Vector-borne Disease Research Training Program in China

申请者描述(申请人提供)：中国媒介传播疾病研究培训项目本研究培训申请旨在寻求资金，以促进中国媒介生物研究的职业发展和能力建设。媒介传播疾病是中国的一大公共卫生问题，媒介控制是预防登革热和疟疾最有效的方法。然而，值得注意的是，在这种情况下，中国的媒介生物学研究能力有限，资金不足。中国在医学昆虫学研究方面的主要空白包括对媒介生态学的描述性非机械性研究，学生在蚊子分类学、分子生物学和基因组学技术方面的知识不足，以及医学昆虫学家和媒介控制政策制定者的科学发现之间的脱节。此次培训项目旨在填补中国在医学昆虫学研究和媒介生物控制方面的这些重大空白。这一培训应用的科学目标侧重于病媒种群和社区生态学、抗药性遗传学以及疟疾和登革热病媒控制的转化研究。我们提出了两个培训路径：长期培训中国的6名博士后和4名博士后；短期培训10名初级科学家和专业的媒介控制人员，包括负责媒介传播疾病控制的政策制定者。除了获得基于实验室的分子生物学和基于野外的生态研究的研究经验外，我们每年还将组织一项核心培训课程，重点是生物统计和数据管理、生态学、媒介系统学、科学写作和负责任的研究行为。核心培训课程将向大量受众开放。国际培训基地(中国南方医科大学和中国疾控中心)和美国加州大学欧文分校(加州大学欧文分校)的一流基础设施和能力特别适合拟议中的培训。这 培训计划将为中国科学家的职业发展做出重大贡献，将媒介生物学的实验室和现场研究经验联系起来，为他们配备新技术，并使他们能够开发独立或合作的研究项目。这项申请中涉及的主要科学问题对世界上的登革热和疟疾媒介是共同的，因此我们项目的发现有望对其他地区的媒介传播疾病控制具有普遍意义。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Vector-borne Disease Research Training Program in China This research training application seeks funding to promote career development and capacity building in vector biology research in China. Vector-borne diseases are a major public health problem in China and vector control represents the most effective method for dengue and malaria prevention. However, it is remarkable that given these circumstances vector biology research capacity in China is limited and underfunded. Among major gaps in medical entomological research in China are descriptive, non- mechanistic studies of vector ecology, student knowledge deficiency in mosquito taxonomy, molecular biology and genomics techniques, and disconnection between scientific findings from medical entomologists and vector control policymakers. This training program is designed to fill these major gaps in medical entomology research and vector control in China. The scientific objectives of this training application focus on vector population and community ecology, insecticide resistance genetics, and translational research in malaria and dengue vector control. We propose two tracks of training: long-term training of six Ph.D. students and four postdoctoral fellows from China, and short-term training of ten junior scientists and professional vector control staff, including polic makers in charge of vector-borne disease control. In addition to obtaining research experience in both laboratory-based molecular biology and field- based ecological research, each year we will organize a core-training curriculum that focuses on biostatistics and data management, ecology, vector systematics, scientific writing and responsible conduct of research. The core-training curriculum will be open to a large audience. The superb infrastructure and capacity in the international training sites (Southern Medical University in China and China CDC) and in the U.S. (University of California at Irvine) are particularly suitable for the proposed training. This training program will contribute significantly to the career development of the Chinese scientists by bridging laboratory and field research experience in vector biology, by equipping them with new technologies, and by enabling them to develop independent or collaborative research projects. The main scientific issues addressed in this application are common to dengue and malaria vectors in the world, thus the findings from our program are anticipated to have general significance in vector-borne disease control in other regions.