Reproductive Biology: Early Pregnancy and Development

描述（由申请人提供）：该计划的目标是准备博士后学员建立独立的研究事业在早孕和胚胎发育领域。培训计划将包括三个要素：独立的实验室研究、小组研讨会和与生殖科学中心联合举办的其他活动，以及研究伦理学方面的正式课程以及将提高受训者研究专业知识的科目。独立研究将在一个实验室进行，该实验室由受训者从10名生殖和发育生物学各方面的领导者中选出。这个培训小组的成员有完善的，NIH资助的项目，并培养了70多名博士后研究员。研究领域包括受精、围着床期发育、滋养层-子宫相互作用、垂体对早期妊娠的调节、着床和早期妊娠的免疫生物学以及发育过程中基因表达的调节。这个小组的实力是通过成员之间的合作得到加强，这一点可以从联合出版物、赠款和学生的记录中得到证明。该计划将利用现有的生殖科学中心，包括19名主要研究者和58名额外的工作人员和学员，以提供增强的培训环境。生殖科学中心赞助了一个积极的研讨会计划，并主办了生殖生物学区域会议，为学员提供了更多的机会来展示他们的工作。学员的招聘，选拔和指导将通过内部咨询委员会进行协调，与所有参与教师的投入，并与外部顾问协商，他们将每年与该集团会面一次。已获得博士学位的申请人生物科学之一的学位，或DVM学位或医学博士学位和谁表现出对生殖生物学研究的承诺将被考虑进入该计划。重点将放在招募代表不足的少数民族参加该方案。在第一个资助期内选出的七名学员的记录令人印象深刻。六个成功地竞争了外部资金（NRSA，Lalor和美国心脏协会研究金），所有三个完成培训的受训人员都担任了学术教师职务。该计划的整体成功将最终由这些学员在建立独立研究计划后的贡献来衡量。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The objective of this program is to prepare post-doctoral trainees to establish independent research careers in the areas of early pregnancy and embryonic development. The training program will consist of three elements; independent laboratory research, group seminars and other functions held jointly with the Center for Reproductive Sciences, and formal course work in research ethics as well as subjects that will enhance the trainee's research expertise. The independent research will occur in a laboratory selected by the trainee from a group of ten scientists who are leaders in various aspects of reproductive and developmental biology. The members of this training group have well-established, NIH-funded programs and have trained more than 70 post- doctoral fellows. Areas of study include fertilization, peri-implantation development, trophoblast-uterine interactions, pituitary regulation of early pregnancy, the immunobiology of implantation and early pregnancy as well as regulation of gene expression during development. The strength of this group is enhanced by collaboration among the members as evidenced by the record of joint publications, grants, and students. This program will take advantage of an existing Center for Reproductive Sciences comprising 19 Principal Investigators and 58 additional staff and trainees to provide an enhanced training environment. The Center for Reproductive Sciences sponsors an active seminar program and hosts a regional conference in reproductive biology, which provide additional opportunities for trainees to present their work. The recruitment, selection and guidance of trainees will be coordinated through an Internal Advisory Committee, with input from all participating faculty and in consultation with an External Advisor, who will meet with the group once each year. Applicants who have been awarded a Ph.D. degree in one of the biological sciences, or a D.V.M. degree or M.D. degree and who demonstrate a commitment to research in reproductive biology will be considered for entry into the program. An emphasis will be placed on recruiting under represented minorities into the program. The records of the seven trainees selected during the first funding period are impressive. Six competed successfully for external funds (NRSA, Lalor and American Heart Association fellowships) and all three of the trainees who have completed their training have assumed academic faculty positions. The overall success of the program will ultimately be measured by the contributions of these trainees after they have established independent research programs.