Research Training in Pharmacological Sciences

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DESCRIPTION: (provided by applicant) We seek renewal of the "Research Training in Pharmaceutical Sciences" (RTPS Predoctoral Training Grant). RTPS is designed for students who want to extend their knowledge of molecular and cell biology to include principles of modern pharmacology and molecular imaging, and the application of these disciplines at cellular and organismal levels. RTPS adds formal instruction in chemical, cellular and organismal pharmacology and in molecular imaging, and emphasizes their applications in both cellular and whole animal contexts. RTPS faculty have expertise in cell/molecular biology, biochemistry, pharmacology, genomics and molecular imaging. Development of microPET imaging procedures and PET reporter gene technologies now permit application of molecular and cellular pharmacology to living animals, whose genomes can be experimentally manipulated, to complement existing molecular and light microscopic techniques. RTPS provides vertical integration of research in molecular and cellular pharmacology from molecule to mouse to man, combining concepts and applications from molecular structure through molecular medicine. Proposed training faculty increase from 24 in the current period to 36 in this application, include 10 Professors, 12 Associate Professors and 14 Assistant Professors, and come from seven departments. A majority, 22, of the mentors have primary or joint appointments in the Department of Molecular and Medical Pharmacology (DMMP). DMMP dominance results from two factors: (1) DMMP emphasis on modern pharmacologic and imaging techniques and the interface of cell biology, pharmacology and molecular imaging in DMMP and (2) recruitment of 10 new faculty, with research interests at the heart of the RTPS program, into DMMP in the last five years. The large number of junior faculty mentors reflects an institutional commitment to recruitment of faculty with research interests that reflect RTPS goals. Students are selected for RTPS after their first year in graduate school, and are drawn from a pool that comes from individual degree granting programs, the UCLA ACCESS graduate admissions program, the MSTP program and the UCLA STAR program. RTPS began in 1998, with the appointment of two students. Because of an increase in interest in this area of research, both by faculty and by students, we are requesting four trainee slots per year. Resources of the DMMP and the Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging will be available to all RTPS students, regardless of the department in which they receive their Ph.D.