The University of Kentucky Cancer Nanotechnology Training Center (UK CNTC)

描述(由申请者提供)：肯塔基大学纳米技术培训中心(UK CNTC)将为博士后学生和博士后研究员提供高级多学科培训，目标是培养一名熟练并准备从事癌症纳米技术研究事业的新型癌症研究人员。肯塔基大学国内和国际公认的教职员工将合作为纳米技术和癌症的新探索创造一个肥沃的环境。其专业知识涵盖胃肠道癌症、肺癌、神经胶质瘤、放射医学、外科、癌症筛查、成像以及药代动力学和动力学等多学科领域。这些教师中有化学工程、材料工程、电气工程、化学和制药科学系的16名纳米技术研究人员，以及药学院或医学院的18名生物医学科学家或临床肿瘤学家。在现有研究合作的基础上，我们提出了由多学科重点领域团队组成的癌症纳米技术项目，目标是在以下四个领域培养未来癌症纳米技术领域的领先研究人员：(1)肺癌、结肠癌和卵巢癌的早期发现和诊断；(2)胃肠道肿瘤和转移的治疗；(3)肺癌治疗；(4)胶质瘤治疗。具体目标1是通过为期长达两年的跨学科实验室研究培训项目，扩大英国国家癌症研究中心参与者的核心专业知识，该项目涉及纳米技术的创新应用，以满足癌症检测和治疗方面尚未得到满足的具体需求。我们的受训人员将站在研究的前沿，这些研究将推动开发基于纳米技术的新型癌症疗法和诊断策略。通过这些活动，学员将详细了解癌症的分子基础、在治疗和诊断疾病方面尚未解决的临床问题，并获得纳米技术领域的专业知识。在具体目标2中，国家技术委员会将通过研讨会、讲习班、短期课程、办事员和实验室培训模块为受训者提供以问题为基础的经验培训，以建立他们作为多学科研究小组成员的研究技能和信心。每个学员都将通过核心课程、短期课程、参加研讨会、本科生和研究生早期辅导以及旨在教育公众的外展活动，沉浸在个性化的以问题为基础的教学和广泛的多学科培训中。学员将通过有效的指导和评估方案(具体目标3)指导学员完成这些方案，该方案将评估学员进步和发展的有效性。最后，具体目标4是强调全国过渡委员会受训人员在区域和国家两级取得的成就。因此，我们的受训人员将学习设想、表达和执行以纳米技术为中心的研究，重点是为与癌症相关的突出临床问题开发新的解决方案。 公共卫生相关性：肯塔基大学癌症纳米技术中心将提供系统和独特的多学科培训环境，重点是实验室实践研究，以培养一支能够使用纳米技术解决棘手的癌症研究问题的劳动力。该中心的受训人员将沉浸在旨在利用肯塔基大学教师的多种研究优势的研究环境中，并将掌握广泛而详细的癌症诊断、干预和相关纳米技术应用方面的知识，包括药物输送、早期发现和治疗。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The University of Kentucky Cancer Nanotechnology Training Center (UK CNTC) will provide advanced multidisciplinary training for predoctoral students and postdoctoral fellows toward the goal of creating a new type of cancer researcher who is skilled and ready to pursue a career in cancer nanotechnology research. Nationally and internationally recognized faculty members at the University of Kentucky will collaborate to create a fertile environment for the novel exploration of nanotechnology and cancer. Expertise covers a broad multidisciplinary range of scientific areas in gastrointestinal cancer, lung cancer, gliomas, radiation medicine, surgery, cancer screening, imaging, and pharmacokinetics and dynamics. Among these faculty are 16 nanotechnology researchers in the Departments of Chemical Engineering, Materials Engineering, Electrical Engineering, Chemistry, and Pharmaceutical Sciences and 18 biomedical scientists or clinical oncologists in the Colleges of Pharmacy or Medicine. Based on existing research collaborations, we propose cancer nanotechnology projects composed of multidisciplinary focus area teams with the goal of training future leading researchers in the field of cancer nanotechnology in the following four areas: (1) early detection and diagnosis in lung, colon, and ovarian cancer; (2) treatment of gastrointestinal tumors and metastases; (3) lung cancer treatment; and (4) glioma therapy. Specific Aim 1 is to expand the core expertise of participants in the UK CNTC through cross-disciplinary laboratory research training projects of up to two years involving innovative applications of nanotechnology to address specific unmet needs in cancer detection and therapy. Our trainees will be at the forefront of research that will be driven toward developing novel cancer therapies and diagnostic strategies based on nanotechnology. Through these activities, the trainees will obtain a detailed understanding of the molecular basis of cancer, the unresolved clinical problems in treating and diagnosing the disease, and acquire expertise in the field of nanotechnology. In Specific Aim 2, the CNTC will provide trainees with problem-based and experiential training through seminars, workshops, short courses, clerkships, and laboratory training modules that will build their research skills and confidence as members of multi-disciplinary research teams. Each trainee will be immersed in individualized problem-based instruction and a broad multidisciplinary training through core courses, short courses, participation in seminars, undergraduate and early graduate student mentoring, and outreach activities designed to educate the public. Trainees will be guided through these programs with effective mentorship and an evaluation program (Specific Aim 3) that will assess the effectiveness of trainee progress and development. Finally, Specific Aim 4 is to highlight the accomplishments of CNTC trainees both regionally and nationally. As such, our trainees will learn to envision, articulate, and perform nanotechnology-centered research focused on developing novel solutions to the outstanding clinical problems associated with cancer. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: The University of Kentucky Cancer Nanotechnology Center will provide a systematic and unique multidisciplinary training environment, focusing on laboratory hands-on research, to create a workforce capable of using nanotechnology for solving intractable cancer research problems. Trainees of the Center will be immersed in a research environment designed to take advantage of the multiple research strengths of faculty at the University of Kentucky and will emerge with a broad yet detailed knowledge of cancer diagnostics, interventions, and related nanotechnology applications including drug delivery, early detection and treatment.