Chromosome Metabolism and Cancer

描述（由申请人提供）：癌症是一种遗传性疾病，这是非常明显的。染色体的完整性、复制、分离和调节在所有类型癌症的形成和发展中起着关键作用。在过去的几十年中，大量的癌基因和抑癌基因被鉴定，其表达在癌症的形成和发展中是至关重要的。改变的表达可由表观遗传变化或基因或染色体结构的改变通过多种机制引起，包括DNA突变、扩增、重排和丢失。因此，了解这些和其他影响染色体代谢的基本机制对癌症的研究至关重要，而对基本机制的了解可以改善癌症的检测和治疗。尽管如此，对癌症的研究往往集中在特定类型的癌症，特定的染色体畸变和特定的分子途径，而对基本遗传和表观遗传机制的研究经常在基础科学实验室进行，很少或根本没有认识到癌症病因和治疗的相关性。染色体代谢和癌症培训计划（CMCTP）旨在弥合这一差距，汇集癌症研究人员和基础科学家在全国领先的癌症研究机构之一，弗雷德哈钦森癌症研究中心（FHCRC）。CMCTP的目的是激发正在研究染色体结构和功能的普遍机制的年轻基础科学家，并鼓励他们将其结果应用于癌症生物学，同时帮助受训的癌症研究人员更多地了解基础科学的创新方法和想法。 在过去的两个项目期间，CMCTP已经资助了两个博士前和五个博士后职位。在过去的一年里，ARRA竞争补充使我们能够增加到七个博士后职位。我们在确定合格候选人方面没有遇到任何困难。过去10年的受训人员成功地发表了CMCTP支持的研究，并在癌症研究中建立了职业生涯。CMCTP的前学员现在是学术界和生物技术领域富有成效的独立研究人员。因此，我们要求继续支持这一成功的博士后和研究生培训计划，并要求资助两个博士前职位和六个博士后职位。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): It is abundantly evident that cancer is a genetic disease. The integrity, replication, segregation and regulation of chromosomes play critical roles in the formation and progression of all types of cancer. In the past decades a large number of oncogenes and tumor suppressor genes have been identified, expression of which is critical in cancer formation and progression. Altered expression can result from epigenetic changes or alteration of gene or chromosome structure through a variety of mechanisms including DNA mutations, amplifications, rearrangements and loss. Understanding these and other basic mechanisms that affect chromosome metabolism is therefore critical to the study of cancer, and improved knowledge of fundamental mechanisms could improve cancer detection and treatments. Despite this, research on cancer is often focussed on specific types of cancer, specific chromosome aberrations, and specific molecular pathways, while research on fundamental genetic and epigenetic mechanisms frequently proceeds in basic science labs with little or no appreciation of the relevance for cancer cause and treatment. The Chromosome Metabolism and Cancer Training Program (CMCTP) seeks to bridge this gap by bringing together cancer researchers and basic scientists in one of the nation's leading Cancer Research institutions, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center (FHCRC). The purpose of the CMCTP is to excite young basic scientists who are researching universal mechanisms of chromosome structure and function and to encourage them to apply their results to cancer biology, while at the same time helping trainee cancer researchers learn more about innovative methods and ideas in fundamental science. For the last two project periods, the CMCTP has been funded for two predoctoral and five postdoctoral positions. For the last year, an ARRA Competitive Supplement has allowed us to increase to seven postdoctoral positions. We have had no trouble identifying qualified candidates. Trainees from the past 10 years have been successful in publishing the research supported by the CMCTP, and in building professional careers in cancer research. Former trainees in the CMCTP are now productive independent researchers in academia and biotechnology. Therefore, we are requesting continued support for this successful postdoctoral and graduate training program, and request funding of two predoctoral positions and six postdoctoral positions.