Comparative Molecular Pathology Research Training Program

Center for Cancer Research, The National Cancer Institute

The CCR NCI has developed a comprehensive NCI Comparative Molecular Pathology Research Training Program to enhance the integration and extrapolation of animal models to the study of human disease.

The National Cancer Institute (NCI) Center for Cancer Research (CCR) , in collaboration with :

	The National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases (NIAID)

	The National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)

	The National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute (NHLBI)

has formed graduate education partnerships with the Colleges of Veterinary Medicine at:

	North Carolina State University - Program in Comparative Biomedical Sciences

	Michigan State University - Program in Pathobiology and Diagnostic Investigation

	University of Illinois - Program in Comparative Pathology

	University of Maryland - Program in Veterinary Medical Sciences

to offer combined comparative pathology and biomedical research training for doctors of veterinary medicine.

The Training Program (see schema) encompasses three distinct yet interrelated approaches toward training that are designed to answer the specific needs of individuals at different stages of training and laboratory experience. Two components of the program,

NCI Graduate Scholars in Molecular Pathology (GSMP) and
Combined Residency and Ph.D. Training Support for DVMs

NCI Molecular Pathology Graduate Fellowship (MPGF),
Ph.D. Training Support for DVM pathologists after residency

are tailored for those with doctoral degrees in veterinary medicine and are intended to offer educational opportunity leading to a Ph.D. and eligibility for certification as a medical specialist in veterinary pathology. These two training components are forms of the NIH Graduate Partnership Program. Under these Graduate Partnership Program training components, GSMP and MPGF trainees will spend a portion of their time training at a partnership university. Following their initial graduate level university training, students will transfer for additional training in the intramural laboratories of the CCR NCI, NIAID, NIDDK, or NHLBI.

The third component of the NCI Comparative Molecular Pathology Research Training Program,

NCI Molecular Pathology and Cancer Research Training Award Program (MP-CRTA),

is a non-degree training program open to all outstanding candidates with interest or experience in comparative pathology.

The overall goal of the Program is to partner with universities to provide training for outstanding candidates preparing for careers in comparative and experimental pathology. The training initiative provides for multidisciplinary training in:

Animal pathophysiology
Rodent pathology
Human pathology
Molecular biology
Medical research

A comprehensive, interdisciplinary six-month training curriculum focused on comparative and molecular pathology will constitute the centerpiece of all three facets of the program.

Training Course Curriculum

The NCI Comparative Molecular Pathology Research Training Program has developed a unique training program that addresses the nation's unmet needs for investigators and scientific collaborators with expertise in animal models of human disease who are trained to engage in research. The CCR curriculum draws upon the strengths of the many board-certified veterinary pathologists at the NIH, the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education (ACGME)-approved anatomic pathology training program for physicians ongoing in the NCI Laboratory of Pathology, and the research technologies core laboratories program within the CCR.

The centerpiece of the program is the CCR Comparative Molecular Pathology Training Course, and is required when individuals initiate their studies at the CCR. The curriculum includes the following:

A workshop in molecular biology and molecular pathology featuring lectures and laboratory exercises
Web-based and slide seminar-based diagnostic exercises
Rodent research necropsy training
Comparative mouse and human pathology (using multi-head microscope and interactive telemedicine technologies)

Short rotations in the CCR technology programs are offered to participants and may include:

Experience with in vivo non-invasive medical imaging
Confocal microscopy and image analysis
Polymerase chain reaction and genotyping technologies
Immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization
Experience in generating genetically modified rodent models of human disease

Educational experiences will be supplemented by attendance at symposia, lectures, and scientific meetings.

Participating NIH Faculty

To apply to this program, please follow this link

The intramural research program of the CCR NCI is one of the largest combined basic and clinical cancer research facilities in the world. From among the CCR faculty of investigators, approximately 35 are currently approved as potential research mentors for the NCI Comparative Molecular Pathology Research Training Program.