The proposed K12 grant application is derived directly from The Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center's (OSU CCC) fundamental focus on experimental therapeutics and drug development. Over the past decade the OSU CCC has expanded dramatically its highly successful recruitment of both basic and clinical scientists focused on different aspects of drug development. The end results of these efforts are the multiple, new therapeutics coming forth to clinical trials at OSU through its NCI-sponsored UO1 and N01 grants programs. Additionally, investigators at the OSU CCC have collaborated extensively with industry to perform clinical trials with new therapeutics for patients with cancer. This established infrastructure of basic and clinical scientists working together in the area of cancer experimental therapeutics provides an outstanding atmosphere for the training of basic translational scientists and clinical translational scientists in medical oncology and surgical oncology. Support for such training will provide a cadre of well-trained individuals dedicated to the development of new diagnostic devices and therapies that ultimately will benefit patients with cancer. The overall goal of this K12 grant entitled """"""""Experimental Therapeutics in Cancer"""""""" is therefore to provide training and effective writing and verbal communicative/interactive skills to faculty level basic translational and clinical translational scientists who will dedicate their endeavors to cancer translational research. Based upon the overall strength of the OSU CCC in the area of experimental therapeutics and the true desire of many involved faculty to mentor junior faculty, this K12 proposal seeks to train primarily two types of assistant professors focused on translational work in experimental therapeutics: 1] The first group includes MD or PhD faculty who have outstanding basic science training and the desire to pursue laboratory investigation related to applied research in experimental therapeutics of solid tumor or hematologic malignancies;2] The second group includes MD or MD/PhD faculty who pursue patient-related research in clinically focused experimental therapeutics. The two oncology disciplines that such trainees come from are medical and surgical oncology. The primary aims of this K12 training grant proposal include: Objective 1: To provide individualized faculty level training to ensure a cadre of translational medical doctors and basic science researchers who can collaborate with each other to design and implement hypothesis-driven experimental therapeutic research directed at patients with cancer. Objective 2: To provide applicants with a core course work of biostatistical, pharmacology, pharmacodynamic, clinical trial, grant writing, and professional education classes that will assure successful transition to faculty level positions focused on experimental therapeutics at academic NCI-designated cancer centers. To attain these objectives we have designed a structured program that objectively selects and mentors candidates through an innovative experiential process here at the OSU CCC. Applicants are initially selected through a competitive process by a K12 Steering Committee. Formal training follows that includes laboratory and clinical components derived from three different Colleges within The Ohio State University. These formal didactics and training episodes related to pre-clinical drug investigation and clinical protocol development provide instruction on the skills necessary to be an effective, well-rounded investigator in the area of experimental therapeutics. A continuous evaluation process of both K12 candidates and mentors is also outlined to assure that continued progress occurs among all those participating in this program. In addition, considerable institutional support that has been put forth by the OSU CCC, the James Cancer Hospital, and multiple OSU Medical Center Departments. Ultimately, this support will lead to the success of this K12 grant as measured by its ability to train the next generation of MD and PhD scientists in the focused area of cancer experimental therapeutics.
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