PhD Program|IRTG 221

A yearly 2-day retreat is held preceding the international conferences Cellular Therapy in Erlangen and GVH/GVL in Regensburg. In these retreats, the participating principal investigators as well as (inter-)national experts talk about topics and technologies relevant for the consortium. Furthermore, the students present their project progress and receive impulses and ideas from experienced scientists. The two best student presentations are selected for public presentation at the Cellular Therapy or GVH/GVL congresses.

Apart from their respective principal investigator, the IRTG students are supported and advised by a mentoring committee. Each student has at least two mentors of whom one will be a CRC/TR PI from a partnering site. The project progress is reported in yearly committee meetings.

This lecture series is organized by the IRTG students, who invite acknowledged researchers in allo-HSCT, cellular therapy or accompanied fields. The guest gives a personal lecture on his/her scientific motivation and life-time achievements. The lecture is followed by an interactive discussion on major topics of the presentation, previous findings and publications.

In the afternoon, the scientist gives a public lecture (open for all scientists of the site) on current research results. For the rest of the day, the IRTG students have the opportunity to meet the guest face-to-face to present and discuss their own research project.

The IRTG financially supports laboratory exchange visits (usually restricted to 4-12 weeks) for students to learn new technologies at a partnering institution or to work on joint research projects.

Each site organizes one training course per year, which includes seminars on the theoretical background as well as hands-on laboratory training with a broad range of technologies covering the main techniques in allo-HSCT research and molecular biology.

Students of the IRTG are supported to attend special training courses, e.g. in gene technology, animal handling and experimentation, good clinical practice and good scientific practice courses.

The CRC/TR221 centers organize clinical seminars where the IRTG students get in contact with allo-HSCT patients, family members and/or stem cell donors to get an impression on clinical, psychological and ethical problems in allo-HSCT. Based on this real patient cases, critical topics of the students' research field are discussed with the local transplanters and scientists.

Participation in national/international meetings in addition to the Cellular Therapy and GVH/GVL conferences is supported for IRTG students. Contact persons for support applications are the local IRTG coordinators.

Medical students working 9 – 12 months full-time on a CRC/TR221 project for their MD thesis can apply for a MD fellowship. Contact persons for fellowships are the local IRTG coordinators.