The Mount Sinai Integrated Training Program in Pharmacological Sciences aims to provide rigorous training in basic sciences underlying the processes by which therapeutic targets are identified and lead compounds developed. Pharmacology as a discipline is always evolving. Whereas, Pharmacology will always at its core be about """"""""drugs"""""""", the nature of the drugs themselves are changing. New information from genomic and proteomic sciences, are leading to new drug targets. Gene therapy, while still primarily experimental, holds tremendous therapeutic promise. In the future, pharmacokinetic principles of drug absorption, distribution and elimination developed for small molecules will be applied routinely to DNA delivery. Recognizing the breadth of modern pharmacology, we have developed a training program that builds on the strengths of this institution and encompasses emerging areas of drug discovery. Our training program has three thematic areas: 1) Molecular Pharmacology and Structure-Based Drug Design builds on faculty expertise in macromolecular and protein-protein interactions and computational analysis of macromolecular structures. 2) Cellular Networks as Drug Targets concentrates on the functional characterization of cell signaling pathways and networks, as a basis for the identification of new drug targets. 3) Translational Research in Pharmacology takes advantage of the close ties between the school and the hospital and a cadre of talented biomedical scientists who are at the forefront of taking drugs """"""""from the bench to the bedside."""""""" We seek support for this integrated multi-disciplinary predoctoral program in Pharmacological Sciences. Funds will be used to support trainees for a period of up to three years; generally corresponding to training years 2-4. Financial support and advanced training in Pharmacology during the formative years are expected to have a positive impact on the eventual career choices made by graduates of our program. We are requesting a gradual increase in students adding two training slots per year up to a maximum of six students in years 3-5; i.e. two students supported in year 01, 4 students in year 02 and 6 students in years 03-05. Mount Sinai School of Medicine and its research enterprise have been rapidly growing; support has steadily. It is currently ranked 23rd in the country. New leadership within the institution and the Department of Pharmacology has resulted in increased research in Pharmacological Sciences across the school. Dr. Arthur H. Rubenstein, Dean of the School of Medicine, is spearheading the recruitment of over a hundred new research faculty in the next 7 years. Dr. Ravi Iyengar, Chairman of Pharmacology and PI of this training grant, has been the catalyst for recruiting 4 new faculty members to the Department within the last two years. The enhanced research activities, a reconfigured curriculum that includes course-work in emerging areas, rotations, seminars, and journal clubs will ensure that our students will receive a broad training in modern Pharmacology and be very well prepared to pursue a career in Pharmacology.
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