TRAINING THE NEXT GENERATION OF SCIENTISTS
Postdoctoral researchers and graduate students conduct the majority of the hands-on science at Sanford-Burnham. While faculty members illuminate the paths research should take, it’s usually the postdocs and students who implement that vision. In return for their labor and insights, these young scientists learn by doing and receive critical insights from senior investigators. The experience they acquire will guide their future research.
Meet a Young Scientist Meet Dr. Aman Mann, a postdoctoral researcher in Dr. Erkki Ruoslahti’s laboratory, co-chair of Sanford-Burnham’s postdoc and graduate student association, and Fishman Fund Award recipient. What inspired you to pursue cancer research? My passion for cancer research stems from the fact that there is so much suffering from this disease. The gratification from the fact that my work in the lab can potentially have a positive impact on cancer patients led me to pursue a career in translational cancer research. And my focus and persistence in what I do is constantly revitalized due to the ongoing battle that my own family has waged against this disease. What do you do? Our research group seeks to identify methods to improve drug delivery to tumor cells. In particular, my project is to identify Dr. Aman Mann and target a drug-resistant population made up of “tumor-initiating cells” Postdoctoral Researcher that play a key role in metastasis or tumor relapse. We believe that therapies that specifically target these cells, combined with the conventional therapies already being used in the clinic, will more effectively eliminate the tumor and reduce chances of relapse in breast cancer patients. What would you do if you had unlimited research funds? Recent cuts in funding have forced many researchers to give up on bold new ideas for curing cancer. With extra funding, I would focus on early detection of tumors by a collaborative effort, bringing together scientists from multiple disciplines to work on highly innovative strategies, such as newer imaging modalities. Better tools to diagnose cancer early enough for treatment can greatly improve the therapeutic outcome and make cancer a curable disease.
Sanford-Burnham’s Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences Graduate students have always played an important role at Sanford-Burnham. In the past, our grad students were officially enrolled at other universities and carried out their research in a Sanford-Burnham laboratory because of its particular expertise. Although this type of arrangement still continues, the situation changed in 2006 when the Institute founded its own graduate training program designed to confer Ph.D. degrees. The Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences at SanfordBurnham was recently recognized by the Western Association of Schools and Colleges as a Candidate for Accreditation. According to the dean of the program, Dr. Guy Salvesen, “Our eventual goal of full accreditation will serve as proof of what we already know—namely, that a Ph.D. degree from Sanford-Burnham is a rigorous one of high quality that stacks up well against a degree from any other outstanding institution.” For Sanford-Burnham graduate student Judith Scheliga, the choice of a mentor was a key factor in applying to graduate
Dr. Guy Salvesen and graduate program coordinator Stacy Devlin (center), with a few of Sanford-Burnham’s graduate students
school. “For me, the big advantage of the program has been the way the required classes and the specialized tutorials have contributed to my success in the lab,” says Judith. “In particular, the one-on-one nature of the tutorials with Institute professors has provided very practical guidance for my thesis work, and has also opened the door to some productive collaborations with other labs.”
Learn more at sanfordburnham.org/Training 12