Training--Signal Transduction and Cellular Endocrinology

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant):This competitive renewal application requests funding for the continuation of the existing Training Program in Signal Transduction and Cellular Endocrinology at the University of Illinois at Chicago. This predoctoral and postdoctoral training program provides interdisciplinary training in the related fields of signal transduction, gene transcription/translation, and cellular endocrinology, with emphasis on both cellular and molecular mechanisms that transduce signals and regulate cell, tissue and organismal responses to their external environment. The continuing goal of the training program is to develop independent basic science and clinical investigators, and to train doctoral candidates in broad aspects of signal transduction, cellular endocrinology, and gene transcription/translation. An underlying theme in this training program has been the coordination and promotion of interactions between pre-and post-doctoral researchers who are using different experimental systems and approaches toward understanding signal transduction mechanisms at various levels of organization including molecular, cellular and integrative biology. The training program crosses both disciplinary and departmental lines, drawing upon the expertise of thirty-three faculty from six basic science departments (anatomy and cell biology, biochemistry and molecular biology, molecular genetics, microbiology and immunology, pharmacology, physiology and biophysics) and three clinical sections (hematology-oncology, endocrinology and metabolism, rheumatology) in the Department of Medicine, and offering opportunities in a wide range of problems in signal transduction and allied areas using a broad spectrum of molecular, biochemical, physiologic, genetic, and structural biology approaches. The areas of signaling, cell cycle regulation, gene transcription, cancer biology, developmental biology, and endocrine and neurohumoral signaling represent major strengths of researchers at UIC and preceptors have been drawn from all these groups. Predoctoral training includes theory, techniques and research perspectives through didactic courses, research presentations, seminars, informal interactions, research rotations, and a yearly retreat. Courses in signal transduction, endocrinology, and a core curriculum in molecular and cellular biology, biochemistry, genetics, structural biology, physiology, and pharmacology, scientific communication, and responsible conduct of research provide the foundation for an intensive research environment. Faculty trainers' research interests range from neurohumoral signaling, membrane receptors and transduction mechanisms, to second messengers, cell cycle control, transcriptional/translational regulation, and structural biology. Postdoctoral fellows are trained in two or three year programs tailored to their research interests, background and specific course needs. All trainees are participants in Signal Transduction and other seminars, and an annual Chicago metropolitan area Signal Transduction Symposium which the program supports. The training program emphasizes the interdisciplinary nature of contemporary research in signal transduction in an environment that fosters independent and creative thinking. We anticipate that the program will ultimately contribute to the generation of outstanding independent investigators who will make significant contributions in the broad area of signal transduction, and who will ultimately serve to enrich scientific progress and community.