BLRD Research Career Scientist Award Application

癌症是退伍军人死亡的第二大原因，退伍军人健康管理局 据估计，VA系统内存在> 170，000名癌症患者。此外，约5万 每年都诊断出新的癌症病例。随着退伍军人人口老龄化，这一数字在意料之中 增加导致医疗资源的伴随性扩张。肺癌，这是主要的 在工业化国家中，男性和女性的死亡原因（估计28%的 美国），也是退伍军人癌症死亡的主要原因。事实上，许多退伍军人继续 在服兵役期间染上烟草成瘾，尽管目前不鼓励烟草滥用， 军队因此，有很大比例的高风险的目前和以前的吸烟者在接受治疗， VA卫生保健系统，将受益于治疗分子靶向治疗的进展， 肺癌此外，肺癌也与公认的肺癌致癌物，橙子剂，天冬氨酸， 和电离辐射，暴露于这些代理人往往是服务相关的疾病。 为了解决这个问题，查尔芬特实验室的研究重点是非小细胞肺癌 非小细胞肺癌（NSCLC），代表了大多数肺癌，预后不良，中位生存期小于 超过12个月，累积五年生存率约为15%。关于Chalfant 实验室是专门为确定新的细胞靶点，用于开发这种致命的新疗法。 因此，这些疾病与退伍军人事务部的病人护理使命直接相关。 事实上，研究肺癌治疗新策略的生物医学研究， 对退伍军人有巨大的潜在益处，他们中的许多人不再吸烟，但仍处于NSCLC的高风险中。 Chalfant实验室专注于两个主要但不同的基础科学领域， 生物学、微生物学和分子生物学。具体来说，Chalfant实验室研究细胞的机制， 与生物活性脂质和RNA剪接相关的信号传导，重点关注基础科学机制 以及在许多情况下的临床翻译。关于RNA剪接研究，Chalfant实验室 确定了介导NSCLC细胞肿瘤维持的关键RNA剪接事件和信号传导机制。 申请人进一步将这些发现与与细胞存活相关的新脂质信号传导事件合并。 申请人Chalfant博士非常富有成效，发表了超过100篇同行评议的出版物，他 17年来一直是退伍军人管理局的杰出成员。他的研究工作得到了几个NIH/VA的支持 资助的项目，目前，他有一个VA优秀评审奖和三个NIH资助的项目（2-R 01和1- U01）。他已经培训了40多名不同级别的学员，其中一些人目前是 各种机构资助的研究项目。申请人是年轻研究人员的无私导师 使他们能够在许多出版物中担任共同通讯作者，以改善他们的职业生涯。 申请人继续在他的科学领域的领导者，如任命几个编辑委员会 和国家委员会，其中包括：编辑委员会的脂质研究杂志。Molecular Cancer 研究，和生物化学杂志，癌症和分子生物学杂志的正式成员。 美国国立卫生研究院病理生物学研究科，以及肿瘤学A研究的正式成员 退伍军人管理局的部门。这些研究领域也导致了2011年的通信 ASBMB Avanti脂质研究初级研究员奖授予Chalfant博士。申请人还广泛 在资助的项目和科学出版物中与许多研究人员合作。 总之，申请人的科学贡献对VA使命至关重要。他使 在NSCLC、RNA剪接、脂质组学和脂质信号传导领域的突破性发现， 为科学界和VA系统提供了重要资源。

Cancer is the second leading cause of death among veterans, and the Veterans Health Administration estimates that there exist >170,000 cancer patients within in the VA system. Moreover, approximately 50,000 new cases of cancer are diagnosed each year. With the aging of the veteran population, this number is expected to increase causing a concomitant encumbering of healthcare resources. Lung cancer, which is the leading cause of death in both men and women in industrialized countries (an estimated 28% of all cancer deaths in the USA), is also the leading cause of cancer death in the veteran population. Indeed, many veterans continue to acquire tobacco addiction during their military service even though tobacco abuse is currently discouraged by the military. Hence, there exists a very large percentage of high-risk current and former smokers cared for in the VA health care system that would benefit from advances in therapeutic molecular targeting in the treatment of lung cancer. Also, lung cancer is also linked to the well-established lung carcinogens, Agent Orange, Asbestos, and Ionizing Radiation, which exposure to these agents are often are service-connected disorders. To address this issue, the research of the Chalfant Laboratory focuses on non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC), which represents the majority of lung cancers, carries a poor prognosis with a median survival of less than 12 months, and has a cumulative five-year survival rate of approximately 15%. The research of the Chalfant Laboratory is tailored to identify new cellular targets for the development of new treatments for this deadly disease, which are thus, directly relevant to the patient care mission of the Department of Veterans Affairs. Indeed, biomedical research investigating new strategies for the development of lung cancer therapeutics has tremendous potential benefit to veterans, many of whom no longer smoke, yet remain at high risk for NSCLC. The Chalfant Laboratory focuses on two major, but diverse areas of basic science in regard to Cell Biology, Microbiology, and Molecular Biology. Specifically, the Chalfant Laboratory studies mechanisms of cell signaling associated with both bioactive lipids and RNA splicing with a focus on both basic science mechanisms as well as in many cases clinical translation. In regard to RNA splicing research, the Chalfant Laboratory has identified key RNA splicing events and signaling mechanisms mediating the tumor maintenance of NSCLC cells. The applicant is further merging these finding with novel lipid signaling events linked to cell survival. The applicant, Dr. Chalfant, has been very productive with >100 peer-reviewed publications, and he has been a distinguished member of the VA system for 17 years. His research work is supported by several NIH/VA funded projects and currently, he has one VA Merit Review award and three NIH funded projects (2-R01 and 1- U01). He has trained more than 40 trainees at very levels with a number of them currently faculty members at various institutions with funded research programs. The applicant is an unselfish mentor of young investigators allowing them to act as co-corresponding authors on numerous publications for the betterment of their careers. The applicant continues to be a leader in his scientific field as shown by appointments to several Editorial Boards and National Committees, which include: the editorial boards of the Journal of Lipid Research. Molecular Cancer Research, and the Journal of Biological Chemistry, formal membership on the Cancer and Molecular Pathobiology Study Section of the National Institutes of Health, and formal membership on the Oncology A Study Section of the Veterans’ Administration. These areas of research also led to the communication of the 2011 ASBMB Avanti Junior Investigator Award for Lipid Research to Dr. Chalfant. The applicant has also extensively collaborated with numerous investigators in funded program projects and scientific publications. In summary, the applicant’s scientific contributions are vitally important to the VA mission. He has made ground breaking discoveries in the field of NSCLC, RNA Splicing, Lipidomics, and Lipid Signaling and has also provided significant resources to the scientific community and the VA system.