Funding is requested for years 27-31 of a highly successful doctoral degree program in pharmacology, the goal of which is to recruit and train research leaders at the intersection of chemistry, biology, and medicine. The program fosters the development of independent Ph.D. investigators with expertise in the design and characterization of therapeutic agents and the study of their effects on living systems. Interdisciplinary training includes rigorous didactic teaching and intensive research training. Core courses in bioorganic chemistry, structural biology, biochemistry, molecular biology, cell biology, and bioinformatics provide students with the fundamental concepts of biomedical science. Our Graduate Pharmacology course teaches the quantitative foundations of pharmacology and the mechanisms of drug actions. Small group tutorials provide in-depth exploration of specific interest areas, and elective courses support focused training in areas ranging from analytical chemistry to clinical pharmacology. Students initiate research upon entering the program, performing laboratory research rotations in their first year in advance of selecting a thesis research advisor. Under the guidance of their thesis advisory committee, students execute significant research in the laboratory of one of 36 program faculty, each of whom direct well-supported vigorous research programs. Doctoral research areas include drug design, protein structure and function, glycobiology and lipid function, molecular imaging, virology, microbiology, immunology, oncology, and neuropharmacology. Students participate as speakers in pharmacology research seminars, journal clubs, and laboratory meetings, and are encouraged to present their studies at national and international meetings. After completing their thesis research, students write a doctoral thesis, critiqued by their thesis advisory committee, prior to presenting their doctoral studies at a public seminar. ? ? The program, established in 1969 and funded by the NIH since 1978, has awarded nearly 150 PhD degrees. There are 39 trainees currently in the program, and 15 more confirmed for matriculation this summer. Enrollment averaged 11 per year for the past 5 years (range 7-15). Students typically obtain their Ph.D. degrees within 4-6 years. The training facilities include departmental and institutional classrooms, seminar rooms, lecture halls, and libraries, and the well equipped laboratories of the 36 faculty located at Johns Hopkins Schools of Medicine, Public Health, and Arts and Sciences. High-end analytical instrumentation including robotic high-throughput screening, high-end and walk-up mass spectrometers, and an 800 MHz NMR are available for student research. Students in the program have contributed meaningfully to biomedical discovery over the last decades, and graduates of the program hold research, teaching, and leadership positions throughout the world in top academic, industrial, and government institutions. ? ?
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