Predoctoral Training Program in Molecular Pharmacology

PROJECT SUMMARY We are submitting this application in the program area of Pharmacological Sciences (PS). The primary goal of the PhD Training Program in Molecular Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics (MPET) in the Mayo Clinic Graduate School of Biomedical Sciences (MCGSBS) is the development of independent investigators capable of directing outstanding research programs in academia, industry, or other settings. The faculty is comprised of 28 well-funded, independent investigators who are drawn from departments and divisions across the institution and who focus on a continuum of research areas encompassing studies from basic molecular and genetic aspects of disease through drug discovery and development of novel therapies for diseases. The faculty provides training opportunities in areas that include systems pharmacology, artificial intelligence, computational chemistry, molecular mechanisms of drug action and resistance, metabolomics, novel therapeutic strategies, the genetics of addiction, preclinical and clinical pharmacology, and pharmacogenomics of genes associated with drug responses. Forty-six predoctoral students (PhD and MD/PhD in PhD training), from diverse backgrounds, are currently enrolled in the MPET PhD training program. A rigorous didactic curriculum includes a series of Core Curriculum courses that ensures strong fundamental knowledge in biochemistry, molecular biology, genetics, statistics, cell biology and pharmacology as well as a series of tutorial-based courses that provide advanced training in pharmacological sciences. During their first two years of study, students complete laboratory rotations and select a laboratory for their thesis research. They complete comprehensive written and oral qualifying examinations by the end of Year 3. Training in rigor and reproducibility is woven throughout the training program and students are expected to meet the highest standards of scientific integrity. After developing a written thesis proposal delineating the questions and approaches to be pursued in the thesis research, the Thesis Advisory Committee reviews the proposed research at the first committee meeting. Students present work-in-progress updates on their research projects to MPET faculty and students each year. Trainees are required to develop independence and to publish at least one first-author article. In the last 15 years, MPET trainees have averaged over 2.2 first-author articles and 5.6 total articles). Starting in Year 3 and beyond, students meet with their Thesis Advisory Committees at least twice per year. The average time to completion of the PhD is 5.9 years. Graduates of the MPET PhD training program have outstanding track records, with many students establishing new research directions that have long-lasting impacts on the mentor’s research programs. They go on to postdoctoral fellowships, with many now serving as principal investigators in academia and industry. We request 6 T32-funded positions.