University grants $4.1 million for fostering pioneers in cross-disciplinary lung research among future scientists

Boston University's "Biology of the Lung: A Multi-Disciplinary Program" Awarded Five-Year T32 Grant

The Boston University School of Medicine has been awarded a five-year T32 grant, totaling $4.1 million, from the NIH's National Heart, Lung and Blood Institute. This grant marks the 50th consecutive year that the program has received funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH).

The program, led by Co-Principal Investigators Joseph Mizgerd, ScD, and Darrell Kotton, MD, is a multidisciplinary training program that offers advanced training in lung science for pre-doctoral PhD students and postdoctoral MD and PhD fellows.

Kotton, also the Director of the Center for Regenerative Medicine at Boston Medical Center, emphasizes the keystone principle of the training being bi-directional translation of ideas between basic and clinical spheres. The program's structure ensures that postdoctoral MD physician-scientists train side-by-side with PhD pre-doctoral students and postdoctoral fellows, encouraging learning from each other as well as mentors.

The program is integrated, concentrating on providing high-quality mentorship in the scientific disciplines most likely to make advancements in the diagnosis and treatment of lung diseases. It offers training and exposure in three scientific areas: Development and Regenerative Medicine, Immunology and Infection, and Biomedical Data Sciences.

Mizgerd, the director of the University's Pulmonary Center, emphasizes the program's focus on providing integrated training in the most advanced areas of lung science. He believes that the science of health and disease is becoming increasingly complex, requiring highly coordinated research efforts.

In addition to scientific training, the program aims to develop trainees' professional skills, including grant writing, science communication, and career development. The program fosters collaboration and exposure to various fields within lung biology, ensuring that trainees gain a comprehensive understanding of the field.

Each year of the grant, six pre-doctoral trainees and six post-doctoral trainees will participate in the program. The award provides federal support for Boston University faculty members to mentor research trainees in lung biology and pulmonary sciences.

While the Co-Principal Investigator who works as a Professor of Medicine, Microbiology, and Biochemistry at Boston University School of Medicine is not explicitly named in the provided search results, Thanh Nguyen is a listed professor at Boston University School of Medicine in related medical fields and serves as a co-Principal Investigator of clinical trials. However, her specialties are Neurology, Neurosurgery, and Radiology rather than Microbiology and Biochemistry.

This significant grant renewal continues Boston University's commitment to advancing lung science and training the next generation of researchers in this critical field.

University grants $4.1 million for fostering pioneers in cross-disciplinary lung research among future scientists