Training in Translational Research and Entrepreneurship in Pulmonary Vascular Biology

总结/摘要 生物医学研究人员在翻译这些非凡的基本知识方面的集体能力受到限制。 当今时代的科学发现进入临床领域-一个被恰当地称为“山谷”的鸿沟。 死亡。”在我们的第一轮资助中，我们开发了一个新颖的从实验室到临床研究的培训项目 旨在培养下一代临床和基础研究人员转化方法的方法 肺血管生物学和医学。我们的前八名学员在以下方面取得了相当大的成功： 出版物、赠款资金和确保学术职位;两名受训人员代表不足 少数民族和六名妇女。为了回应我们现有学员和咨询委员会的反馈， 努力解决来自NIH、政治领导人和公众越来越大的压力， 发现到积极改变生活的治疗应用，我们将扩大我们的计划范围， 这第二个周期的资金纳入创业培训，包括：1）开发一个新的联合 匹兹堡大学（NIH资助排名第5）-卡内基梅隆大学MBA课程（NIH资助排名第1） 兼职课程）在创业; 2）选修旋转集中在生物技术的商业化; 以及3）包括翻译科学家企业家在内的扩大教师队伍。我创造了一个独立的世界。 里程碑驱动的翻译轨道和创业轨道，但保留学员的选择， 自定义个人发展计划，以包括任一轨道的组件。学员将接受共同辅导 由教师与互补的研究方法，提供全面的培训，并重点项目 以患者为导向的临床到临床（T1）研究，不断关注受训者的职业发展。我们 教师包括以预防为重点的肺病学家，心脏病学家，血管外科医生和博士， 从基础科学到企业家精神，在肺血管生物学方面有着科学生产力的历史， 优秀的资金支持，成功的指导，以及从药物发现到商业化的专业知识， 生物技术.通过对供应管理倡议的捐赠，可获得大量的机构支持和资源 以及一个由格拉德温博士指导的翻译项目。拟议的培训计划，领导， 匹兹堡大学的咨询委员会、培训教师和基础设施都处于有利地位， 建立在已经丰富的从实验室到临床的翻译培训计划的基础上，培养一代研究人员， 致力于跨越基础研究发现、临床应用和 肺血管疾病的商业可行性。

SUMMARY/ABSTRACT Biomedical investigators are experiencing a limitation in their collective ability to translate the remarkable basic science discoveries of the current era into the clinical arena—a divide appropriately termed “the valley of death.” In our first cycle of funding, we developed a novel training program in bench-to-bedside research methodology designed to train the next generation of clinical and basic researchers in translational approaches to pulmonary vascular biology and medicine. Our first eight trainees have had considerable success in publications, grant funding, and securing academic positions; two of the trainees were underrepresented minorities and six were women. In response to feedback from our current trainees and advisory boards, and in an effort to address the increasing pressure from the NIH, political leaders, and the public to translate basic discovery into therapeutic applications that positively change lives, we will extend the scope of our program in this second cycle of funding to incorporate entrepreneurial training, including: 1) development of a novel joint University of Pittsburgh (ranked #5 in NIH funding)-Carnegie Mellon University MBA Program (ranked #1 in part-time programs) in Entrepreneurship; 2) elective rotations focused on commercialization of biotechnology; and 3) an expanded faculty that includes translational scientist-entrepreneurs. We have created separate milestone-driven Translational Tracks and Entrepreneurial Tracks, but retaining the option for trainees to customize an Individual Development Plan to include components of either track. Trainees will be co-mentored by faculty with complementary research approaches to provide comprehensive training, and projects focused on patient-oriented bench-to-bedside (T1) research, with constant attention to trainee career development. Our faculty include translationally-focused pulmonologists, cardiologists, vascular surgeons, and PhDs spanning basic science to entrepreneurship, with a history of scientific productivity in pulmonary vascular biology, excellent funding support, successful mentoring, and expertise from drug discovery to commercialization of biotechnology. Substantial institutional support and resources are available through endowments to the VMI and a translational program project grant directed by Dr. Gladwin. The proposed training program, leadership, advisory boards, training faculty, and infrastructure at the University of Pittsburgh are strongly positioned to build on an already rich bench-to-bedside translational training program and create a generation of researchers committed to spanning the “valley of death” between basic research discoveries, clinical application, and commercial viability in pulmonary vascular disease.