This proposal seeks competing continuation of the NIH T32 Carolina Cancer Nanotechnology Training Program (C-CNTP). The program started in 2015 with the support of the NIH Ruth L. Kirschstein National Research Service Award. The goal of the program is to make a major contribution to the growth of the cancer nanotechnology workforce by providing training and research experience to a highly select cohort of postdoctoral fellows. During four years since its initiation the program has recruited 15 excellent fellows of whom 5 have completed training and moved into tenure track assistant professors, industry and FDA positions, 8 continue training with the NIH T32 support and 2 are in the final stages of training with other support sources in the labs of their mentors. We have assembled a team of 20 outstanding Program faculty from 11 departments and 3 schools at the University of North Carolina Chapel Hill with specific expertise in physical and material sciences, chemistry, pharmacoengineering, drug delivery, computational modeling as well as basic biomedical research and clinical science, all of whom have demonstrated strong interests, capabilities and collaborations at the interface between nanoscience and cancer. The objectives of the C-CNTP are to: 1) recruit an elite group of talented postdoctoral fellows from diverse backgrounds with PhD, MD or PharmD and provide them with outstanding postdoctoral experience including focused didactic training and co-mentored research experience with faculty mentors from complementary fields; 2) provide each trainee with intensive introductory training with online video library of recorded lectures followed by workshops and didactic courses to remediate differences in their backgrounds and to deepen the knowledge and understanding in the key areas of cancer nanotechnology; and 3) facilitate transition of trainees to independence by providing them with opportunities to a) conduct original cancer nanotechnology research projects; b) apply for the individual cancer nanotechnology Pilot Grants within C-CNTP, and c) acquire written and oral communications skills needed to publish manuscripts, report results, and write successful individual extramural support applications focused on problems of cancer nanotechnology. We are committed to developing a world-class postdoctoral training program that capitalizes on the existing strengths in cancer nanotechnology research, consolidates diverse research and education resources across several academic units, and becomes a significant contributor to addressing the Nation's research needs in cancer nanotechnology.
This multidisciplinary five-year program is designed to train postdoctoral research fellows working at the intersection of nanoscience and cancer research. The goal is to prepare scientists who will successfully pursue careers in academia, industry, and government agencies, and will become significant contributors to addressing emerging challenges in public health and medical research using nanotechnology to diagnose and treat cancer.
