Reproductive Biology: Early Pregnancy and Development

项目描述（由申请人提供）：本项目旨在培养在性腺功能、早期妊娠和胚胎植入发育等领域建立独立研究事业的博士后。培训方案将包括三个要素；独立的实验室研究、与生殖科学中心联合举办的小组讨论会和其他活动，以及关于研究伦理和动物福利的正式课程，以及将提高受训者研究专长的科目。这项独立研究将在一个实验室进行，由受训者从一组12名在生殖和发育生物学各方面具有领导地位的科学家中选择。这个培训小组的成员已经建立了美国国立卫生研究院资助的项目，培养了86多名博士后。研究领域包括受精，着床前发育，滋养细胞-子宫相互作用，着床和早期妊娠的免疫生物学，以及性腺功能的调节，睾丸和胚胎发育期间的基因表达。这个小组的力量是通过成员之间的合作而增强的，这可以从联合出版物、资助和学生的记录中得到证明。该方案将利用现有的生殖科学中心，该中心由21名主要研究人员和78名额外的工作人员和受训人员组成，以提供更好的培训环境。生殖科学中心赞助了一个积极的研讨会方案，并主办了一个生殖生物学区域会议，为受训者提供了更多的机会来介绍他们的工作。培训生的征聘、选拔和指导将通过一个内部咨询委员会进行协调，所有参加的教员都将提供投入，并与外部顾问协商，外部顾问将每年与该小组会晤一次。已获得生物科学博士学位的申请人，或D.V.M.或M.D.学位，并证明对生殖生物学研究的承诺，将被考虑进入该计划。该项目将重点招收代表性不足的少数族裔。在第一个资助期间选出的六名受训人员的记录令人印象深刻，完成培训的四名受训人员中有两人担任教职，一人担任终身教职，一人担任研究教职。该计划的整体成功最终将由这些学员建立独立研究项目后的贡献来衡量。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The objective of this program is to prepare post-doctoral trainees to establish independent research careers in the areas of gonadal function, early pregnancy and embryonic development through implantation. The training program will consist of three elements; independent laboratory research, group seminars and other functions held jointly with the Center for Reproductive Sciences, and formal course work in research ethics and animal welfare, as well as subjects that will enhance the trainee's research expertise. The independent research will occur in a laboratory selected by the trainee from a group of 12 scientists who are leaders in various aspects of reproductive and developmental biology. The members of this training group have well established NIH-funded programs and have trained more than 86 postdoctoral fellows. Areas of study include fertilization, pre-implantation development, trophoblast-uterine interactions, the immunobiology of implantation and early pregnancy, as well as regulation of gonadal function, gene expression during testis and embryonic development. The strength of this group is enhanced by collaboration among the members as evidenced by the record of joint publications, grants, and students. This program will take advantage of an existing Center for Reproductive Sciences comprising 21 principal investigators and 78 additional staff and trainees to provide an enhanced training environment. The Center for Reproductive Sciences sponsors an active seminar program and hosts a regional conference in reproductive biology, which provides additional opportunities for trainees to present their work. The recruitment, selection and guidance of trainees will be coordinated through an Internal Advisory Committee, with input from all participating faculty and in consultation with an External Advisor, who will meet with the group once each year. Applicants who have been awarded a Ph.D. degree in one of the biological sciences, or a D.V.M. or M.D. degree and who demonstrate a commitment to research in reproductive biology will be considered for entry into the program. An emphasis will be placed on recruiting under represented minorities into the program. The records of the six trainees selected during the first funding period are impressive, with two of the four trainees who have completed their training having assumed faculty positions, one tenure track and one research track. The overall success of the program will ultimately be measured by the contributions of these trainees after they have established independent research programs.