This application is for a competitive renewal of an Immunology Training Program first awarded to Washington State University in 1977. During this period, the program has evolved higher expectations with corresponding trainee success while new recruitment has maintained a dynamic training faculty. Prominent examples of trainee success in the past 10 years include: i) 10 post-DVM trainees have received individual NIH K11 or K08 awards; ii) all 13 post-DVM trainees have received the PhD; and iii) 4 of the 24 total trainees are from underrepresented racial/ethnic groups. Based on this record of achievement, we enthusiastically apply for renewal. Applicants with a clinical medicine doctorate (DVM, DDS, DO, OD, MD) or a PhD in biological or chemical sciences are eligible. Five trainees are requested for each of 5 years. Trainees will be mentored in laboratory research to identify and address key gaps in knowledge regarding control of infectious and immunologically-mediated diseases. The mentored research training is the strength of the program and is the mechanism by which the philosophy, methods, and analyses of research are imparted. During this preceptorship, there is intense interaction to guide the trainees while defining a research hypothesis and specific aims to test the hypothesis, and then to help analyze data and solve problems that arise. The laboratory is where the essence of research resides and where it can be most effectively communicated to develop trainees' skills and confidence. Duration for DVM trainees pursuing a PhD will be three years of dedicated research while post-PhD trainees will have a minimum of two years. All trainees will work with PhD-level scientists in active research programs that include: antigenic variation and immune control of persistent rickettsial infections, identifying protective immune mechanisms and targets of lentiviruses, modulation of priming and lymphocyte expansion using novel vaccine vectors, regulation of chromatin in regulation of gene expression, the role of pim-1 in lymphocyte function, and dissecting mechanisms of gamma/delta T lymphocyte expansion. All trainees will submit a research proposal for an individual NIH award and will actively participate in courses, seminars, and a dedicated lecture series involving off-campus speakers. The program is based in the College of Veterinary Medicine and is enhanced by interaction with faculty in the School of Molecular Biosciences.
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