This proposal is a revised renewal application for a highly successful multidisciplinary training program in tumor immunology at UCLA. The program provides training in all aspects of tumor immunology research. We propose to continue supporting a total of nine trainees (3 predoctoral, 6 postdoctoral) in a highly structured research training environment under the supervision of experienced and highly productive faculty mentors. Over the past 35 years, the UCLA Tumor Immunology Training Program (TITP) has bridged training in the fields of cancer and immunology, and is the sole UCLA training program integrating fundamental laboratory- based immunology with clinical oncology. For many years the TITP has remained vital through the recruitment of new faculty members from different departments into the program. In the next funded period, the focus on tumor immunology training is strengthened by including only topic-related faculty in the program. The TITP has leveraged UCLA's internationally recognized standing as a major center in clinical trials utilizing immunotherapy and genetic immunotherapy against a variety of cancers. Additional training leverage is provided by a top scoring Clinical Science Translational Institute (CTSI), directed by Dr. S Dubinett, who is a co-director of the TITP. The training program has been highly successful in developing new investigators with ~85-90% of trainees continuing research careers in academics or industry. Thus, the TITP continues as a strong complement of basic, translational, and clinical investigations in tumor immunology at UCLA. A multitude of unique, interactive, and highly integrated activities in tumor immunology serve as an outstanding resource for our trainees. The TITP emphasizes training in the cellular, molecular, and genetic mechanisms of tumor cell-host immune interactions. At both the predoctoral and postdoctoral levels, the TITP main goals are to: 1) identify and support outstanding trainees with a high level of interest and focus in tumor immunology research, 2) train scientists to conduct cutting-edge research in fundamental and clinical tumor immunology, 3) provide trainees with a solid background in the biological sciences with an emphasis in fundamental immunology, biochemistry, biology, genetics, and now also stem cell biology and nanotechnology, 4) facilitate career development by helping predoctoral trainees choose postdoctoral fellowships and obtain support, and by guiding postdoctoral trainees in obtaining positions in academia and industry, 5) acquaint and support trainees'interdisciplinary action and research opportunities, 6) introduce novel and significant projects for which beneficial outcomes will be derived, 7) acquaint trainees with state-of-the-art research through the training grant-supported fundamental and tumor immunology seminar series and associated journal clubs, and 8) provide trainees with regular opportunities to present their own research in seminar form and receive critical feedback from the training grant faculty and scientific community beyond UCLA by supporting trainee presentations at tumor immunology-related national and international meetings.

Public Health Relevance

The UCLA Tumor Immunology Training Program (TITP) trains the next generation of academic and industrial leaders in basic, translational, and clinical tumor immunology. Leveraging an exceptionally strong environment in immunotherapy, gene therapy, and now Clinical and Translational Science Institute (CTSI)-related research, program trainees benefit from the unique and rich resources of a major academic center recognized internationally for its pioneering work in tumor immunology and a strong, vibrant environment that receives exceptional institutional support and houses one of the largest clinical trials centers in the world. Most trainees who have graduated from the TITP continue to fulfill its stated mission by advancing to positions of leadership in academia or industry and continuing to uncover basic principles in host-tumor interactions while also developing next-generation therapies based in fundamental tumor immunology for the betterment of cancer patients and their families.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Cancer Institute (NCI)
Type
Institutional National Research Service Award (T32)
Project #
5T32CA009120-38
Application #
8639965
Study Section
Subcommittee G - Education (NCI)
Program Officer
Lim, Susan E
Project Start
1980-07-01
Project End
2017-03-31
Budget Start
2014-04-01
Budget End
2015-03-31
Support Year
38
Fiscal Year
2014
Total Cost
$467,412
Indirect Cost
$33,276
Name
University of California Los Angeles
Department
Pathology
Type
Schools of Medicine
DUNS #
092530369
City
Los Angeles
State
CA
Country
United States
Zip Code
90095
Katagiri, Yasuhiro; Morgan, Ashlea A; Yu, Panpan et al. (2018) Identification of novel binding sites for heparin in receptor protein-tyrosine phosphatase (RPTP?): Implications for proteoglycan signaling. J Biol Chem 293:11639-11647
Nakamura, Kojiro; Kageyama, Shoichi; Yue, Shi et al. (2018) Heme oxygenase-1 regulates sirtuin-1-autophagy pathway in liver transplantation: From mouse to human. Am J Transplant 18:1110-1121
Kageyama, Shoichi; Nakamura, Kojiro; Fujii, Takehiro et al. (2018) Recombinant relaxin protects liver transplants from ischemia damage by hepatocyte glucocorticoid receptor: From bench-to-bedside. Hepatology 68:258-273
By the Contributors to the C4 Article (Appendix 1) (2018) Current opinions in organ allocation. Am J Transplant 18:2625-2634
Sosa, Rebecca A; Rossetti, Maura; Naini, Bita V et al. (2018) Pattern Recognition Receptor-reactivity Screening of Liver Transplant Patients: Potential for Personalized and Precise Organ Matching to Reduce Risks of Ischemia-reperfusion Injury. Ann Surg :
Lu, Jianqin; Liu, Xiangsheng; Liao, Yu-Pei et al. (2018) Breast Cancer Chemo-immunotherapy through Liposomal Delivery of an Immunogenic Cell Death Stimulus Plus Interference in the IDO-1 Pathway. ACS Nano 12:11041-11061
Kageyama, Shoichi; Hirao, Hirofumi; Nakamura, Kojiro et al. (2018) Recipient HO-1 inducibility is essential for posttransplant hepatic HO-1 expression and graft protection: From bench-to-bedside. Am J Transplant :
Hu, Junhui; Schokrpur, Shiruyeh; Archang, Maani et al. (2018) A Non-integrating Lentiviral Approach Overcomes Cas9-Induced Immune Rejection to Establish an Immunocompetent Metastatic Renal Cancer Model. Mol Ther Methods Clin Dev 9:203-210
Salehi, Sahar; Sosa, Rebecca A; Jin, Yi-Ping et al. (2018) Outside-in HLA class I signaling regulates ICAM-1 clustering and endothelial cell-monocyte interactions via mTOR in transplant antibody-mediated rejection. Am J Transplant 18:1096-1109
Patananan, Alexander N; Sercel, Alexander J; Teitell, Michael A (2018) More than a powerplant: the influence of mitochondrial transfer on the epigenome. Curr Opin Physiol 3:16-24

Showing the most recent 10 out of 144 publications