We seek renewal of R25 Cancer Research Education Program sponsorship to sustain and enhance advanced short-term, intensive laboratory and didactic annual courses entitled Frontiers in Stem Cells in Cancer (FriSC2). Designed for competitive scientists and physician-scientists, FriSC2 provides innovative, sophisticated cancer education exclusively at institutions serving primarily under-represented minority (URM) students. Importantly, the cancer stem cell field continues to grow swiftly, and there are too few laboratories led by URM scientists and too few new URM trainees. To ensure that the next generation of cancer researchers has advanced training opportunities, we seek 5 years of sponsorship to offer FriSC2 courses at Morehouse School of Medicine in 2016, 2018, and 2020 and Ponce Health Sciences University in 2017 and 2019. FriSC2 is under the overall directorship of Gerald Schatten from Pittsburgh, along with Idhaliz Flores from Ponce, Winston Thompson from Morehouse, and Calvin Simerly, also from Pitt and is overseen by an external scientific advisory committee. FriSC2 offers dynamic advanced training courses consisting of daily lectures on emerging concepts, followed by extended discussion, laboratory research, technologically intense workshops and informal seminars over week-long periods. This advanced instruction provides hands-on training for 16 highly competitive participants (the ratio of applicant inquiries to accepted candidates is >4.4: 1). Of the 64 participants formally trained, 33% identify as African American and 30% as Hispanic American; 61% are women, and 61% are from URM institutions. While the first trainees are only 4 years out of the course, early results show that they are progressing in cancer research careers, investigating a variety of relevant and important topics.
Four specific aims are proposed: 1. Provide conceptual education and experimental training in the methods necessary for investigations of cancer and stem cells. 2. Provide participants with specific opportunities to implement career planning tools in collaboration with our senior and junior faculty-including individual development plans and peer-to-peer and personalized coaching-to foster career development and to explore career alternatives. 3. Educate participants on the ethical, legal and social implications of pluripotent and cancer stem cell research and the regulatory landscape in which such research occurs so that students begin their own research programs in the most ethical and responsible manner and avoid needless pitfalls and delays. 4. Provide unbiased, quantitative, independent mechanisms to track trainees' careers, comprehensively and longitudinally, to ensure that the program constitutes a wise, cost-effective investment. The purpose of renewing these training courses, then, is to provide a series of daily discussions and hands-on laboratory research taught by renowned cancer research leaders, resulting in comprehensive, sophisticated training in research strategies and state-of-the-art methods in cellular, molecular and genetic approaches for advancing the Frontiers in Stem Cells in Cancer. In so doing, we will continue to enhance and expand the research careers of the most promising scientists, with sensitivity to ensuring full diversity in the NCI workforce.
Stem cell discoveries are increasingly seen as having major implications for our understanding of the underlying causes of many cancers, promising better treatments, perhaps explaining recurrences, and affording potential fertility options for cancer survivors. Through this application, we seek renewal of our R25 sponsorship to continue to offer annual cancer education short-courses on the Frontiers in Stem Cells in Cancer (FriSC2). These courses are offered at Morehouse School of Medicine (Years 1, 3 and 5; i.e., renewal years 2016, -18 and -20) and the Ponce Health Sciences University (Years 2 and 4; renewal years 2017 and -19), which are predominantly African-American and Hispanic-American institutions, respectively. During the current funding period, we offered FriSC2 four times (twice at Howard University and twice at Ponce). We have helped to advance the careers of 64 promising early-stage scientists, 33% of whom identify as African American and 30% of whom identify as Hispanic American; 61% are women, and 61% are from URM institutions. This NCI sponsored CEGP will continue to provide sophisticated education and skill development and enhance the diversity of young scientists in the field of cancer research.
