Comprehensive Training Grant in Bone Biology and Disease

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DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This competitive renewal of the comprehensive Research Training Program in Bone Biology and Disease at DAB provides the rigorous interdisciplinary education required for the development of independent research scientists capable of innovative bone-related research. Since its establishment four years ago, one predoctoral trainee, who is now a postdoctoral fellow in implant biology and materials research, and five post-doctoral students, including an academic clinician, have completed the program; four of whom are pursuing bone biology research, three in academics and one in industry. The Program leverages the resources and research base of in the UAB-Center for Metabolic Bone Disease (Director: J. McDonald, MD), one of five P30-funded bone programs in the nation. The 33 preceptors of the Training Program have been selected based on their complementary research expertise in clinical and basic research, dynamic research programs, and exemplary training records. Available basic research projects include the use of novel models combined with cutting-edge technologies in the analysis of the basic biology of bone loss; osteoporosis, other metabolic bone diseases, and glucocorticoid-induced bone loss, dental disease, metastatic bone disease and osteosarcoma; biomaterials/implant research; and gene therapy transfer technology. The clinical research projects (epidemiology, prevention, outcomes, and effectiveness studies; development of diagnostics; and clinical trials) exploit the participation of clinical faculty in long-term, multi-institutional studies. The Training Program is administered by Dr. McDonald (Chair: Pathology) with the assistance of two Associate Directors, and an Advisory Committee. Trainees in basic research are required to take all or part of the Integrative Biomedical Sciences (IBS) Program, which provides organ- and cell-based basic science training necessary for transition from methods-driven molecular biology and genetics analyses into clinically-relevant, problem-based studies. Predoctoral trainees are enrolled in the IBS, Biomedical Engineering, Cellular and Molecular Biology, or MD/PhD Graduate Programs at UAB. In the past four years, the bone-related curriculum has been expanded and the faculty strengthened through strategic recruitment. The ongoing institutional commitment to bone research has resulted in a major expansion of state-of-the-art facilities and the development of new interdisciplinary programs at UAB that further strengthen the research base and curriculum. Funding is requested for three predoctoral and three postdoctoral trainees. Relevance: This program produces scientists who apply cutting edge molecular and cellular approaches to the discovery, development, and testing of therapeutics for the prevention and treatment of bone loss associated with osteoporosis, rheumatoid arthritis, and other diseases, and the promotion of bone wound healing, as well as the development of orthopedic and dental implants with greater biocompatibility and longevity.