The postdoctoral training application entitled The Neurobiology of Aging and Alzheimer's Disease is submitted through the University of Arizona on behalf of the Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium. The training faculty chosen from the Consortium consists of highly interactive investigators whose scientific interests include aging and Alzheimer's disease, and spans fly, rodent, and nonhuman primate models of aging, as well as human studies in normal aging and in Alzheimer's disease. Six institutions within the Consortium contribute primary mentors to this Training Program, including: Arizona State University, the Barrow Neurological Institute, the Banner Sun Health Research Institute, the Translational Genomics Research Institute, the University of Arizona, and the Banner Alzheimer's Institute. Faculty have complementary strengths in brain imaging, computer science, genomics, molecular biology, basic systems, behavioral and cognitive neuroscience, neuropathology, and clinical research to promote the scientific understanding of the aging brain and early detection of Alzheimer's disease, as well as effective treatment and prevention therapies. Each Fellow will have a Professional Development Committee (PDC) that consists of 4 Mentors. A primary research Mentor in whose laboratory the Fellow will be based, who is chosen from the list of Training Faculty included within the tables of this grant, and a secondary research Mentor from this list, but from any other institution amongst the consortium. The secondary Mentor plays an active role in the research project undertaken by the Fellow, which goes beyond simply making facilities available. A tertiary Mentor may be drawn from the Training Faculty list, but can also be selected on the basis of experimental or pedagogical expertise, even if not among the Training Faculty. Additionally, a fourth member of the PDC will be chosen from amongst the 5 person leadership team of Director, co-Directors or Associate Directors, who will commit to provide an additional level of oversight. The Director chosen will be selected on the basis of suitability for assisting with the Fellow's research project. We believ that exposure to the unique Arizona tradition of cooperation and collaboration that knows no institutional boundaries will facilitate a significant enrichment of skills sets, professional development, and publication record of the Fellow during the training period. In addition to multi-laboratory research exposure, another unique programmatic aspect takes the form of three half or full day workshops per year. These include statewide events that Training Faculty attend (Annual Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium Retreat and Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium Annual Scientific Conference), as well as professional events that include broader national and international participation (Society for Neuroscience meeting). We believe the goal to give the Fellow the freedom to draw broadly from facilities and expertise within the Consortium will allow the best experiments to be designed to test important questions, and will instill an appreciation for collaboration and interdisciplinary interaction that will provide the trainee a solid foundatio for productive future work.

Public Health Relevance

This is an application for training of postdoctoral and clinical fellows in the area of Neurobiology of Aging and Alzheimer's Disease (AD). The 21 faculty in the Training Program are chosen from the Arizona Alzheimer's Consortium who have research interests that span basic and clinical science, including brain imaging, computer science, genomics, systems, cognitive and molecular neuroscience, and clinical and neuropathological approaches to the study of the aging brain and early detection and treatment of AD. The program emphasizes a collaborative research experience uniquely designed for each postdoctoral fellow, and provides the necessary interdisciplinary training for the next generation of independent investigators, who will have the tools at hand to contribute to an understanding of, and treatments for, cognitive decline in aging and AD.

Agency
National Institute of Health (NIH)
Institute
National Institute on Aging (NIA)
Type
Institutional National Research Service Award (T32)
Project #
5T32AG044402-02
Application #
9265370
Study Section
Special Emphasis Panel (ZAG1-ZIJ-1 (J1))
Program Officer
Wise, Bradley C
Project Start
2016-05-01
Project End
2021-04-30
Budget Start
2017-05-01
Budget End
2018-04-30
Support Year
2
Fiscal Year
2017
Total Cost
$251,424
Indirect Cost
$18,624
Name
University of Arizona
Department
Psychology
Type
Schools of Arts and Sciences
DUNS #
806345617
City
Tucson
State
AZ
Country
United States
Zip Code
85721
Cabral, Carla M; McGovern, Kathryn E; MacDonald, Wes R et al. (2017) Dissecting Amyloid Beta Deposition Using Distinct Strains of the Neurotropic Parasite Toxoplasma gondii as a Novel Tool. ASN Neuro 9:1759091417724915