Postdoctoral Program in Functional Neurogenomics

功能神经基因组学博士后项目

• 批准号: 9386221
• 负责人: ROGER J COLBRAN
• 金额: $ 1.08万
• 依托单位: VANDERBILT UNIVERSITY
• 依托单位国家: 美国
• 财政年份: 2016
• 资助国家: 美国
• 起止时间: 2016-12-01 至 2017-06-30
• 项目状态: 已结题
• 来源: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9386221
• 关键词: programs

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): Neuroscientists and physicians continue to struggle to understand the pathophysiological mechanisms that underlie mental illness, and even more so to translate this information into the personalized therapies needed for diseases. Although research over the past five decades has uncovered genes, gene variants, molecular networks, cellular interactions and brain pathways supporting brain disorders, our translation of this information remains limited. A new generation of neuroscientists is needed that understand, and can exploit, 1) the functional impact of genetic and epigenetic variation in vivo, 2) the developmental and regulatory context within which genes produce alterations in synaptic physiology, 3) the circuit-level pathologies that lead to changes in behavior and 4) the best practices in translating research findings into novel therapies. We propose The Vanderbilt Postdoctoral Training Program in Functional Neurogenomics as a vehicle to insure a merger of disciplines, where trainees gain experience in the opportunities afforded by genetic model systems, gain expertise in the translation of human genetic findings into construct-valid animal models, learn to manipulate molecules, cells and circuits with advanced approaches in vivo, and gain experience in capturing the physiological and behavioral consequences of such manipulations. We build our program on a significant investment over the past two decades by Vanderbilt in neuroscience faculty, educational programs, technological expertise and core facilities. Our Program Director is Randy D. Blakely, Ph.D., an NIMH MERIT awardee and Director of the Vanderbilt Silvio O. Conte Center for Neuroscience Research. Dr. Blakely's research ranges from forward and reverse genetic studies in C. elegans to the modeling of mental illness-associated gene variation in transgenic mice, to the identification of functional human genetic variation underlying autism and ADHD. Two established neuroscientists with a long-standing interest in advancing the careers of junior scientists oversee the Program. The Program Co-Director is Roger D. Cone, Ph.D., Chair of the Department of Molecular Physiology & Biophysics at Vanderbilt, and an elected member of the National Academy of Sciences. Dr. Cone's research incorporates the tools of modern genetics, molecular biology, biochemistry and behavior, with a focus on CNS control of appetite and eating disorders. Similar to Dr. Blakely, the paradigms used in Dr. Cone's research ranges across powerful genetic model systems, including transgenic zebrafish and mice, to research probing for functional gene variation underlying eating disorders. Like Dr. Blakely, Dr. Cone has trained dozens of predoctoral and postdoctoral fellows, bringing significant mentorship experience to the Program.

描述（由申请人提供）：神经科学家和医生继续努力了解精神疾病的病理生理机制，更努力将这些信息转化为疾病所需的个性化疗法。尽管过去五年的研究已经揭示了基因、基因变异、分子网络、细胞相互作用和支持大脑疾病的大脑通路，但我们对这些信息的翻译仍然有限。新一代的神经科学家需要理解并能够利用：1）体内遗传和表观遗传变异的功能影响，2）基因在突触生理学中产生改变的发育和调节环境，3）导致行为变化的回路水平病理学，4）将研究结果转化为新疗法的最佳实践。我们建议将范德比尔特功能神经基因组学博士后培训计划作为确保学科合并的工具，让学员获得遗传模型系统提供的机会的经验，获得将人类遗传发现转化为构建有效的动物模型的专业知识，学习用先进的体内方法操纵分子、细胞和电路，并获得捕捉此类结果的生理和行为后果的经验。 操纵。我们的项目建立在范德比尔特过去二十年对神经科学师资、教育项目、技术专业知识和核心设施的重大投资的基础上。我们的项目总监是兰迪·D·布莱克利 (Randy D. Blakely) 博士，他是 NIMH MERIT 奖得主，也是范德比尔特·西尔维奥·孔特神经科学研究中心的主任。 Blakely 博士的研究范围从秀丽隐杆线虫的正向和反向遗传学研究到转基因小鼠中精神疾病相关基因变异的建模，再到识别自闭症和多动症背后的功能性人类遗传变异。两位长期致力于推动初级科学家职业发展的知名神经科学家负责监督该计划。该项目联合主任是范德堡大学分子生理学与生物物理学系系主任、美国国家科学院院士 Roger D. Cone 博士。 Cone 博士的研究结合了现代遗传学、分子生物学、生物化学和行为学的工具，重点是中枢神经系统对食欲和饮食失调的控制。与 Blakely 博士类似，Cone 博士的研究中使用的范式涵盖强大的遗传模型系统，包括转基因斑马鱼和小鼠，以研究饮食失调背后的功能基因变异。与布莱克利博士一样，科恩博士培训了数十名博士前和博士后研究员，为该项目带来了重要的指导经验。