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BBS
Track in
Physiology and Integrative Medical Biology
The past
decade has seen a revolution in biology with the sequencing of entire genomes,
including that of humans. The future of biology is to understand not only how
these genes and the proteins they encode form complex biological processes, but
also how these proteins and processes are integrated to produce the specific functions
displayed by the wide array of tissues, organs and organisms. This integrative
biological approach ranges from single molecules to whole organisms. In addition,
information from the human genome has accelerated the pace of identifying specific
genetic mutations and polymorphisms associated with disease. This new era has
seen the development of molecular and cellular approaches to address biological
questions. What has lagged behind, however, is training in integrative approaches
to understanding the biology of organisms and the roles of these disease-causing
genes in the pathophysiology of disease. An integrated approach to disease will
be crucial to defining new therapies, as well as the effects of therapy on disease.
Studying complex living organisms is often the best way - and in some cases, the
only way - to understand dynamic biological processes.
We have, therefore,
begun a new program for first year graduate students in the form of a new BBS
track, Physiology and Integrative Medical Biology. Given the interdisciplinary
nature of this track, it is of interest to a large number of faculty in the basic
sciences and will provide an opportunity to coordinate programs with clinical
faculty. This multidimensional track includes activities in integrative and systems
physiology and pathophysiology, pharmacology, translational research, small animal
physiology, biomedical engineering and molecular biophysics. This initiative also
allows us to integrate information from genetics, functional genomics and functional
proteomics into whole animal and human biology.
In summary, we see this
track as a mechanism for attracting students in the integrative biology of systems,
a means for organizing current and developing new resources (e.g., a state-of-the-art
facility in small animal physiology) to meet the needs of our students and faculty,
and a home base for developing new interdisciplinary approaches to understanding
normal biology and the biology of disease states that build upon the varied expertise
of our faculty. We are excited about this track and believe that it will be attractive
to students who wish to train in an area vital to biology in the 21st century.
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