Training Grant In Radiation Biology

描述(申请人提供)：美国癌症协会估计，每年有150万美国公民被诊断出患有癌症。这些癌症患者中约有50%将接受放射治疗，这可以提供明确的局部区域肿瘤控制，从而使这些患者获得持久的无进展生存。不幸的是，许多肿瘤对辐射没有反应。要弄清放射治疗未能控制肿瘤生长的分子机制，需要对放射生物学有批判性的理解，这是一门研究与肿瘤发生、肿瘤生物学和正常组织生理学有关的物理、生物学和医学的多学科科学。尽管辐射生物学对支持放射肿瘤学的使命很重要，但在这个国家，这样的培训项目很少。这笔培训助学金的目的是继续教授博士后在放射生物学领域进行独立研究，使他们能够在放射肿瘤学和癌症生物学领域做出突出贡献。我们建议使用一个多方面的方法来实现这一点，包括1)在实验室中培训利用尖端技术和高度合作的方法的杰出科学家，2)多学科研讨会系列，旨在促进基础科学家和进行翻译研究的临床医生/科学家之间的互动，3)辐射生物学、辐射物理和癌症生物学领域的教学培训，4)拨款撰写研讨会，5)专业发展，6)实验室管理培训，以及7)负责任的研究行为培训。学员必须在进入该项目之前完成医学博士学位和/或博士学位。该方案旨在培训3名研究员，培训期限从2至3年不等。预计其中两名学员将刚刚完成博士或医学博士学位，第三名学员在进入我们的项目之前将拥有2到3年的博士后工作经验。到目前为止，完成终身培训的学员中有70%走上了获得教职的轨道，包括助理教授、制药公司的科学家或放射肿瘤学住院医生。值得注意的是，接受该项目录用的受训人员中，有30%是代表不足的少数族裔。在这些成功的基础上，我们认为该培训资助计划正在实现国家Ruth L.Kirschstein国家研究服务奖的目标。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The American Cancer Association estimates that 1.5 million citizens of the US are diagnosed with cancer each year. Approximately 50% of these cancer patients will undergo radiation therapy, which can provide definitive local regional tumor control, thus affording these patients with a durable progression free survival. Unfortunately, many tumors do not respond to irradiation. Elucidating the molecular mechanisms responsible for radiation therapy's failure to control tumor growth requires a critical understanding of Radiation Biology, a multi- disciplinary science that studies physics, biology, and medicine as it pertains to oncogenesis, tumor biology and normal tissue physiology. As important as Radiation Biology is for supporting Radiation Oncology's mission, there are very few such training programs in this country. The goal of this training grant is to continue to teach Postdoctoral Fellows to perform independent research in the area of Radiation Biology, so that they can make outstanding contributions to the fields of Radiation Oncology and Cancer Biology. We propose to accomplish this using a multi-faceted approach consisting of 1) training in the laboratories of outstanding scientists who utilize cutting edge techniques coupled with highly collaborative approaches, 2) multi- disciplinary seminar series designed to foster interactions between basic scientists and clinician/scientists who perform translational research, 3) didactic training in the areas of Radiation Biology, Radiation Physics, and Cancer Biology, 4) a grant writing workshop, 5) professional development, 6) training in laboratory management, and 7) Training in the Responsible Conduct of Research. Trainees must have completed a MD and/or a PhD prior to entering the program. The program is designed to train 3 Fellows for a duration ranging from 2 to 3 years. It is anticipated that 2 of the trainees will have just completed their PhD or MD and the third trainee will have 2 or 3 years Post Doctoral experience prior to entering our program. To date 70% of trainees who complete training tenure track assistant professors, staff scientists at pharmaceutical companies, or Radiation Oncology Residents on track to attain faculty positions. Of note, 30% of the trainees who have accepted offers to this program have been underrepresented minorities. Based on these successes, we submit that this training grant program is fulfilling the goals of the National Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award.