Training Interdisciplinary Pharmacology Scientists

项目摘要/摘要

PROJECT SUMMARY / ABSTRACT Training Interdisciplinary Pharmacology Scientists (TIPS) will train predoctoral students to address critical issues in drug development, by providing them the tools and knowledge to navigate the ever- changing, interdisciplinary landscape that makes up today’s basic, translational, and clinical research. This T32 program is designed to create leaders in the broadly defined field of Pharmacological Sciences. TIPS will provide interdisciplinary training in drug development including screening, computation, medicinal chemistry, and structural biology relevant to target discovery and validation, while exploring how to maximize therapeutic benefit, minimize toxicity and implement precision medicine. Through the participation of 3 premier and neighboring biomedical research institutions and their graduate schools (University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston, Baylor College of Medicine, and Rice University), TIPS will provide interdisciplinary training, career development activities and industry shadowships that will prepare students to advance biomedical research through successful careers in academia, government and regulatory agencies, and industry. Program leadership includes the program director and co-director and a steering committee of representatives from the participating graduate schools, with assistance from an advisory committee of diverse experts. TIPS program requirements and benefits will include co-mentoring from two faculty in a collaborative research project; specific didactic and elective courses (available to TIPS trainees at all participating graduate schools); monthly trainee meetings to build a unified cohort; career development activities, and required training in the responsible conduct of research. Mentors will include 26 faculty members at 3 institutions, working in 9 different departments and two interdepartmental graduate programs, who have training and research expertise in drug/compound screening, pharmacology, computation, medicinal chemistry, structural biology, systems biology, biochemistry, genetics, and molecular and cellular biology. All participating departments recruit nationwide, especially for under-represented minority students and students with disabilities. This provides a large, diverse pool of predoctoral students from a variety of backgrounds for our 5 requested slots. Students will apply to TIPS after joining a lab near the end of their first year or during their second year of graduate school, and if selected through a competitive application process, will receive two years of support. Reappointment to a second year will be contingent on a thorough oral and written review of trainee research progress and completion of program requirements. TIPS will complement the degree requirements of a trainee’s home institution, causing no delay in degree completion. The interdisciplinary skills emphasized by this program will produce pharmacology scientists well positioned to advance biomedical research and to address the complexity of drug development.