Training in Mechanisms of Parasitism

描述(申请人提供)：“寄生”是指两个不同生物体之间的密切关系，其中一个生物体(寄生虫)以牺牲宿主的利益为代价受益。寄生虫学通常指的是原生动物和蠕虫感染，但所有的病原微生物都面临着同样的压力，为了在它们的哺乳动物宿主中生存，它们必须逃避免疫杀死并获得营养。这一应用是基于这样一个假设，即病原微生物入侵并在哺乳动物宿主中引发疾病的机制，以及宿主对这些微生物病原体的反应，将在不同门的微生物之间共享共同的特征，即原生动物、蠕虫、细菌和病毒。一个推论是，同样的技术可以应用于研究微生物对不同病原体的毒力/宿主反应。微生物和宿主蛋白质组学、代谢组学、深度测序、调控RNA和成像技术的进展极大地改变了我们解决宿主-寄生虫关系关键问题的能力。这一寄生机制培训计划体现了研究不同病原微生物的研究人员对寄生研究的综合方法，但对微生物的生存机制和宿主的防御策略有共同的兴趣。自最初资助以来的14年里，寄生机制方案共资助了63名学员(34名博士后和29名博士后)。几乎所有这些受训人员都留在了今天的科学领域，其中许多早期的人现在是终身教职。我们计划的主要特点是每周一次的寄生杂志俱乐部/研究会议，整个计划的年度正式演示，由外部演讲者赞助，以及促进我们的学员使用新技术和设备的机制。我们的申请者与选定的学员的比例很高(博士前和博士后分别为13：1和11：1)，我们预计博士后申请人数将进一步增加。在这项申请中，我们要求(1)将博士后职位从3个增加到4个；(2)继续每年支持4名博士后实习生；(3)扩大我们每周的研究会议，以包括“技术主题”，旨在为实习生提供生物信息学、蛋白质组学、统计学和统计遗传学以及显微镜方面最新技术的背景和功能应用；(4)扩大我们的实习生在邀请和接待外部演讲者方面的参与；以及(5)专注于当前研究氛围中独特的职业发展需求。在过去的14年里，我们的计划取得了很高的成效。我们的目标是创造性地持续改善受训人员在微生物感染期间从事宿主-微生物平衡不同方面工作的环境和机会。 公共卫生相关性：导致人类疾病的寄生虫、细菌和病毒精心设计了避免免疫反应、生存和致病的策略。在我们设计和实施控制这些感染的策略之前，了解这种寄生关系是至关重要的。寄生虫机制培训计划旨在为研究生和博士后研究员提供一个支持和培育环境，使他们能够采用统一的方法来研究影响人类的各种传染病。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): "Parasitism" refers to a close relationship between two dissimilar organisms in which one organism (the parasite) benefits at the expense of the host. Parasitology often refers to protozoa and helminthic infections, but all pathogenic microbes face the same pressures to evade immune killing and derive nutrients in order survive in their mammalian hosts. This application is based on the hypothesis that the mechanisms through which pathogenic microbes invade and elicit disease in mammalian hosts, and responses of the host to these microbial pathogens, will share common features among microbes from different phyla, i.e., protozoa, helminths, bacteria, and viruses. A corollary is that the same technology can be applied to investigations of microbial virulence/host responses to different pathogens. Advances in microbial and host proteomics, metabolomics, deep-sequencing, regulatory RNAs and imaging have dramatically changed our capacity to approach critical questions underlying the host-parasite relationship. This Mechanisms of Parasitism training program embodies an integrated approach to the study of parasitism among researchers studying different pathogenic microbes but sharing interests in the survival mechanisms of the microbe and the defense strategies of the host. During the 14 years since its initial funding, the Mechanisms of Parasitism program has supported a total of 63 trainees (34 predocs and 29 postdocs). Virtually all of these trainees remain in science today, many early ones of whom are now in tenured academic positions. Key features of our program have been a weekly Parasitism Journal Club/Research meeting, annual formal presentations of the entire program, sponsored outside speakers, and mechanisms to promote the use of new technology and equipment by our trainees. Our ratios of applicants to selected trainees are high (13:1 predoc and 11:1 postdoc) and we expect postdoc applications to increase even further. In this application we request to (1) increase from 3 to 4 postdoctoral positions; (2) continue supporting 4 predoctoral trainees per year; (3) expand our weekly research meetings to include "Technical Topics" intended to provide trainees with the background and functional use of the latest techniques in bioinformatics, proteomics, statistics and statistical genetics, and microscopy; (4) expand our involvement of trainees in inviting and hosting outside speakers, and (5) focus on career development needs unique to the current research climate. Our program has been highly productive over the past 14 years. Our goal is to creatively and continually improve the environment and opportunities for trainees working on different aspects of the host-microbe balance during microbial infection. PUBLIC HEALTH RELEVANCE: Parasites, bacteria and viruses causing human disease have carefully designed strategies to avoid immune responses, survive and cause disease. An understanding of this parasitic relationship is essential before we can design and implement strategies to control these infections. The Mechanisms of Parasitism training program is designed to provide a supportive and nurturing environment for graduate students and postdoctoral fellows to apply unified approaches to study the varied infectious scourges affecting humankind.