This is a competing renewal for a postdoctoral T32 training grant, the objective of this which is to train outstanding young MDs, PhDs and MD/PhDs for a successful career in investigative nephrology. Despite the growing burden of chronic kidney disease, only small inroads have been made in to understanding its underlying mechanisms and our ability to predict, prevent or slow progression of this devastating disease. It is clear that future academic nephrologists must receive rigorous basic research training in order for significant progress to be made in our understanding of the molecular and cellular processes involved in development of renal diseases and for therapeutic interventions to be developed. Areas of research need include cellular and molecular biology, immunology, genetics and genomics, systems biology, developmental biology and regenerative medicine, stem cell biology and basic virology. It is our belief that the most appropriate type of research environment, the requisite depth of training experience, and protection for a prolonged period of support for individuals training in academic can best be accomplished through a training grant. Our rationale for submitting this application for the continuation of our training grant is our belef that Mount Sinai School of Medicine offers diverse scientific opportunities in an outstanding research environment and faculty mentors who are dedicated to training academic research scientists for a career in academic nephrology, our outstanding track record, and our continued commitment to the education of future investigative nephrologists. This training grant is in the 14th year of funding with a successful training track record, approximately 80% of graduates remaining in academics over the past 10 years, the majority of whom continue to conduct funded nephrology research. Continued support is being requested at the current level of 3 postdoctoral positions for a minimum of 2-years funding per trainee. An experienced group of 24 faculty provide trainees the opportunity to train in a variety of research areas related to renal disease. Trainees will participate in an interactive environment with state of the art research facilities, and will participate in required courses, journal clubs, lab meetings and research conferences. In addition to the PI and Co-PI, an Admissions Committee, Review Committee and External Advisory Committee are in place as an organizational structure to supplement trainer supervision and to ensure that the Program remains at the cutting edge of nephrology research and that trainees receive sufficient guidance to optimize their transition to independent investigators.
Chronic kidney disease is a major public health issue that causes half million adults Americans on renal replacement therapy and a cost of $32 billion per year. However, the therapy is limited because we have poor understanding of the disease processes that cause CKD and contributes to its progression. Therefore, we need to train more investigators including physician scientists to further develop research in this field and the current proposal could help us to achieve this.
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