Training Program in Ion Channel and Transporter Biology

描述(申请人提供)：离子通道和转运蛋白是普遍存在的分子，它们具有多种重要的生理功能，为许多类型的药理制剂提供靶标，并由基因编码，这些基因可能是影响神经系统和其他组织的遗传性疾病的基础。该提案描述了离子通道和转运蛋白生物学培训计划的延续，该计划为博士后和博士后科学家提供多学科研究培训。这一高度集中的培训计划涉及范德比尔特大学10个不同学术部门或研究中心的27名NIH资助的讲师(总资金约为19,336,000美元/年)。所有教授(22名终身全职教授或副教授)在离子通道和转运体领域都有良好的成就记录，并致力于培养学生和博士后研究员。除了核心的培训教员组外，我们还确定了7名初级调查人员，他们有望在下一个资助期间发展为教官，或者可以与更资深的教员合作，对学生进行联合培训。该项目始于2001年，最初有19名教员，从那时起，10名博士前和9名博士后实习生成功填补了所有资助职位。Alfred L.George，Jr，M.D.博士将继续担任项目主任，并完全有资格为该项目提供领导。乔治博士在研究电压门控离子通道的结构、功能和分子遗传学方面有超过16年的经验。他曾是美国心脏协会既定研究人员奖的前获得者，曾是生物医学科学领域的露西尔·P·马基学者，并于2002年获得了美国国家神经疾病和中风研究所的贾维茨神经科学奖。他将得到一个由资深教员组成的监督和遴选委员会的协助，该委员会致力于培训这一领域的学生。博士生预科生将从申请我们跨学科研究生课程的全国申请者中招募。博士后实习生将从申请导师实验室的申请者以及范德比尔特大学医学中心各种临床培训项目的医生科学家申请者中挑选出来。多方面的招聘战略将继续吸引来自代表人数不足的少数群体的高素质个人。除了密集的研究经验，博士后和博士后实习生都将有严格的授课课程要求以及正式的指导和职业指导。培训计划的目标是培养对离子通道和转运蛋白生物学领域的学术生物医学研究有坚定承诺的科学家。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Ion channels and transporter proteins are ubiquitous molecules that serve a variety of important physiological functions, provide targets for many types of pharmacological agents, and are encoded by genes that can be the basis for inherited diseases affecting the nervous system and other tissues. This proposal describes the continuation of a Training Program in Ion Channel and Transporter Biology that provides multidisciplinary research training for pre-doctoral and post-doctoral scientists. This highly focused training program involves 27 NIH-funded preceptors (aggregate funding ~ $19,336,000 direct costs/year) in 10 different academic departments or research centers at Vanderbilt University. All preceptors (22 tenured full or associate professors) have strong records of accomplishments in the ion channel and transporter field, and with a deep commitment to training students and post-doctoral fellows. In addition to the core group of training faculty, we have identified 7 junior investigators who are expected to develop into preceptors during the next funding period or who can partner with more senior faculty for joint training of students. The program began initially in 2001 with 19 faculty and successfully filled all funded positions with 10 pre-doctoral and 9 post-doctoral trainees since that time. Dr. Alfred L. George, Jr, M.D. will continue to serve as Program Director and is well qualified to provide leadership to this program. Dr. George has more than 16 years experience studying the structure, function and molecular genetics of voltage-gated ion channels. He is a former recipient of the Established Investigator Award of the American Heart Association, a former Lucille P. Markey Scholar in Biomedical Sciences, and 2002 recipient of the Javits Neuroscience Award from the National Institute of Neurological Diseases and Stroke. He will be assisted by an Oversight and Selection Committee composed of senior faculty deeply invested in training students in this area. Pre-doctoral students will be recruited from a national pool of applicants who apply for graduate studies in our Interdisciplinary Graduate Program. Post-doctoral trainees will be selected from the pool of applicants that apply to preceptor laboratories as well as physician-scientists applicants from various clinical training programs at the Vanderbilt University Medical Center. A multi-faceted recruitment strategy will continue to attract highly qualified individuals from underrepresented minority groups. In addition to intensive research experiences, both pre-doctoral and post-doctoral trainees will have rigorous didactic course requirements as well as formal mentoring and career guidance. The goal of the training program is to develop scientists with strong commitments to academic biomedical research in the area of ion channel and transporter biology.