Integrated Training in Pharmacological Sciences

描述(由申请者提供)：西奈山药理学综合培训计划旨在提供基础科学方面的严格培训，以确定治疗目标和开发先导化合物。药理学作为一门学科总是在不断发展。然而，药理学的核心永远是“药物”，药物本身的性质正在发生变化。来自基因组和蛋白质组科学的新信息正在导致新的药物靶点。基于基因和细胞的疗法，虽然主要是实验性的，但拥有巨大的治疗前景。在未来，针对小分子药物吸收、分布和消除的药代动力学原理也将被常规应用于DNA传递。认识到现代药理学的广度，我们开发了一个以该机构的优势为基础的培训计划，并涵盖了新兴的药物发现领域。我们的培训计划有三个主题领域：1)分子药理学和基于结构的药物设计，2)作为药物靶标的细胞网络，以及3)药理学中的翻译研究。分子药理学和基于结构的药物设计建立在大分子和蛋白质-蛋白质相互作用和大分子结构的计算分析方面的专业知识。作为药物靶点的细胞网络集中于细胞信号通路和网络的功能表征，作为识别新药物靶点的基础。药理学的转化研究利用了学校和医院之间的密切联系，以及一支才华横溢的生物医学科学家干部队伍，他们站在服药的最前线，从替补席到床边。我们寻求对药理学多学科综合博士前项目的重新支持。资金将用于向受训人员提供最长三年的支助；通常与第二至第四年的培训相对应。在成长期的财政支持和药理学方面的高级培训预计将对我们项目的毕业生最终的职业选择产生积极的影响。在过去两年的培训资助期间，培训方案有15名学生，其中4名是代表性不足的少数民族。在这15名学生中，有3名是由这笔培训补助金资助的。我们要求将培训补助金资助的学生人数逐步增加到每年四人。西奈山医学院及其研究企业发展迅速。它目前在全国排名第22位。这种质量上的增长反映在我们的学员身上。这笔赠款资助的三名学员都曾在《生物化学杂志》、《分子细胞》和《病毒学杂志》等顶级期刊上发表过论文。过去两年，项目学院实验室的毕业生在顶级期刊上发表了论文，并在加州大学旧金山分校、霍普金斯大学和哈佛大学担任博士后职位。拉维·艾扬格博士，药理学和生物化学系主席，也是这项培训基金的负责人，在过去的三年里一直是该系招聘5名新教员的催化剂。强化的研究活动，重新配置的课程，包括新兴领域的课程工作，如药物基因组学和干细胞生物学，轮换，研讨会和期刊俱乐部，确保我们的学生继续接受广泛的现代药理学培训，并为从事药理学事业做好充分准备。

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): The Mount Sinai Integrated Training Program in Pharmacological Sciences aims to provide rigorous training in basic sciences underlying the processes by which therapeutic targets are identified and lead compounds developed. Pharmacology as a discipline is always evolving. Whereas, Pharmacology will always at its core be about "drugs", the nature of the drugs themselves is changing. New information from genomic and proteomic sciences, is leading to new drug targets. Gene and cell based therapies, while still primarily experimental, hold tremendous therapeutic promise. In the future, pharmacokinetic principles of drug absorption, distribution and elimination developed for small molecules will also be applied routinely to DNA delivery. Recognizing the breadth of modem pharmacology, we have developed a training program that builds on the strengths of this institution and encompasses emerging areas of drug discovery. Our training program has three thematic areas: 1) Molecular Pharmacology and Structure-based Drug Design, 2) Cellular Networks as Drug Targets, and 3) Translational Research in Pharmacology. Molecular Pharmacology and structure-based drug design build on faculty expertise in marcomolecular and protein-protein interactions and computational analysis of macromolecular structures. Cellular networks as drug targets concentrates on the functional characterization of cell signaling pathways and networks, as a basis for the identification of new drug targets. Translational research in Pharmacology takes advantage of the close ties between the school and the hospital and a cadre of talented biomedical scientists who are at the forefront of taking drugs "from the bench to the bedside". We seek renewal of support for this integrated multi-disciplinary pre-doctoral program in Pharmacological Sciences. Funds will be used to support trainees for a period of up to three years; generally corresponding to training years 2-4. Financial support and advanced training in Pharmacology during the formative years are expected to have a positive impact on the eventual career choices made by graduates of our program. During the past two years of training grant support, the training program has fifteen students, four of whom are underrepresented minorities. Of the fifteen students, three are supported by this training grant. We are requesting a graded increase in number of students funded by the training grant to four per year. Mount Sinai School of Medicine and its research enterprise have been rapidly growing. It is currently ranked 22nd in the country. This growth in quality is reflected in our trainees. All three of trainees supported by this grant have published in top journals such as the Journal of Biological Chemistry, Molecular Cell and Journal of Virology. Graduates from the laboratories of Program Faculty in the past two years have published in top journals and gone to postdoctoral positions at UCSF, Hopkins and Harvard. Dr. Ravi Iyengar, Chairman of Pharmacology and Biological Chemistry and the PI of this training grant, has been the catalyst for recruiting 5 new faculty members to the Department within the last three years. The enhanced research activities, a reconfigured curriculum that includes course-work in emerging areas such as Pharmacogenomics and Stem Cell Biology, rotations, seminars, and journal clubs ensure that our students continue to receive a broad training in modem Pharmacology and be very well prepared to pursue a career in Pharmacology.