The purpose of our NIH-sponsored training program in immunology, which is in its eighteenth year, is to recruit talented, well-trained, and well-motivated graduate students and postdoctoral fellows and give them first rate preparation for competitive careers in academic research and industry. This training program is sponsored by the University of Massachusetts Medical School's (UMMS) Interdepartmental Immunology and Virology (IV) Committee. This group fosters immunology and virology research and training at UMMS and offers a PhD specialization in Immunology and Virology as part of a larger school-wide graduate program. The training faculty consists of 27 preceptors representing 5 UMMS Departments and 30 affiliated faculty members representing 6 departments and two additional institutions. As of 9/1/07 there were 49 predoctoral students committed to or enrolled in the IV program and 66 postdoctoral fellows currently in training in preceptor laboratories. We are seeking stipends for four graduate students and three postdoctoral fellows, in line with our approved funding of positions for the past 10 years. Research training in the IV program is an interdisciplinary, cooperative undertaking, which depends upon and has contributed to regular interaction among students, post-doctoral trainees, and faculty from different clinical and basic science departments. It is characterized by a structured curriculum, by intense faculty involvement, and by a formalized emphasis on developing skills in hypothesis-driven research and research communication. Strengths of this program include intense collaborative research in the areas of 1. viral (including influenza and HIV) immunology, biodefense, and vaccine design;2. toll receptor signaling and innate immunity;3. transplantation and autoimmunity;and 4. molecular and cellular immunology. This NIH supported Immunology Training Grant has been an integral part of our program for the past 18 years, and we are requesting another 5 years of support.
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