# Predoctoral Training in Pharmacological Sciences

> **NIH NIH T32** · UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS · 2020 · $320,831

## Abstract

PREDOCTORAL TRAINING IN PHARMACOLOGICAL SCIENCES
ABSTRACT:
The overarching goal of this predoctoral Pharmacological Sciences Training Program (PhTP) is to educate
next generation of biomedical researchers in the concepts of drug discovery and development and to
provide a clinical perspective. Trainees come mainly from 4 graduate programs (Pharmacology &
Toxicology, Physiology, Biomedical Engineering and Neuroscience) developing expertise in diverse areas.
This reaches from classic pharmacology and drug target identification with cutting edge methods in
biochemistry, structural biology, genomics molecular and cell biology, high resolution imaging,
electrophysiology and behavioral physiology, to medicinal chemistry, engineering of microfluidic and other
devices, animal models of disease, novel in vivo whole animal imaging and translational therapeutics in
clinical trials. The PhTP will provide focused and student-tailored small group training in the core principles
of pharmacology for non-pharmacology trainees, and enmesh these students together with pharmacology
students for more interdisciplinary group learning in the drug discovery and development. A second goal is
to enable all trainees to communicate and collaborate across the large array of research disciplines they
represent. This goal is mainly realized in a highly innovative student-driven, project-oriented course Problem
Solving in Pharmacological Sciences, which reinvents itself every year based on student initiative and
interest. In this way our PhTP produces experts with a variety of backgrounds that can effectively
communicate and collaborate with experts from other related disciplines in the increasingly complex realm
of drug development. UC Davis has an unusually strong multidisciplinary and collaborative environment
related to this PhTP. UCD grants more bachelors and doctoral degrees in biological sciences than any other
US university and ranks 12th in the country in extramural research funding awarded to public universities
($800 million annually). The 51 training faculty are from 22 departments in 6 colleges, where extensive
collaborative interactions already exist. Trainers provide in depth expertise that ranges from identifying
novel therapeutic molecular targets and development of therapeutic molecules to clinical drug and stem cell
trials at the NIH-funded UCD Clinical and Translational Science Center (CTSC) and NIH-designated Cancer
Center. Novel drugs for treatment of cardiovascular, neurological, and immunological diseases and cancer,
the four focus areas of our PhTP, have been developed and are being brought to clinic by several faculty at
UCD. The very rich and collaborative overall science environment at UCD, powerful and numerous state-of-
the-art core facilities and centers will provide trainees with outstanding research opportunities spanning
from Chemistry's emphasis on pharmaceutical chemistry, imaging molecules (from single molecule to in
vivo), genomics, molecula...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 9949718
- **Project number:** 5T32GM099608-09
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF CALIFORNIA AT DAVIS
- **Principal Investigator:** JOHANNES W HELL
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2020
- **Award amount:** $320,831
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2012-07-01 → 2022-06-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/9949718

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 9949718, Predoctoral Training in Pharmacological Sciences (5T32GM099608-09). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/9949718. Licensed CC0.

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