Training in Drug Abuse Related Research

描述（由申请人提供）：本申请要求第二次续期五年，以支持在广泛的当代药物滥用研究方面成功的跨学科和转化培训计划。培训下一代药物滥用研究人员对于当前和未来与吸毒成瘾有关的公共卫生挑战至关重要。其目标是使受训者为药物滥用研究方面的富有成效和成功的职业做好准备。本项目拟资助博士预科生4人，博士后培养生2人。我们将大力招募来自弱势群体、弱势背景和残疾人的人员，以增加多样性。该项目为药物滥用研究提供了一个高度协作的跨学科和转化培训环境。17个培训师资代表7个学术单位，拥有优秀的培训记录，将提供丰富的跨学科培训环境。该项目培养学生基本的实验和批判性思维技能，并为学生提供深入了解药物滥用的神经和行为反应中涉及的受体的分子/细胞方面和信号机制的相互关系和专业知识的机会，并使学生沉浸在药物发现和开发中，寻求药物滥用的新疗法。该计划的首要主题是药物成瘾改变了基本的细胞和大分子过程，导致神经可塑性和行为的长期变化，这可以通过药物治疗干预来治疗。课程提供了从分子的物理化学性质到结构生物学、神经生理学、神经化学、动物和人类行为的知识，并提供了大量深入研究药物滥用研究重点领域的机会。通过与肯塔基大学（英国）药物和酒精研究中心、药物和酒精研究转化中心、临床和转化科学中心、药物研究和创新中心、人类行为药理学实验室和住宅研究设施的紧密联系，加强了药物滥用研究机会的广度。该项目提供了“附加价值”，作为与其他学员和培训教师的网络、互动和合作的关键，专注于药物滥用研究的人类行为和临床方面，并得到英国克雷格·拉什博士指导的第二个T32项目的支持。在上一个资助期内，两个T32项目的所有职位都已满员，这表明英国在药物滥用研究方面有大量有前途的学员。英国提供坚实的基础设施和制度支持，优化培训环境。大多数课程毕业生继续积极从事药物滥用研究，并向独立调查员的身份迈进。在即将到来的资助期内，我们建议继续我们的成功记录，培养负责任和有道德的药物滥用研究人员，他们将推动药物滥用领域向前发展。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application requests a second renewal of five years of support for a successful interdisciplinary and translational training program in broad-based contemporary aspects of drug abuse research. Training the next generation of drug abuse researchers is critical to current and future public health challenges associated with drug addiction. The goal is to prepare trainees for productive and successful careers in drug abuse research. This program proposes to support 4 predoctoral and 2 postdoctoral trainees. We will vigorously recruit individuals from underrepresented minorities, disadvantaged backgrounds, and individuals with disabilities to increase diversity. This program provides a highly collaborative environment of interdisciplinary and translational training in drug abuse research. The 17 training faculty represent 7 academic units, have excellent training records, and will provide a rich interdisciplinary training environment. The program fosters the development of essential experimental and critical thinking skills, and provides the opportunity to gain an in depth understanding of and expertise in the interrelationships of the molecular/cellular aspects of receptors and signaling mechanisms involved in the neural and behavioral response to drugs of abuse and to become immersed in drug discovery and development in the pursuit of novel treatments for drug abuse. The overarching theme of the program is that drug addiction alters fundamental cellular and macromolecular processes resulting in long term changes in neural plasticity and behavior, which can be treated using pharmacotherapeutic intervention. The curriculum provides knowledge from physicochemical properties of molecules to structural biology, neurophysiology, neurochemistry, to animal and human behavior, with numerous opportunities for in depth study of focused areas of drug abuse research. The breadth of drug abuse research opportunities is enhanced by strong links to the University of Kentucky's (UK's) Center on Drug and Alcohol Research, the Center for Drug and Alcohol Research Translation, the Center for Clinical and Translational Science, the Center for Pharmaceutical Research and Innovation, the Laboratory on Human Behavioral Pharmacology and the Residential Research Facility. This program provides "value added" by serving as a linchpin to networking, interactions and collaborations with other trainees and training faculty focused on human behavioral and clinical aspects of drug abuse research and supported by a second T32 program directed by Dr. Craig Rush at UK. All positions in both T32 programs have been filled completely during the last funding period, indicative of the large number of promising trainees in drug abuse research at UK. UK provides solid infrastructure and institutional support, optimizing the training environment. The majority of program graduates continue to actively pursue drug abuse research and advance towards independent investigator status. In the upcoming funding period, we propose to continue our record of success and develop responsible and ethical drug abuse researchers, who will move the field of drug abuse forward.