IGS Receives a $1.9 million T32 Training Grant: A First for IGS
From the common flu and COVID-19 pandemics and bacterial infections that are resistant to antibiotics to neglected disease of countries near the equator, infectious diseases sicken and kill hundreds of millions of people globally each year. Although they have been around since the beginning of time, the continual evolution of infectious diseases requires more in-depth genomic research than ever before.
That need for highly skilled infectious disease researchers is the impetus behind the Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) new T32 training grant: Systems-Level Research in Microbial Pathogenesis. While IGS faculty often train students and fellows on T32 grants, this training grant is the first to be led by investigators within IGS.
The $1.9 million grant was awarded to develop a training program that will examine the interactions between the pathogens, the hosts, and the microbiomes in infectious diseases. It was awarded to the leadership team of Julie Dunning Hotopp, PhD, Nicholas Carbonetti, PhD, and David Rasko, PhD. Drs. Dunning Hotopp and Rasko are scientists at the Institute for Genome Sciences (IGS) while all three are Professors of Microbiology and Immunology at the University of Maryland School of Medicine (UMSOM).
“One of our main goals is to develop a robust pipeline for diverse scientists to learn new approaches and technologies used in infectious disease research,” says Dr. Dunning Hotopp. “Our trainees will receive academic mentoring and professional development from our highly experienced faculty working in this area.”
A key aspect of the new training program is the “systems-level” approach that applies to both the type of research the trainees will undertake and the style of education they will receive. Systems level means that it’s necessary to understand how the parts of a whole interact, interconnect, interrelate, and often influence each other.
“Infectious disease is a broad field of study; however, the trainees in this program will take an interdisciplinary approach to microbial pathogenesis,” Dr. Rasko explains. “They will learn to use systems-level approaches to examine the pathogenesis of parasites, fungi, bacteria, and viruses using genomic and bioinformatic tools to probe difficult research questions.”
Trainees also will learn through multiple pathways—from taking traditional classroom courses to hands-on lab experiences, giving presentations, attending meetings and conferences, and receiving mentorship, as well as becoming a mentor to younger students. This will allow trainees to have a hand in helping the next generation of scientists from populations typically underrepresented in science.
The new trainees will benefit not just from IGS faculty but from faculty throughout UMSOM, including the Center for Vaccine Development, as well as from the Schools of Pharmacy and Dentistry. Predoctoral trainees will be selected from UMSOM’s MD/PhD and DDS/PhD programs, as well as the Graduate Program in Life Sciences that includes the Genome Biology Track run by IGS faculty. Postdoctoral trainees will be selected through recruitment of fellows to one of the three University of Maryland, Baltimore schools collaborating on the grant. The first cohort of three postdoctoral trainees and three predoctoral trainees include students from all three schools and includes one MD/PhD trainee.
For more information on becoming a pre- or post-doctoral fellow in the program, contact Julie Dunning Hotopp: JDHotopp@som.umaryland.edu.