A Training Program in Breast Cancer Research Using NMR Techniques

Abstract

Abstract : This program has supported four predoctoral students (two students from the Electrical Engineering Department, one medical student and one MD/PhD student from Biochemistry) and three postdoctoral fellows. The new students have been introduced to the Biomedical NMR Laboratory and the Howard University Cancer Center. The trainees have continued to learn the theories and instrumentation behind nuclear MRI. The trainees have rotated through the mammography service in the Radiology Department to learn mammography procedures. Besides attending weekly seminars in the Cancer Center, the trainees also have attended a special seminar series on breast imaging sponsored by this grant Each trainee has actively participated in research projects. Based on the experimental findings, two papers were published and another one has been accepted for publication. Three abstracts have been presented and another two will be presented later this year in the national and international scientific meetings. Two predoctoral students received BS degrees and will attend graduate schools to continue biomedical imaging research. Two new research initiatives have been developed to do molecular imaging of breast cancer and to establish a breast cancer image database for computer-aided-diagnosis research. We have submitted four grant applications-two have received findings and the other two are pending.