This application seeks continued support for a successful predoctoral Cancer Biology Training Program (CBTP) at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, with a sole focus on basic, translational and clinical cancer research. The Program is administered by the Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer, a major component of the NCI-designated Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center (FPBCC), which is one of only two NCI-designated cancer centers in a five-state region from North Dakota to Oklahoma. As such, the CBTP plays an important regional role in training future basic and clinical scientists for a career in cancer research. The continued success of the CBTP over the past four years reflects a major expansion of the Cancer Center, with an increase in state- of-the-art research space, a growing faculty, and a robust research base. Institutional commitment to the Program remains strong. The opening of a new, integrated cancer research and clinical facility (the FPBCC complex) in 2017 challenges trainees to consider how their research may be translated into improvements in the diagnosis and treatment of cancer on a daily basis. The NCI Training Grant has been a major catalyst for the success of the CBTP, which attracts a large national pool of predoctoral trainees and currently has 76 students in training, over 60% of whom are training grant eligible. Twenty-nine CBTP mentors have a wide variety of expertise in cutting-edge basic, translational and clinical cancer research and a strong track record of mentoring. Translational research by CBTP faculty in biomarker discovery and therapeutic development for pancreatic/gastrointestinal cancer is internationally recognized, and a Rapid Autopsy/Organ Harvest Program provides a unique collection of specimens for studies on pancreatic cancer. Research strength in hematological malignancies and hormone-driven cancers is also available to trainees. During the reporting period, major new initiatives were implemented to invigorate the Program, keep pace with modern developments, and enhance the distinctiveness of NRSA-supported training. New courses were added to a restructured curriculum, junior investigators were included as mentors, new research-related training opportunities were offered, and a more stringent student selection process was put in place. The success of these initiatives is reflected in the strong publication record of our trainees, low attrition rates (<5%), a time to graduation of 5.2 years, strong outcomes, and a significant participation of minorities in our educational mission. To maintain innovation and further promote Program distinctiveness, the renewal application proposes four hands-on workshops that will provide NRSA trainees with tailored instruction in -omics data analysis and cutting-edge technologies. A trainee-organized annual half-day minisymposium will provide new opportunities for leadership. Students who complete the CBTP will have the life-long skills to contribute to the management of cancer in a meaningful way. Continued Training Grant support is crucial to sustaining the advances in Program metrics, enabling further enrichment of the training experience, and ensuring the quality and diversity of CBTP trainees.
Predoctoral training in cancer biology is directly relevant to public health. Understanding, preventing, and treating cancer remains a national priority. The mission of the CBTP addresses a critical need to train the next generation of cancer researchers in a large region of the United States, in order to provide a foundation for tomorrow?s clinical advances in the treatment and management of this disease.
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