# Training Program in the Biology of Cancer

> **NIH NIH T32** · WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY · 2022 · $172,404

## Abstract

Cancer is the 2nd major cause of human mortality in the US. It is our view that an interdisciplinary graduate
curriculum with a focus on the biology of cancer that interfaces with clinicians engaged in cancer diagnosis and
treatment provides an excellent means of training specialists with a sufficient breadth of perspective for
successful careers in cancer research, education, clinical care or policy. This is an application for renewal of a
T32 training grant, currently in its 35th year, to support 6 pre-doctoral students in Cancer Biology at Wayne State
University (WSU) and the Barbara Ann Karmanos Cancer Institute (KCI). Trainees include PhD and MD/PhD
candidates primarily from the Cancer Biology Graduate Program (CBGP) in the Department of Oncology, along
with a smaller number of trainees from other affiliated PhD programs at WSU. Training draws from the
outstanding clinical and research facilities at WSU/KCI and the expertise of 20 accomplished preceptors in areas
including neoplastic development, invasion and metastasis, cancer drug discovery, cancer immunology, and
population studies and cancer disparities. This T32 training grant provides an important cornerstone of our
training program in the biology of cancer at WSU/KCI. The CBGP offers specialized didactic training in basic and
translational principles of Cancer Biology, along with seminars by nationally/internationally recognized speakers,
student-faculty research retreats, and opportunities to attend national/international research conferences. PhD
students are introduced to state-of-the-art research methods in molecular and cell biology, chemical biology,
pharmacology, immunology, and epidemiology, and to cutting-edge technologies through the KCI research
cores, while performing hypothesis-based cancer research. Students “round” with oncologists in the KCI Cancer
Hospital and receive didactic training on clinical research by academic physicians who lead our clinical trials.
Training in the responsible conduct of research, rigorous experimental design and data science is provided.
“Value added” educational opportunities for T32 fellows include a workshop on F30/F31 fellowship preparation,
a T32 research mini-symposium, enhanced career networking, specialized technology workshops and research
conferences, training in community outreach, and individualized career mentoring. The goals of our T32 training
program are to develop scientists with a strong foundational training and perspective in Cancer Biology, with
outstanding capacities for critical thinking, effective communication and networking skills needed for professional
success in the coming decades. Reflecting our emphasis at KCI/WSU on reducing cancer disparities, an
additional goal of our training program is to encourage workforce diversity by educating trainees from diverse
backgrounds. As documented in this application, T32 CA009531 has trained an accomplished group of cancer
biologists, including underrepresented minorities, ...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10488917
- **Project number:** 2T32CA009531-36
- **Recipient organization:** WAYNE STATE UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Larry H Matherly
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $172,404
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 1985-09-01 → 2027-08-31

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10488917

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10488917, Training Program in the Biology of Cancer (2T32CA009531-36). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-22 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10488917. Licensed CC0.

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