Interdisciplinary Training Program in Muscle Biology

描述（申请者提供）：该项目为博士后和博士生提供肌肉生物学的跨学科培训。该计划强调骨骼，心脏和平滑肌的功能，结构和分子特性，以及在各种疾病状态下这些特性的修改。我们的17名教师来自3个基础科学系（生物化学和分子生物学、药理学和实验治疗学和生理学）和马里兰大学巴尔的摩分校医学院医学系，1名来自马里兰大学巴尔的摩分校护理学院。附属教师也来自我们姐妹校区马里兰大学巴尔的摩县分校工程学院的一个系和摩根州立大学。学员来自所有参与部门和我们跨部门的博士项目。从肌肉发育的分子生物学决定因素和肌肉蛋白质的结构和功能的分子方面，到肌肉细胞骨架和基质的细胞生物学方面，单个肌肉细胞功能的生物物理和生理分析以及整个肌肉和肌肉器官的生物力学特性，以及所有这些检查水平的肌肉疾病的影响，都反映了我们教师背景的多样性。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是国内和国际公认的。我们的学生将在这些和各种相关领域接受培训，重点是使用几种免费技术来解决调查中的每个问题。博士前培训的主要教学方面是两个一学期的跨学科肌肉课程，这些课程已经由项目教师定期提供，并受到过去学生团体的好评。项目活动包括每年一次的校园迷你静修，其中包括学员海报和知名肌肉研究员作为项目访客和主题发言人，半年一次的韦德纪念讲座和每月一次的肌肉项目实验室午餐会，以及专业发展和拨款写作的培训，以及负责任的研究行为。在整个续期期间，我们将继续保持现有的5名博士生预科生和6名博士后在读生的水平。进入博士预科的学员将继续拥有坚实的生物、化学和/或物理背景，优秀的GRE成绩和强有力的推荐信。即将进入的博士后学员将完成一篇扎实的博士论文，并有强有力的推荐信。该课程的学员将准备运用广泛的方法来回答肌肉生物学的基本问题，并以肌肉疾病及其可能的治疗和最终治愈为基础。因此，该计划服务于国家需要有能力的肌肉功能和疾病的多学科研究者。

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.