Integrated Training in Pharmacological Sciences

描述（由申请人提供）：西奈山药理学综合培训项目旨在提供基础科学方面的严格培训，通过这些培训确定治疗靶点和开发先导化合物。药理学是一门不断发展的学科。尽管药理学的核心始终是“药物”，但药物本身的性质正在发生变化。来自基因组学和蛋白质组学的新信息正在引导新的药物靶点。基因和细胞疗法虽然仍处于实验阶段，但具有巨大的治疗前景。在未来，小分子药物吸收、分布和消除的药代动力学原理也将常规应用于DNA递送。认识到现代药理学的广度，我们已经开发了一个培训计划，建立在这个机构的优势，包括药物发现的新兴领域。我们的培训计划有三个主题领域：1)分子药理学和基于结构的药物设计，2)细胞网络作为药物靶点，3)药理学的转化研究。分子药理学和基于结构的药物设计建立在教师在分子和蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用和大分子结构计算分析方面的专业知识之上。作为药物靶点的细胞网络集中于细胞信号通路和网络的功能表征，作为识别新的药物靶点的基础。药理学的转化研究利用了学校和医院之间的密切联系，以及一批有才华的生物医学科学家，他们站在将药物“从实验室带到床边”的最前沿。我们寻求更新支持这个综合多学科的药理学博士预科课程。资金将用于支助受训人员，为期最多三年；一般对应培训年限2-4年。经济支持和在形成阶段的高级药理学培训预计将对我们项目的毕业生最终的职业选择产生积极影响。在过去两年的培训补助金支持下，该培训项目有15名学生，其中4名是代表性不足的少数民族。在这15名学生中，有3名得到了这项培训补助金。我们要求将培训补助金资助的学生人数按等级增加到每年四人。西奈山医学院及其科研事业发展迅速。目前在全国排名第22位。这种质量的提高反映在我们的学员身上。这三位获得资助的受训者都在《生物化学杂志》、《分子细胞》和《病毒学杂志》等顶级期刊上发表过文章。在过去的两年里，项目学院实验室的毕业生在顶级期刊上发表了论文，并在加州大学旧金山分校、霍普金斯大学和哈佛大学担任博士后。Ravi Iyengar博士是药理学和生物化学的主席，也是这项培训基金的负责人，他在过去三年中为该系招募了5名新教员。加强的研究活动，重新配置的课程，包括药物基因组学和干细胞生物学等新兴领域的课程，轮转，研讨会和期刊俱乐部，确保我们的学生继续接受现代药理学的广泛培训，并为追求药理学的职业生涯做好充分的准备。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Mount Sinai Integrated Training Program in Pharmacological Sciences aims to provide rigorous training in basic sciences underlying the processes by which therapeutic targets are identified and lead compounds developed. Pharmacology as a discipline is always evolving. Whereas, Pharmacology will always at its core be about "drugs", the nature of the drugs themselves is changing. New information from genomic and proteomic sciences, is leading to new drug targets. Gene and cell based therapies, while still primarily experimental, hold tremendous therapeutic promise. In the future, pharmacokinetic principles of drug absorption, distribution and elimination developed for small molecules will also be applied routinely to DNA delivery. Recognizing the breadth of modem pharmacology, we have developed a training program that builds on the strengths of this institution and encompasses emerging areas of drug discovery. Our training program has three thematic areas: 1) Molecular Pharmacology and Structure-based Drug Design, 2) Cellular Networks as Drug Targets, and 3) Translational Research in Pharmacology. Molecular Pharmacology and structure-based drug design build on faculty expertise in marcomolecular and protein-protein interactions and computational analysis of macromolecular structures. Cellular networks as drug targets concentrates on the functional characterization of cell signaling pathways and networks, as a basis for the identification of new drug targets. Translational research in Pharmacology takes advantage of the close ties between the school and the hospital and a cadre of talented biomedical scientists who are at the forefront of taking drugs "from the bench to the bedside". We seek renewal of support for this integrated multi-disciplinary pre-doctoral program in Pharmacological Sciences. Funds will be used to support trainees for a period of up to three years; generally corresponding to training years 2-4. Financial support and advanced training in Pharmacology during the formative years are expected to have a positive impact on the eventual career choices made by graduates of our program. During the past two years of training grant support, the training program has fifteen students, four of whom are underrepresented minorities. Of the fifteen students, three are supported by this training grant. We are requesting a graded increase in number of students funded by the training grant to four per year. Mount Sinai School of Medicine and its research enterprise have been rapidly growing. It is currently ranked 22nd in the country. This growth in quality is reflected in our trainees. All three of trainees supported by this grant have published in top journals such as the Journal of Biological Chemistry, Molecular Cell and Journal of Virology. Graduates from the laboratories of Program Faculty in the past two years have published in top journals and gone to postdoctoral positions at UCSF, Hopkins and Harvard. Dr. Ravi Iyengar, Chairman of Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry and the PI of this training grant, has been the catalyst for recruiting 5 new faculty members to the Department within the last three years. The enhanced research activities, a reconfigured curriculum that includes course-work in emerging areas such as Pharmacogenomics and Stem Cell Biology, rotations, seminars, and journal clubs ensure that our students continue to receive a broad training in modem Pharmacology and be very well prepared to pursue a career in Pharmacology.