Developmental Biology Training Program

University Of Utah, Salt Lake City UT

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Abstract

DESCRIPTION (provided by applicant): This application requests continued support for an interdepartmental Developmental Biology Training Program at the University of Utah. This program provides support for training exceptional predoctoral and postdoctoral scientists in the field of Developmental Biology. The program consists of individualized research training under the guidance of 48 faculty members who work in one of six Ph.D. degree-granting departments within the University. The program director and interdepartmental Advisory Committee members select trainees, monitor their progress, and organize training program activities. Training is provided in a broad range of areas including gene regulation, cell differentiation, growth and morphogenesis, signal transduction, and developmental genetics. Prospective Ph.D. trainees are admitted to graduate school through the Molecular Biology and Neuroscience Graduate Programs, which dictate the core curriculum of the first year. Predoctoral and postdoctoral trainees are selected based on excellence in research and are supported for up to three years for predoctoral trainees and two years for postdoctoral trainees. The participation of six departments provides a diverse interdisciplinary training in Developmental Biology. A coherent structure is provided by the wide variety of interdepartmental activities fostered by the Molecular Biology and Neurosciences Programs, as well as the long history of cooperation and collaboration within the University community. All trainees are required to take a scientific ethics course, participate in an ongoing journal club related to developmental biology, take an advanced course in developmental biology, participate in and present a seminar in the Developmental Biology Discussion Group, participate in and present a research-based talk at an Annual Training Program Retreat, and host an outside seminar speaker. This is supplemented with vigorous seminar programs and inter-laboratory research-in-progress group meetings to ensure that the trainees receive a strong training in developmental biology, preparing them to direct their own independent research programs. The biochemical pathways that act during development also play important roles in human health and disease. For example, the programmed cell death pathway was first analyzed for its role in C. elegans development, as was much of the insulin pathway. These studies lead to the discovery of molecules that have now been implicated in human diseases such as cancer, diabetes, and most recently aging (e.g., caspases, FOXO transcription factors). Therefore, analysis of developmental processes, and training young scientists in the field of development, should prove indispensable for improving human health.