Molecular Basis of Infectious Disease

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Molecular Basis of Infectious Disease (MBID) is a research training program consisting of 18 faculty mentors from four Houston educational institutions: the University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Baylor College of Medicine, the Texas A&M University Institute for Biosciences and Technology, and the University of Houston, College Park. In this initial application, training support is requested for four Ph.D. students and four undergraduate summer research students. The overall purpose of the MBID training program is to provide the trainees 1) an optimal environment for training new scientists in the latest concepts and techniques in microbiological research; 2) a better understanding of current challenges in clinical infectious diseases; and 3) the knowledge and tools to 'bridge the gap' between basic research and clinical applications. The basis of this training grant is the Molecular Basis of Infectious Disease group, which was first formed in 1996. MBID has developed into highly interactive group of over 100 faculty, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, and staff from the Houston area whose primary interest is in the molecular pathogenesis of bacterial infections. The 16 faculty members that form the core of this training grant have a record of high research productivity and extensive collaborations. They have mentored over 200 predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees over the past ten years and currently are mentoring 25 Ph.D. students and 29 postdoctoral fellows. Nineteen current predoctoral trainees are eligible for an NRSA. The training program will be based on strong core curricula, 10 advanced courses in pathogenesis, an intensive and interactive research experience, monthly MBID meetings and retreats, seminars and journal clubs, and experience in translational research and clinical infectious diseases. A network of universities serving underrepresented minorities has been established to aid in the recruitment of promising undergraduate students into the summer research program and the MBID Ph.D. program. A goal of the planned activities supported by this training grant is to provide predoctoral microbiology candidates additional knowledge in clinical infectious diseases and translational research, thereby promoting the redirection of research toward the more rapid resolution of important infectious disease problems.