18. GOALS FOR FELLOWSHIP TRAINING AND CAREER There has never been such an explosion of scientific knowledge as that of today. The practice of medicine is changing with innovative therapies being designed by a diversity of scientists at multi-discipline institutes. Today's environment demands leaders who will bring talent together from all scientific disciplines and focusing them on curing disease human disease. This is the kind of physician scientist I want to be. This requires training in the basic sciences with appreciation for the scientific method (as described by Nobel laureate Peter Medwar). This training requires immersing yourself in a scientific niche, developing a hypothesis, and testing it. However, it should not stop here. It is also just as important to be able to present your findings not only to your colleagues, but to those in other fields, including the general public. This NRSA will provide me the opportunity to better understand and apply the scientific method to developing a cure for the numerous and devastating diseases associated with alcoholism. It will also allow me to focus my clinical training to treating, and hopefully preventing the behaviors of addiction that lead to these alcoholic diseases. (see continuation page) SPONSOR 19. NAME AND DEGREE(S) Kent E. Vrana, Ph.D. 20. POSITION/RANK Professor of Physiology and Pharmacology; Directo of Graduate Studies 21. RESEARCH INTERESTS/AREAS Molecular Biology of the CNS; Substance Abuse; Embryonic Stem Cells; Neurotransmitter Brosynthesis, Neurotoxicology, Functional Genomics, Proteomics, DNA Microarrays RESEARCH PROPOSAL 22. DESCRIPTION (Do not exceed space provided) Alcohol abuse and alcoholism remain a serious societal problem. In addition to better understanding the basic biobehavioral mechanisms of the disease, it is very important to begin developing clinical interventions to address issues of end-stage pathology. Long-term alcohol abuse induces a panoply of systems failure including alcoholic liver disease, cardiomyopathy, neuronal death associated with alcohol-induced dementia, and pancreatitis. One potential approach will be to develop new stem cell technologies to provide therapeutic tools to reverse these pathologies. In order to realize this goal, however, detailed knowledge will be required of host acceptance of syngeneic and allogeneic grafts, the effects of alcohol on selective stem cell differentiation, and the effects of genetic imprinting. The present application will utilize a new source of primate stem cells - derived from parthenogenetic activation of non-human primate oocytes - to examine these specific issues. The parthenote-derived stem cell represent a novel resource, created in these laboratories, for the generation of new cellular tools for correcting the pathophysiology associated with alcohol abuse. PHS 416-1 (Rev. 12/98) Form Page 2 BB NAME OF APPLICANT (Last, first, middle initial) Individual NRSA Application Hipp, Jason D. Continuation Page 18. Goals For Fellowship Training and Career A favorite quotation of mine is from the 16th century English preacher John Donne, 'No man is an island, entire of itself; every man is a piece of continent, a part of the main.' This training grant will provide me the opporttmity interact one-on-one with a diversity of health care professionals. These mentors will give me their perspective on science and medicine and how I can best serve my fellow citizens. For example, working with Dr. Grant and Dr. Vrana will expose me to basic science alcohol research, inaddition to unique monkey resources. While working with Dr. Wettstein at the Mayo clinic, I will learn fundamental immunology in one of the best hospitals in the world. There, I will also be able to attend seminars, interact with my fellow MD/PhD students who I have met at the MD/PhD conference in Aspen, and attend rounds with Neurosurgery resident Aaron Cohen. MJ p- Working with our collaborators at Advanced Cell Technology, I will be exposed to a different atmosphere, that of <C industry. I will have the opportunity to perform experiments with Dr. Jose Cibelli, VP of Research and Development. m In addition, I will work with Dr. West MD, VP of Medical Affairs. Here I will be able to see the importance of being a physician in industry, and the variety of opportunities that lie there. Z m Using the funds from this training grant, I plan to attend training conferences, like that which I am attending this summer. This will provide me the opportunity to interact with a variety of professionals who have very similar Z research interests. Here I will learn how best to exchange ideas and develop collaborations, a skill that is a necessity. m O What I have described above is a fine and noble goal, but yet it is not complete. There is a fundamental aspect that it t_ is missing. These four years that have been planned neglect the responsibilities of being an American citizen, that of <C public service. Therefore, I plan to volunteer in the office of Congressman Rohrabacher, member of the House Science Committee. He has told me of the need to have advisors to help understand current scientific issues, like Z those of stem cells and cloning. Here I can make a direct impact of applying my scientific knowledge to policy n -1- development. And it is important to have scientists who are in the back room where decisions regarding scientific p. funding are being made. Therefore, I propose to spend one of my clinical rotations as a public policy intern with a Congressional Committee. >- I believe this training grant will give me the tools that are necessary to be a leader, who is involved in all areas of <C medical research! p- U) O <C L Z O m p- <C Z m p. Z O tj PHS 416-1 (Rev. 12/98) Page _2Lc_o_n_tin_u_ed) cc NAME (Last, first, middle initial) Individual NRSA Application Table of Contents ========================================Section End===========================================
| Hipp, Jason D; Davies, Kelvin P; Tar, Moses et al. (2007) Using gene chips to identify organ-specific, smooth muscle responses to experimental diabetes: potential applications to urological diseases. BJU Int 99:418-30 |
