Training in Drug Abuse Related Research

描述(由申请人提供)：本申请要求第二次续签五年，以支持在药物滥用研究的广泛当代方面成功的跨学科和转化性培训计划。培训下一代药物滥用研究人员对于当前和未来与药物成瘾有关的公共卫生挑战至关重要。其目标是为受训人员在药物滥用研究领域取得丰硕和成功的职业生涯做好准备。该计划计划支持4名博士后和2名博士后实习生。大力招收弱势群体、弱势群体和残疾人，增加多样性。该计划提供了一个高度协作的环境，在药物滥用研究中进行跨学科和转化性培训。17名培训教员代表7个学术单位，培训记录优异，将提供丰富的跨学科培训环境。该计划促进基本的实验和批判性思维技能的发展，并提供机会深入了解和掌握与滥用药物的神经和行为反应有关的受体和信号机制的分子/细胞方面的相互关系，并在寻求药物滥用的新治疗方法的过程中沉浸在药物发现和开发中。该项目的总体主题是，毒瘾改变了基本的细胞和大分子过程，导致神经可塑性和行为的长期变化，这些变化可以通过药物治疗干预来治疗。该课程提供从分子的物理化学性质到结构生物学、神经生理学、神经化学，再到动物和人类行为的知识，有许多深入研究药物滥用研究的重点领域的机会。通过与肯塔基大学(英国)药物和酒精研究中心、药物和酒精研究翻译中心、临床和翻译科学中心、药物研究和创新中心、人类行为药理学实验室和住宅研究机构的强大链接，药物滥用研究机会的广度得到了加强。该计划通过作为与其他受训者和培训教师建立网络、互动和合作的关键，提供“增值”，该计划侧重于药物滥用研究的人类行为和临床方面，并得到英国克雷格·拉什博士指导的第二个T32计划的支持。这两个T32项目的所有职位在上一个资助期内都已全部填补，这表明英国有大量有前途的药物滥用研究实习生。英国提供坚实的基础设施和制度支持，优化培训环境。大多数项目毕业生继续积极从事药物滥用研究，并向独立调查员的身份迈进。在即将到来的资助期间，我们建议继续我们的成功记录，培养负责任和合乎道德的药物滥用研究人员，他们将推动药物滥用领域向前发展。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application requests a second renewal of five years of support for a successful interdisciplinary and translational training program in broad-based contemporary aspects of drug abuse research. Training the next generation of drug abuse researchers is critical to current and future public health challenges associated with drug addiction. The goal is to prepare trainees for productive and successful careers in drug abuse research. This program proposes to support 4 predoctoral and 2 postdoctoral trainees. We will vigorously recruit individuals from underrepresented minorities, disadvantaged backgrounds, and individuals with disabilities to increase diversity. This program provides a highly collaborative environment of interdisciplinary and translational training in drug abuse research. The 17 training faculty represent 7 academic units, have excellent training records, and will provide a rich interdisciplinary training environment. The program fosters the development of essential experimental and critical thinking skills, and provides the opportunity to gain an in depth understanding of and expertise in the interrelationships of the molecular/cellular aspects of receptors and signaling mechanisms involved in the neural and behavioral response to drugs of abuse and to become immersed in drug discovery and development in the pursuit of novel treatments for drug abuse. The overarching theme of the program is that drug addiction alters fundamental cellular and macromolecular processes resulting in long term changes in neural plasticity and behavior, which can be treated using pharmacotherapeutic intervention. The curriculum provides knowledge from physicochemical properties of molecules to structural biology, neurophysiology, neurochemistry, to animal and human behavior, with numerous opportunities for in depth study of focused areas of drug abuse research. The breadth of drug abuse research opportunities is enhanced by strong links to the University of Kentucky's (UK's) Center on Drug and Alcohol Research, the Center for Drug and Alcohol Research Translation, the Center for Clinical and Translational Science, the Center for Pharmaceutical Research and Innovation, the Laboratory on Human Behavioral Pharmacology and the Residential Research Facility. This program provides "value added" by serving as a linchpin to networking, interactions and collaborations with other trainees and training faculty focused on human behavioral and clinical aspects of drug abuse research and supported by a second T32 program directed by Dr. Craig Rush at UK. All positions in both T32 programs have been filled completely during the last funding period, indicative of the large number of promising trainees in drug abuse research at UK. UK provides solid infrastructure and institutional support, optimizing the training environment. The majority of program graduates continue to actively pursue drug abuse research and advance towards independent investigator status. In the upcoming funding period, we propose to continue our record of success and develop responsible and ethical drug abuse researchers, who will move the field of drug abuse forward.