Immunology and Vascular Biology Training Program

Training Program Description

This training program titled "Blood Systems in Coagulation and Vessel Disease" provides postdoctoral fellows the opportunity to train for two to three years in 20 different research programs whose Principal Investigators devote 100 percent of their time to basic research. Trainees are recruited via multiple routes to attract as many candidates as possible from diverse ethnic, geographic and scientific disciplines. Study of cellular and soluble components of the vasculature is the unique cohesive theme of this NHLBI program. Functional aspects of hemostasis and blood vessel disease are studied in blood proteins, platelets, leukocytes and tissues. The common goal of the carefully chosen faculty is to understand at a basic molecular level how the vasculature functions to transport, regulate and protect the whole organism. This goal will be pursued through interdisciplinary collaborations among investigators in four different departments (Immunology and Microbial Science, Cell Biology, Molecular Biology and Molecular and Experimental Medicine) within the Institute. Special emphasis will be placed on use of new emerging disciplines including knock out and transgenic animals, intracellular signaling pathways, gene array approaches, proteonomics, saturation mutagenesis and chemical biology. The success of this program has been excellent. The training experience is and will continue to be competitive and geared toward the development of self-directed researchers, yet will be enriched by cooperation and communication among scientists of diverse backgrounds.