Featured Meetings and Events A comprehensive calendar of cancer-related scientific meetings and events sponsored by NCI and other scientific organizations, is available at: http://calendar.cancer.gov/

NCI and FDA have announced the inception of the NCI-FDA Research and Regulatory Review Fellowship program. The program’s objective is to train a cadre of scientists in cancer research and research-related regulatory review so that they can develop skills that bridge the two disciplines and cultures.

The program is one of the initiatives of the NCI-FDA Interagency Oncology Task Force (IOTF), created in 2003. IOTF’s purpose is to efficiently move safe new oncology medical products from the laboratory to the clinic.

NCI-FDA fellows will learn to build awareness of regulatory requirements into the early stages of medical product development and will devise strategies to improve planning throughout the research and regulatory review phases. They will also learn how to use state-of-the art knowledge and technology in the design, conduct, and review of clinical trials.

“NCI and FDA share the common goal of bringing safe and effective products to cancer patients quickly and carefully,” said NCI Director Dr. Andrew C. von Eschenbach. “This type of partnership between science and regulation is vital, especially given the rapidly advancing scientific environment.”

Acting FDA Commissioner Dr. Lester M. Crawford added, “This cross-fertilization with NCI will be invaluable in helping FDA prepare for the next wave of promising cancer-fighting agents.”

Dr. Jonathan Wiest, associate director for training and education in NCI’s CCR, commenting on the importance of the new fellowship programs, said, “We believe that physicians and scientists who are trained in the regulatory process and also understand the inner workings of NCI and FDA will be able to facilitate and improve the development and approval process for drugs - especially for chemotherapy.”

The NCI-FDA fellowships offer a unique career opportunity for participating researchers to become well-positioned to facilitate the new age of molecular medicine. New targeted therapies and diagnostic products will demand new skills and processes that must be incorporated into the research and regulatory system.

Program graduates will develop skills of value to academia, the pharmaceutical industry, and government agencies, noted Dr. Wiest. Through their training experiences, he continued, “the fellows will gain the knowledge and skills to fill a void in the cancer research enterprise and hasten the delivery of medical products to patients using 21st century science.”

NCI-FDA fellowship programs are available in:

• Clinical Oncology Product Research/Review
• Clinical Oncology Product Research/Review for Board-Certified Oncologists
• Oncology Product Research/Review
• Cancer Prevention

The fellowships last for 1 to 4 years, based on the training program. Fellows will work closely with mentors representing senior-level medical and scientific staff at NCI and FDA.

Fellowship candidates must have an M.D. and/or Ph.D., or an equivalent degree. They must also be either a U.S. citizen or have permanent residency status.

Additional information about the program, including application deadlines, can be found at http://iotftraining.nci.nih.gov.