Molecular Microbial Persistance and Pathogenesis

描述（由申请人提供）：21世纪初，人们意识到全球传染病的威胁日益增加，微生物抗生素耐药性、微生物抗原性变异、遗传潜伏期和新出现的传染性病原体带来了巨大的挑战。微生物已经进化出一系列令人困惑的持久性机制，以避免宿主防御，从而导致疾病或死亡的既定感染。为了解决这些复杂的问题，必须在分子水平上确定微生物进化、持久性和发病机制的潜在机制，这需要跨学科和合作研究的努力。因此，我们在这里描述了一个全校范围的跨学科培训项目“分子微生物持久性和发病机制”（MMPP），为博士生和博士后学员提供优秀的培训资源和机会，由匹兹堡大学医学院、公共卫生研究生院和文理学院的30名教师导师组成的高度互动的团队提供。MMPP培训计划的基本原理是，博士前和博士后学员沉浸在不同病毒、细菌和原生动物的分子机制研究的跨学科项目中，将为未来微生物持久性和发病机制的关键研究提供最有效的基础，获得全面的专业知识和经验。MMPP培训计划旨在吸引最优秀和最聪明的学员，为微生物持久性和发病机制相关的教学和研究培训创造独特的机会和环境，加强不同大学单位之间的研究合作，优化研究和培训资源的利用。因此，MMPP培训计划的目标是培养具有跨学科和合作研究培训独特视角的下一代独立研究者，以阐明微生物持续存在和发病机制的分子水平，并利用这些信息制定新的有效的传染病预防和治疗策略。

Description (provided by applicant): The beginning of the 21st Century is marked by a realization of the increasing threat of infectious diseases worldwide and the formidable challenges posed by microbial antibiotic resistance, microbial antigenic variation, genetic latency, and emerging infectious agents. Microorganisms have evolved a confounding array of persistence mechanisms to avoid host defenses leading to established infections that result in disease or death. To address these complex problems it is essential to define at the molecular level the mechanisms underlying microbial evolution, persistence, and pathogenesis, studies that require interdisciplinary and collaborative research efforts. Thus, we describe here a university-wide interdisciplinary training program in "Molecular Microbial Persistence and Pathogenesis" (MMPP) for predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees that combines outstanding training resources and opportunities provided by a highly interactive team of 30 faculty mentors in the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, Graduate School of Public Health, and Faculty of Arts and Sciences. The rationale for the MMPP Training Program is that the immersion of predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees into an interdisciplinary program of molecular mechanistic studies of diverse viruses, bacteria, and protozoa will provide the most effective foundation to gain comprehensive expertise and experience for future critical studies of microbial persistence and pathogenesis. The MMPP training Program is designed to attract the best and the brightest trainees, create unique opportunities and environment for didactic and research training relevant to microbial persistence and pathogenesis, to enhance research collaborations among different university units, and to optimize the utilization of research and training resources. Thus, the goal of the MMPP Training Program is to produce the next generation of independent investigators with unique perspective of interdisciplinary and collaborative research training required to elucidate at the molecular level the mechanisms of microbial persistence and pathogenesis and to use this information to develop new and effective prevention and treatment strategies for infectious diseases.