This Physician-Scientist award proposal is designed to provide broad and thorough scientific training in the area of molecular genetics, with specific reference to the study of hematologic and other malignancies. The educational program of Phase I will include graduate coursework at both Harvard University and the Massachusetts Institute of Technology as well as a research project to be conducted in the laboratory of Dr. Philip Leder, chairman of the Department of Genetics at Harvard Medical School. Research in Dr. Leder's laboratory will focus on genetic events associated with malignant transformation, particularly the role of the myc oncogene, as studied in cell culture systems and transgenic mice. This project will provide an opportunity to acquire intensive theoretical and practical training in molecular biology, a field of growing importance in the realm of biomedical investigation. This would complement previous training in the areas of cell biology, biochemistry, and cytogenetics. Progress during PhaseI will be evaluated by a committee of basic scientists and physician scientists will a commitment to medical education and biomedical applications of basic research. In the second phase at the Massachusetts General Hospital, the skills acquired under Phase I will be applied to continued research under the sponsorship and guidance of Dr. Thomas Stossel, Chief of the Hematology-Oncology Unit, and Dr. John Potts, Jr., Chairman of the Department of Medicine. Although it is premature to define specific Phase II plans, research in hematopoiesis and the role of oncogenesis in hematologic malignancies, in the setting of an academic medical institution is envisioned, where potential applications to the diagnosis and treatment of human hematologic diseases could be established. The development of an experimental inpatient Hematology Clinical Research Unit is in the planning stages at the MGH; it is envisioned that the candidate would play a role, via liaison basic research and/or teaching, in such a unit.
