Recent advances in understanding cancer, combined with unprecedented access to patient DNA sequence data, and new rational therapeutic approaches create the need for a revolution in Ph.D. training of cancer scientists. The Yale Cancer Biology Training Program takes advantage of the high caliber of biologists at Yale, the commitment to multidisciplinary training in the life sciences, and the close collaboration of Yale cancer biologists and clinicians fostered by the Yale Cancer Center to provide a cancer-focused training experience that is intended to spawn the next generation of cancer scientific leaders. This program is the only cancer-focused PhD training program at Yale and is also unusual in the extent of exposure to clinical concepts and practice. Training will cover the genetic and biological underpinnings of cancer, the pathway to development of new therapies based upon this knowledge, and the practical challenges in applying these new therapies in cancer clinics. Predoctoral trainees will be trained in foundational biological areas through course work in fundamental areas including biology, genetics, computational biology, and pathophysiology and join the program in the second year of graduate school. Postdoctoral fellows will join the program early in postdoctoral training. All trainees will spend 90% of their time in laboratory research projects mentored by highly qualified faculty who are leaders in disciplines of cancer research including tumor virology, cancer immunobiology, cancer genetics and epigenetics, stem cell research, metabolism, pharmacology, and signal transduction. This two-year program will train up to 30 predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees each year (including first and second year trainees). Funding for two predoctoral and six postdoctoral trainees will be supported by this training grant. For predoctoral trainees, the training experience will include three research rotations and didactic and seminar courses and continue with qualifying examinations and written dissertation in a projected period of five years overall. Postdoctoral training includes participation in program coursework and other program activities. All trainees are supervised by faculty committees that meet annually to evaluate research progress and promote training goals and career development. Cancer-specific training provided for all trainees will include three formal courses: 1. a general survey class covering basic principles of cancer biology and genetics; 2. Advanced Topics in Cancer workshop in which selected topics are analyzed and discussed in depth; 3. Cancer Clinical Translation, including practical clinical translation, clinical trials, and patient treatment patterns and clinical questions for major diseases. Multiple options are provided for training in Immuno- Oncology, depending on prior immunology background. Other program elements include Precision Medicine Tumor Board (discussion of cases in the context of whole genome tumor sequen...