The goal of this new predoctoral training program is to produce independent interdisciplinary scientists who will develop novel methods for the detection of disease states, markers of good health, and therapeutic markers. While the traditional biomedical research approach has led to many significant breakthroughs, there is a gap in this approach that the current proposal will fill. The traditional approach is basic-science centered; our approach is clinically-centered. We will train basic scientists who will be skilled in understanding clinical needs, who can design and build devices, approaches, and chemicals to fill this need, and who will be able to test these devices, approaches, and chemicals in living tissues. The two major innovative training strategies in this proposal are to work closely with clinicians (e.g., family practice physicians, nurses, internal medicine clinicians and clinical scientists) to identify clinical problems of relevance and significance to them and to have dual basic science mentors: in the invention mentor's lab the device or approach will be developed or built (e.g., Chemistry, Engineering, Math or Physics mentor) and in the life science mentor's lab the device or approach will be analyzed in a living system (e.g., Biochemistry, Medical Pharmacology and Physiology, or Veterinary Biomedical Sciences mentor). This approach will be interdisciplinary AND will be focused on solving significant clinical problems. It develops basic scientists who start with the clinical need first. This approach complements the existing traditional """"""""bench to bedside translational research"""""""" training approach but takes it full circle. A major innovation is that we will also consider devices and approaches that will allow us to move from bench to community (i.e., approaches that can be used in family practice settings, by nurses and nurse practitioners, and by patients for self monitoring) in situations where the patient and clinician are not necessarily in a hospital setting.
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