Cancer is a spectrum of diseases whose control will ultimately require a basic understanding of the events that permit cells to begin to divide in an uncontrolled manner and subsequently invade normal tissue. Bacterial and fungal opportunistic infections have emerged as major causes of morbidity and mortality in immunocompromised patients, particularly those undergoing high dose chemotherapy for the treatment of solid tumors, or prolonged treatment for leukemia, lymphoma and other cancer-related hematologic disorders. The objectives of the proposed training program will be to direct predoctoral students in basic research on multi-disciplinary aspects of carcinogenesis and pathogenesis. The major goal is to train young scientists who will continue their careers in cancer biology and host-pathogen interactions, and subsequently make an impact on their specific area of research interest. The faculty participants in this program represent the medical school's most competitive scientists with interest in carcinogenesis and pathogenesis, and are drawn from the Departments of Pathology, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Physiology and Molecular Medicine, Medicine, and Microbiology and Immunology. The faculty participants include Drs. M. You (molecular genetics of lung cancer), J.C. Willey (carcinogens implicated in lung cancer), R. Ruch (cell-cell communication), J.P. Trempe (gene therapy of cancer), M. Ratnam (novel chemotherapeutic approaches to cancer), L. Faber (progestins, immunosuppressants and breast cancer), M. Pereira (prevention of colorectal carcinoma), D.L. Sawicki (regulation of viral replication), M. Boyle (plasminogen activation and bacterial pathogenesis. G.T. Cole (immunomodulation related to opportunistic fungal invasion), and D.W. Metzgar (cytokine regulation of immunity). All predoctoral students will matriculate through the existing Medical College of Ohio's Medical Sciences Program in either the Molecular Basis of Disease or Molecular and Cellular Biology areas of programmatic concentration. In addition to the requirements of the programmatic concentration, students in this training program, called Molecular Pathogenesis of Cancer (MPC) will be required to take 2 cancer-oriented courses and participate in training program activities (seminar series, journal club, research conferences and research retreats).
