This renewal application requests continued support for predoctoral students training at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill in virology, viral pathogenesis, viral vaccine and gene therapy vectors, with a special emphasis on human pathogens. Students who receive support enter graduate school through any of five admissions programs, although a significant majority of the students receive their degree through the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. Students are challenged with coursework, interpretation of the published literature, rigorous laboratory training, writing, and public presentation of their work in a variety of settings. In addition, a significant fraction of our students receiving training in the use of biocontainment facilities, contributing to the pool of scientists trained to study select bioterrorism agents. There are 17 training faculty, all but one of whom have either a primary or secondary/joint appointment in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. This broad departmental affiliation across campus enhances the organizational cohesiveness of the training program. There are currently 42 students being trained in the laboratories of these faculty members, and 11 of these faculty served as preceptors to students who received training grant support during the last funding cycle. The training program faculty have created a three-semester series of courses for students training in virology, covering basic/molecular virology, microbial pathogenesis, and special topics based on the primary literature and student presentations. Students typically take additional coursework in immunology, molecular biology, and/or cell biology. Students also receive training in research involving the use of human subjects, a rigorous course on research ethics that is required of all graduate students in the Medical School, and attend numerous seminars, symposia, and national meetings. The goal of the training program is to train new generations of research scientists in the broad area of virology with an emphasis on pathogenic mechanisms, important human pathogens, and the use of engineered viruses in vaccines and gene therapy development. UNC-Chapel Hill is a major research-oriented public university. Graduate students are recruited nationally from competitive universities and colleges to join strong research laboratories that are supported by NIH and other sources of funding. Ph.D. training averages between five and six years in duration, and students will be supported by the training grant for 1 year at any point after their first year, which is supported by institutional funds. We are requesting support for six predoctoral students. ? ?
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