Stem Cells and Cell Lineage Specification

描述(由申请人提供)：干细胞在大多数多细胞生物体的生命周期中发挥着关键作用。这项申请申请的资金，以支持每年五名博士后和两名博士后实习生，在大学范围内的干细胞生物学和细胞谱系规范的培训计划。培训的重点是干细胞的细胞、分子和遗传方面的分析，以及干细胞所形成的单个细胞谱系的具体说明。在这一研究领域建立专门的培训计划符合哥伦比亚大学旨在加强和扩大其干细胞生物学研究计划的倡议。培训人员由一个由15名主要调查人员组成的小而杰出的小组组成，他们隶属于八个部门和项目。反映出初级和高级教职员工的良好组合，有四名教员是HHMI调查员，四名是初级教员。六名教员研究脊椎动物神经系统，五名教员在简单、遗传上容易处理的模型生物中使用各种细胞命运决定，四名教员研究神经系统外的干细胞和细胞谱系，即免疫系统、表皮和癌细胞。因此，培训教师不仅反映了哥伦巴大学杰出神经科学社区的强大横截面，还反映了在各种不同细胞类型中使用广泛的不同方法和模型系统对该学科采取的多方面方法。博士后实习生将从哥伦比亚大学通过一些强有力和有选择性的研究生项目录取的候选人中挑选出来，博士后候选人将通过向培训委员会的申请而被选中。专门定制的课程工作、研讨会系列、项目务虚会和纽约市干细胞讨论小组将确保受训人员获得高质量的培训，并广泛接触该领域的最新进展。教职员工和实习生将通过各种机制进行密集互动。作为干细胞生物学的重点，我们的计划不仅将为受训人员在科学领域的富有成效的职业生涯做好准备，而且还将使他们有机会为未来参与具有明显临床意义的生物医学科学领域做准备。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Stem cells play key roles throughout the life cycle of most multicellular organisms. This application requests funds to support five predoctoral and two postdoctoral trainees per year, in a university-wide Training Program on the biology of Stem Cells and Cell Lineage Specification. Training focuses on the analysis of cellular, molecular and genetic aspects of stem cells and the specification of individual cell lineages to which stem cells give rise. The establishment of a specific Training Program in this research area falls in line with initiatives Columbia University aimed strengthening and expanding its research program in stem cell biology. The training faculty consists of a small and distinguished group of 15 principal investigators that are affiliated with eight departments and programs. Reflecting a good mix of junior and senior faculty, four faculty members are HHMI Investigators and four are junior faculty. Six faculty members study the vertebrate nervous system, five faculty members use a variety of cell fate decisions in simple, genetically tractable model organisms and four faculty members study stem cells and cell lineages outside the nervous system, namely the immune system, epidermis and cancer cells. The training faculty, therefore, does not only reflect a strong cross-section of the outstanding neuroscience community here at Columba University, but also reflects a multifaceted approach to the subject in a variety of different cell types, using a wide spectrum of different methodologies and model systems. Predoctoral trainees will be selected from a pool of candidates that have been recruited via acceptance through a number of strong and selective graduate programs at Columbia University and postdoctoral candidates will be selected via application to the training committee. Specifically tailored course work, a seminar series, a program retreat and a New York City Stem Cell Discussion Group will ensure high quality training and broad exposure of the trainees to recent advances in the field. Faculty and trainees will interact intensively through a variety of mechanisms. With its focus on stem cell biology, our Program will not only prepare trainees for a productive career in the sciences but will also give them the opportunity to be prepared for a future engagement in an area of the biomedical sciences that is of obvious clinical relevance.