Research Training in Infection and Immunity

描述（由申请人提供）：这是NRSA 12-17年级培训计划的竞争性续期申请的重新提交，该培训计划旨在培养传染病和免疫研究前沿的研究人员。受研者将达到博士后水平，包括医学博士和博士，每人获得2年的资助，每年总共申请3笔津贴。为了实现这个目标。目前，我们是BCM或德克萨斯医学中心内唯一一个支持非艾滋病感染和全球健康临床研究培训的NRSA。BCM在许多领域都有极好的培训机会。参与项目的23位导师（8位博士，4位博士/博士和11位博士）具有良好的联邦资助记录和培训经验，包括：1)先天免疫的细胞和结构生物学，2)基于新型药物、细胞和益生菌的治疗，3)病毒和细菌胃肠炎，4)病毒和细菌肿瘤的发生，5)疫苗的开发和评估，6)病毒和细胞纳米机器的高分辨率结构，7)病原体的功能基因组学，8)器械相关感染。在2014财年，参与NRSA计划的项目的资助总额约为3300万美元。感染和免疫研究培训方案的结构包含三个培训轨道，学员可以进行：1)实验室临床研究；2)临床试验和流行病学研究；3)全球卫生研究。项目主管，David J. Tweardy医学博士，对项目拥有最终权力并管理日常运作。他得到了执行委员会另外两名成员的协助，即项目副主任Mary Estes博士和国家热带医学院院长Peter Hotez医学博士。学员的选拔由选拔委员会进行，该委员会包括执行委员会和其他三名项目教员。医学博士研究员的培训计划包括研究轮转，以方便选择导师。医学博士和博士受训者都有自己的研究委员会，必须准备一份书面研究计划，向研究委员会进行辩护，并进行年度审查，包括学术和职业评估。医学博士和博士研究员都需要参加每月一次的研究进展系列研讨会、每周一次的期刊俱乐部和每年一次的科学社交活动。所有学员都必须出席这些会议。BCM的成人和儿科传染病培训项目和其他参与NRSA的部门已经表明，他们可以吸引高素质的、有培训资助资格的博士后实习候选人，其中包括每年近两名代表性不足的少数民族候选人。到目前为止，已有12名学员完成了该奖项支持的培训。作为一个群体，他们在博士后培训期间共发表了118篇同行评议的论文（每位研究生9.8篇，59%是研究生的第一作者）。此外，这些毕业生还从NIH和其他竞争来源获得了总计490万美元的外部资金。除一名毕业生外，所有毕业生都继续从事传染病学术或工业方面的工作。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This is the resubmission of a NRSA competing renewal application for Years 12-17 of a training program designed to produce investigators at the cutting edge of research in infectious diseases and immunity. Trainees will be at the postdoctoral level and a mixture of MDs and PhDs each supported for 2 years for a total request of 3 stipends/yr. to accomplish this goal. At this time, ours is the sole NRSA existing within BCM or the Texas Medical Center that supports clinical research training in non-AIDS infections and global health. Superb training opportunities exist at BCM in a number of areas. Participating projects directed by 23 mentors (8 MDs, 4 MD/PhDs and 11 PhDs) with strong records of federal funding and training experience include: 1) Cellular and Structural Biology of Innate Immunity, 2) Novel Drug-, Cell- and Probiotic-based Therapeutics, 3) Viral and Bacterial Gastroenteritis, 4) Viral and Bacterial Oncogenesis, 5) Vaccine Development and Evaluation, 6) High- resolution Structures of Viruses and Cellular Nanomachines, 7) Functional Genomics of Pathogens, and 8) Device-related Infections. Total grant support in FY2014 for the projects participating in this NRSA Program is approximately $33M. The structure of the Program for Research Training in Infections and Immunity contains three training tracks that can be pursued by trainees: 1) laboratory-based clinical research, 2) clinical trials and epidemiology research and 3) global health research. The Program Director, David J. Tweardy MD, maintains ultimate authority for the program and manages day-to-day operations. He is assisted by two other member of the Executive Committee, Associate Program Director, Mary Estes PhD, and Peter Hotez MD PhD, Dean of the National School for Tropical Medicine. Selection of trainees is performed by the Selection Committee, which includes the Executive Committee and three other program faculty. The training program for MD fellows includes research rotations to facilitate selection of a mentor. Both MD and PhD trainees have individual research committees, must prepare a written research proposal to be defended to the research committee, and have yearly reviews that include academic and career assessment. Both MD and PhD fellows are required to attend a monthly research-in-progress seminar series, a weekly journal club, and a yearly scientific social. All trainees must present at these meetings. The Adult and Pediatric Infectious Diseases Training Programs at BCM and other Departments participating in this NRSA have shown they can attract highly qualified, training- grant eligible postdoctoral trainee candidates including nearly two under-represented minority candidates per year. Twelve trainees have completed training supported by this Award, thus far. As a group, they have published a total of 118 peer-reviewed manuscripts resulting from their postdoctoral fellowship training (9.8 manuscripts per graduate; 59% first-authored by the graduate). In addition, these graduates have been awarded a total of $4.9M in external funding from the NIH and other competitive sources. All but one graduate continues to pursue an academic or industry-based infectious diseases career.