The objective of this revised competitive renewal application for a Clinical Nutrition Research Unit (CNRU) continues to be to support further development of a unified and coherent program in nutrition in relation to cancer prevention and control for the purposes of advancing multidisciplinary research, both basic and clinical, upgrading the training in nutrition and cancer prevention for medical students, physicians and other health professionals, improving the clinical care of cancer patients, particularly preventive aspects at our medical centers and in the population in general, and providing accurate information on this subject to health professionals and the general public. The central focus of our collaborative, interinstitutional program remains nutrition, cancer prevention and control. The Clinical Nutrition Research Unit represents the central mechanism for coordinating the major efforts on this focus of the five participating institutions: Memorial Sloan- Kettering Cancer Center, The New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, The Rockefeller University, The Hospital for Special Surgery and The North Shore University Hospital.
The specific aims of the CNRU are to develop seven components in this overall program, namely: (l) Research with human subjects and population, (2) Laboratory investigations, (3) Shared facilities and research services, (4) Research training, (5) Education programs for medical students, house staff, practicing physicians and paramedical personnel, (6) Nutritional support services, and (7) Public information activities. The methods for achieving these goals include providing continuing support for three CNRU Core Laboratories -- (a) Immunology, (b) Lipids, and (c) Carcinogenesis and Nutrition -- and establishing a proposed fourth Core Lab (d) Research Methodology and Analysis. We are not seeking support for the former Metabolism & Oncology Core Lab at this time. Funds for pilot studies enable novel ideas in nutrition and cancer prevention and control to be tested by both new and established investigators. An enrichment program provides a wide range of lectures, conferences and meetings to stimulate interactions among scientists and to keep them current on advancements in the field of cancer prevention and control. The overall scientific and administrative progress of the CNRU is evaluated by External and Internal Advisory Committees, who consult with the program director and the Administrative Core. Up-to-date materials in nutrition are collected and disseminated by the CNRU Nutrition Information Center with advice from a Lay Advisory Committee. Highlights made possible by the CNRU to date consist of significant progress in making methodological and conceptual advances in both basic and clinical research in nutrition in relation to cancer prevention and control, increasing awareness of the importance of nutrition among health professionals and developing the first required teaching of nutrition for medical students at Cornell University Medical College.
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