# Cancer Biology Training Program

> **NIH NIH T32** · UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER · 2020 · $240,304

## Abstract

PROJECT SUMMARY/ABSTRACT
This application seeks continued support for a successful predoctoral Cancer Biology Training Program (CBTP)
at the University of Nebraska Medical Center, with a sole focus on basic, translational and clinical cancer
research. The Program is administered by the Eppley Institute for Research in Cancer, a major component of
the NCI-designated Fred & Pamela Buffett Cancer Center (FPBCC), which is one of only two NCI-designated
cancer centers in a five-state region from North Dakota to Oklahoma. As such, the CBTP plays an important
regional role in training future basic and clinical scientists for a career in cancer research. The continued success
of the CBTP over the past four years reflects a major expansion of the Cancer Center, with an increase in state-
of-the-art research space, a growing faculty, and a robust research base. Institutional commitment to the
Program remains strong. The opening of a new, integrated cancer research and clinical facility (the FPBCC
complex) in 2017 challenges trainees to consider how their research may be translated into improvements in the
diagnosis and treatment of cancer on a daily basis. The NCI Training Grant has been a major catalyst for the
success of the CBTP, which attracts a large national pool of predoctoral trainees and currently has 76 students
in training, over 60% of whom are training grant eligible. Twenty-nine CBTP mentors have a wide variety of
expertise in cutting-edge basic, translational and clinical cancer research and a strong track record of mentoring.
Translational research by CBTP faculty in biomarker discovery and therapeutic development for
pancreatic/gastrointestinal cancer is internationally recognized, and a Rapid Autopsy/Organ Harvest Program
provides a unique collection of specimens for studies on pancreatic cancer. Research strength in hematological
malignancies and hormone-driven cancers is also available to trainees. During the reporting period, major new
initiatives were implemented to invigorate the Program, keep pace with modern developments, and enhance the
distinctiveness of NRSA-supported training. New courses were added to a restructured curriculum, junior
investigators were included as mentors, new research-related training opportunities were offered, and a more
stringent student selection process was put in place. The success of these initiatives is reflected in the strong
publication record of our trainees, low attrition rates (<5%), a time to graduation of 5.2 years, strong outcomes,
and a significant participation of minorities in our educational mission. To maintain innovation and further promote
Program distinctiveness, the renewal application proposes four hands-on workshops that will provide NRSA
trainees with tailored instruction in -omics data analysis and cutting-edge technologies. A trainee-organized
annual half-day minisymposium will provide new opportunities for leadership. Students who complete the CBTP
will have the life-long skills...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9937454
- **Project number:** 2T32CA009476-29
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF NEBRASKA MEDICAL CENTER
- **Principal Investigator:** Jennifer D. Black
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $240,304
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 1997-08-22 → 2025-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9937454

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9937454, Cancer Biology Training Program (2T32CA009476-29). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9937454. Licensed CC0.

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