Postdoctoral Program in Functional Neurogenomics

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，更重要的是将这些信息转化为疾病所需的个性化治疗。尽管过去50年的研究已经发现了支持大脑疾病的基因、基因变异、分子网络、细胞相互作用和大脑通路，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背景，3）导致行为变化的回路水平病理学，以及4）将研究结果转化为新疗法的最佳实践。我们建议范德比尔特博士后培训计划在功能性神经基因组学作为一种工具，以确保学科的合并，在那里学员获得经验的机会，遗传模型系统，获得专业知识的翻译人类遗传发现到构建有效的动物模型，学习操纵分子，细胞和电路与先进的方法在体内，并获得捕捉这种操纵的生理和行为后果的经验。在过去的二十年里，范德比尔特在神经科学教师、教育项目、技术专长和核心设施方面进行了大量投资，我们在此基础上建立了我们的项目。我们的项目总监是兰迪·D。布莱克利博士，NIMH优秀奖获得者和范德比尔特西尔维奥O.康特神经科学研究中心。布莱克利博士的研究范围从C.在转基因小鼠中建立精神疾病相关基因变异的模型，识别自闭症和ADHD潜在的功能性人类遗传变异。两名长期致力于促进初级科学家职业发展的神经科学家负责监督该计划。项目负责人是Roger D。Cone博士，范德比尔特大学分子生理学与生物物理学系主任，美国国家科学院院士。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了强大的遗传模型系统，包括转基因斑马鱼和小鼠，以研究探索饮食失调背后的功能性基因变异。像Blakely博士一样，Cone博士已经培训了数十名博士前和博士后研究员，为该计划带来了重要的导师经验。

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.