Immunologic Basis of Resistance and Hypersensitivity

Project Summary This continuation of an established training program seeks to prepare qualified M.D., Ph.D., and M.D./Ph.D. candidates for academic careers in the field of allergy and immunology. Support is requested for eight postdoctoral trainees having either a M.D. or Ph.D. degree or both. The training program emphasizes three major areas: basic science, translational science, and clinical science. The trainees focused in basic science learn techniques and concepts of immunopharmacology, immunochemistry, and cellular and molecular immunology. Areas of emphasis include the basic biology of mast cells, lipid mediators, dendritic cells, innate lymphoid cells, and animal models of allergic disease. Trainees in translational science paths incorporate informatic approaches to analyze genetic, genomic, and unbiased sequencing or metabolomic data to understand the mechanistic basis of human allergic diseases. Such trainees may also employ bench side approaches to studies using human cells and tissues. Trainees in clinical sciences may focus on epidemiology or clinical trials. The faculty are highly accomplished investigators with extensive mentoring track records and substantial extramural grant support. The three-year research training period is designed so that each trainee learns a range of techniques and approaches, gains a broad understanding of the innate and adaptive immune host responses, and establishes a template for an early career research focus. This time frame also permits the trainee, along with his or her mentor and Scholarship Oversight Committee, to plan for post-fellowship career development, with the goal of defining a path in academia that is commensurate with the trainee’s developing skills and interests. The research experience is enhanced by didactic course work, as well as workshops in grant writing, manuscript composition, and lab management. The program continues to be highly successful, with over 75% of the graduates in the past decade having full-time academic appointments, many of whom are primarily research based with independent NIH support.