Interdisciplinary and Translational Research Training in NeuroHIV

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ABSTRACT: This competing renewal application provides a plan for the continuation and further development of the “Interdisciplinary and Translational Research Training Program (ITRTP) in NeuroHIV” for predoctoral students studying central nervous system (CNS) complications of HIV infection and related areas of research. This is a joint program from two institutions, Temple University and Drexel University, located in close proximity in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. This program also integrates training activities and research resources available in the Comprehensive Center for NeuroAIDS (CNAC) involving both Temple and Drexel University and a relationship with the clinical research training programs in HIV and Neurovirology based in the Departments of Medicine, Microbiology, and Neurology as well as other clinical and basic science departments and the Center for AIDS Research (CFAR) at the University of Pennsylvania. Our ongoing program will continue to develop our citywide interdisciplinary and translational research training program in NeuroHIV through shared resources, joint seminars, workshops, symposia, invited speakers, as well as thesis mentoring and educational activities available at both Temple and Drexel. The graduate curriculum at both institutions is designed to provide a broad-based scientific foundation in biomedical sciences, including neuroscience, immunology, microbiology, pharmacology and physiology. This curriculum includes responsible conduct of research, scientific communication, statistics, as well as advanced courses with in-depth training in molecular and cellular neurobiology, neuropathogenesis, and translational neuroscience. This program brings together multiple biomedical basic science departments and integrates joint training activities at two neighboring institutions (Temple and Drexel) with unique and long-standing relationships between investigators located at the University of Pennsylvania positioned immediately adjacent to Drexel. Inclusion of access to clinical HIV investigators in translational student research projects, as well as Temple/Drexel CNAC basic science and clinical core facilities greatly enhances our training program with respect to its interdisciplinary nature. It also exposes students to the interrelatedness of basic sciences and clinical perspectives focusing on HIV CNS dysfunction, co-morbid conditions (i.e. aging, substance abuse, co-infecting pathogens, cancer), HIV vaccine and prevention strategies, and novel neuroprotective and therapeutic strategies to treat and cure HIV infection in the periphery and reservoirs including the brain. Our joint training program, together with our joint infrastructural resources available through our CNAC, provides a strong, interactive, and highly successful training environment in neurovirology and neuroHIV within the Philadelphia region. In order to support and enhance our under-represented minority recruitment within this program we will continue to provide summer laboratory training of medical students, and students in health professional programs including post- baccalaureate students that would provide pathways for entry into our Ph.D. and M.D./Ph.D. training program in NeuroHIV.