish such a training program that leverages the institutional strengths of the Vanderbilt School of Medicine and the Vanderbilt-Ingram Cancer Center, where trainees will become successful independently-funded scientific investigators in basic, translational, clinical or population-based cancer research.