Areas of focus: Capstone projects should focus on therapeutics and/or diagnostics involving drug therapy and delivery, vaccines, immune measurements and therapy, or gene measurements and therapy, and can include a range of translational research activities from early-stage clinical translation (T0/T1) to preclinical optimization and validation (T2) to clinical validation and integration (T3) to implementation and dissemination in real-world settings (T4). The program is designed to equip students with the skills and knowledge necessary to navigate the complex and dynamic landscape of biomedical innovation and translation. The capstone project research may be conducted in a wide variety of settings, including academic research labs and local drug or biotech companies.range of translational research activities. Research must involve the analysis and interpretation of data. Students are encouraged but not required to conduct primary data collection.

Initiating a project: Students develop their capstone proposal in the first quarter while completing their course work. Project ideas can be initiated by students, suggested by M-TRAM faculty advisors, or arise from experiential learning (Industry and Clinical).

During their research and clinical rotation (MED399M), students are exposed to various areas of translational and clinical research, making it easier to identify project ideas. By the end of the first quarter (part of MED399M rotation requirements), students are required to write a two-page capstone project proposal draft outlining their project idea, including hypothesis and research aims, and will designate a Capstone Committee.

The proposal and research mentors must be approved by the M-TRAM Directors prior to the onset of the project.
 

The project proposal: The Capstone proposal must describe the nature of the research, with a clear statement of the research question or hypothesis, aims, and clinical significance. The specific primary outcome measure that will be used to answer the study question should be clearly described. A brief description of the planned statistical analyses is required. The proposal should conclude with a description of the student’s role in the Capstone research. The minimum role is formulating and conducting the analysis and interpreting and writing up the results. For more details, see Capstone Project Proposal Guidelines below.
 

Capstone Committee: At the end of the first quarter, students designate a Capstone Committee composed of at least four individuals: M-TRAM Director or Co-Director, M-TRAM Executive Director, capstone primary advisor faculty mentor, and a technology advisor (this could be another faculty mentor or staff mentor, such as a core director or a postdoctoral project mentor).
 

Project timeline and progress: The student, M-TRAM directors and the Capstone Committee agree on a proposed timeline for completion. The Committee will review the proposal and offer guidance and monitoring throughout the project. During quarters two through four (Winter, Spring, Summer), students will meet regularly with their capstone primary advisor and technology advisor to discuss their progress. They will meet with the rest of the Capstone Committee at least once per quarter.
 

Capstone completion: Upon completion of the project, students will formally present their final results at the student research showcase in the fourth quarter (summer). In addition to the talk, students will be required to prepare a final written report summarizing their project’s aims, hypothesis, methods, results, and conclusions.