Interdisciplinary Training Program in Muscle Biology

描述(由申请者提供)：该项目为博士后和博士后学生提供肌肉生物学的跨学科培训。该计划强调骨骼肌、心肌和平滑肌的功能、结构和分子特性，以及在不同疾病状态下这些特性的修改。我们的17名教员来自3个基础科学系(生物化学和分子生物学、药理学和实验治疗与生理学)和马里兰大学巴尔的摩大学医学院医学系，1名来自马里兰州巴尔的摩大学护理学院。附属教师还来自我们姊妹大学马里兰大学巴尔的摩县分校工程学院的1个系和摩根州立大学。学员来自所有参与的部门和我们的跨部门博士项目。培训内容包括肌肉发育的分子生物学决定因素、肌肉蛋白质结构和功能的分子方面、肌肉细胞骨架和基质的细胞生物学方面、对单个肌肉细胞功能和整个肌肉和肌肉器官的生物力学特性的生物物理和生理学分析，以及所有这些水平的肌肉疾病的影响，反映了我们不同的教职背景。我们的教师在肌肉功能和肌肉细胞骨架和基质的钙控制领域得到了国内和国际的认可。我们的学生将接受这些和各种相关领域的培训，重点是使用几种免费的技术来处理每个调查问题。博士前培训的主要教学方面是两门为期一学期的肌肉跨学科课程，这两门课程已经由项目教员定期提供，并得到了过去的学生群体的好评。计划活动包括每年一次的校园小型务虚会，包括实习海报和一位著名的肌肉研究人员作为计划参观者和主讲人，每半年一次的韦德纪念讲座和每月一次的肌肉计划实验室为所有受训人员举行的午餐会，以及专业发展和拨款撰写方面的培训，以及负责任的研究工作。在整个续订期间，我们将继续保持目前的5名博士前实习生和6名博士后实习生的水平。进入博士后培训的学员将继续拥有扎实的生物、化学和/或物理背景，优异的GRE成绩和强有力的推荐信。未来的博士后实习生将完成扎实的博士论文，并有强有力的推荐信。这个项目的学员将准备好运用广泛的方法来回答肌肉生物学中的基本问题，以及肌肉疾病及其可能的治疗和最终治愈的基础。因此，该计划服务于全国对肌肉功能和疾病的合格多学科调查人员的需求。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This program provides interdisciplinary training in muscle biology for pre- and postdoctoral students. The program emphasizes the functional, structural and molecular properties of skeletal, cardiac and smooth muscle, and the modification of these properties in various disease states. 17 of our faculty members come from 3 basic science departments (Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and Physiology) and from the Department of Medicine at the School of Medicine, University of Maryland Baltimore (UMB), and 1 from the School of Nursing, UMB. Affiliate faculty also come from 1 department in the College of Engineering at our sister campus, University of Maryland Baltimore County and from Morgan State University. Trainees are drawn from all of the participating departments and from our interdepartmental PhD Programs. Reflecting our diversity of faculty backgrounds, the training offered ranges from the molecular biological determinants of muscle development and molecular aspects of structure and function of muscle proteins through cell biological aspects of muscle cytoskeleton and matrix, biophysical and physiological analysis of individual muscle cell function and biomechanical properties of whole muscles and muscular organs, and the effects of muscle disease at all these levels of examination. Our faculty is nationally and internationally recognized in the areas of calcium control of muscle function and muscle cytoskeleton and matrix. Our students will receive training in these and in a variety of related areas, with emphasis on the use of several complimentary techniques to approach each question under investigation. The major didactic aspect of the predoctoral training is two one- semester interdisciplinary courses on muscle that are already regularly offered by the program faculty and which have been well received by past student groups. Program activities include an annual on campus Mini-Retreat which includes trainee posters and a well known muscle researcher as program visitor and keynote speaker, a semi annual Wade Memorial lectureship and monthly Muscle Program Laboratory Rounds lunch meetings for all trainees, as well as training in professional development and grant writing, and in the responsible conduct of research. We will continue at our present level of 5 predoctoral trainees and 6 postdoctoral trainees throughout the renewal period. Entering predoctoral trainees will continue to have a solid background in biology, chemistry and/or physics, excellent GRE scores and strong letters of recommendation. Incoming postdoctoral trainees will have completed a solid PhD thesis and have strong letters of recommendation. Trainees from this program will be prepared to bring a wide range of approaches to bear on answering basic questions in muscle biology and on the bases for muscle diseases and their possible treatment and eventual cure. This program therefore serves a national need for competent multi-disciplinary investigators of muscle function and disease.