This Mentored Patient-Oriented Research career Development Award proposal contains didactic coursework, mentored instruction and a clinical research project designed to apply the principles learned. My clinical research interest is in the pathophysiology of endometriosis. The proposed clinical training and research studies in this application are designed to increase my skills in study design and biostatistics, with the ultimate goal of developing into an independent career clinical investigator. Curriculum of the K30 Training Grant in Clinical Research at the University of Michigan is included in the coursework. The goal of the research proposal is to study the effect of a new immunomodulator drug, rosiglitazone, on peritoneal fluid immune factors in women with endometriosis. This same drug will be compared to oral contraceptives as an alternate means of endometriosis-related pain control. Concurrently, laboratory experiments will explore fetal DMA microchimerism as a cause for the chronic immune response seen with endometriosis offering a novel pathophysiological basis for the development of the disease. Dr. Daniel Remick, who has a substantial background in cytokine research, will help guide the laboratory portion of the study. Dr. Robert Taylor, with international expertise on endometriosis, and Dr. Daniel Clauw, Director of the Center for Advancement of Clinical Research, will serve as my mentors on the clinical trials segment. A biostatistician will provide guidance for the design and interpretation of the proposed studies. This project will allow me to move in a translational direction from my basic science research in endometriosis towards clinical trials. Ultimately, the study will lead to a program that will substantially improve the outcome for women with endometriosis.
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