1K12CA215110-01A1 (K12) ApplID: 9508479 | |||
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Title | The Yale Cancer Center Calabresi Immuno-Oncology Training Program (IOTP) | ||
Institution | YALE UNIVERSITY, NEW HAVEN, CT | ||
Principal Investigator | KLUGER, HARRIET | NCI Program Director | Damico |
Cancer Activity | Training | Division | CCT |
Funded Amount | $131,290 | Project Dates | 03/01/2018 - 02/28/2023 |
Fiscal Year | 2018 | Project Type | Grant |
Research Topics w/ Percent Relevance | Cancer Types w/ Percent Relevance | ||
Cancer (100.0%) | N/A | ||
Research Type | |||
Resources and Infrastructure Related to Treatment and the Prevention of Recurrence Education and Communication Research |
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Abstract | |||
Summary: Systemic therapy for cancer has evolved dramatically in recent years with the emergence of immune modulation therapies that induce responses and prolong survival in multiple malignancies. It is widely believed that these advances are only the vanguard in a rapidly evolving field. Investigators from Yale School of Medicine have played key roles in both pre-clinical and clinical advances in immuno-oncology. Continued advancement requires better understanding of primary and secondary resistance to immune therapy, the biology of immune suppression in the tumor microenvironment, rational drug combinations, drug toxicities and novel trial designs specific for immune therapies. Hence, there is an urgent need to train junior investigators to conduct patient-oriented cancer immunology and immunotherapy studies to accelerate the pace of these advances. The proposed Immuno-Oncology Training Program (IOTP) will address this critical need by training both PhD and MD or MD/PhD Scholars in clinically-relevant immuno-oncology and translational immunology. IOTP will be distinct from existing training programs at Yale as the only one to specifically focus on training of junior faculty in patient-oriented research in immuno-oncology and immunotherapy. IOTP will capitalize on the wealth of expertise at our institution in immunobiology and immunotherapy. IOTP faculty have extensive track records of mentorship and are actively pursuing research in these areas. IOTP will be supported by the Yale Cancer Center (YCC) and will synergize with the Yale Center for Clinical Investigation (YCCI), which will provide some foundational courses. Key distinguishing features will be didactic and practical training developed specifically for this program. The two-year curriculum includes courses on basic immunology and cancer immunology, immunotherapy-specific clinical trial design, the Cancer Immunology Forum and an individually tailored, two-year Translational Immuno-oncology research project encompassing both laboratory and clinical research. A panel of mentors including both a basic and clinical faculty member will be appointed for each Scholar. Junior faculty within five years of appointment at Yale School of Medicine will be eligible to apply to IOTP, with up to five scholars appointed at any one time. Consistent with campus-wide efforts to encourage diversity, a Recruitment & Diversity Subcommittee is charged with maximizing diversity of the Scholar population. The program will be led by an Executive Committee comprised of the PI (Dr. Harriet Kluger, YCC Associate Director for Education and Training) and two Co-Directors with complementary expertise (Drs. Madhav Dhodpakar, co-Leader of the Cancer Immunology Research Program, and Alessandro Santin, Leader of the Gynecologic Oncology Research Team). In summary, the IOTP will draw upon an area of profound institutional strength and enable the Yale Cancer Center to focus specifically on cross-disciplinary training of scholars in Cancer Immunotherapy, a field in great need of well-trained basic and clinical scientists to accommodate its explosive growth. " |