PATHOBIOLOGY OF GI INFECTION AND INFLAMATION

DESCRIPTION (adapted from the application) A multidisciplinary group of senior investigators at Columbia, with a common interest in the mechanisms that protect the bowel from microbial infection, have designed a GI Infection and Inflammation training program and request support. Funds are requested for 2 pre-doctoral fellows in the year 1, 3 pre-doctoral fellows in year 2 and 4 pre-doctoral fellows in years 3-5. Historically, at Columbia, basic research on infection was centered in the Dept. of Microbiology. Study of pathogenesis, however, has increasingly involved the study of cell biology, because of the ability of invading organisms to exploit host cell machinery to carry out their nefarious life cycles. Similarly, microbiologists are now just as concerned about cell biology as members of the department that bears that name. It is thus both realistic and important to expose trainees broadly to many disciplines. Bacterial and viral pathogenesis provides a great multidisciplinary training opportunity of which we now propose to take full advantage. In addition, the best pre-doctoral applicants are interested in the mechanisms of disease and want it included in their predoctoral training. Accordingly, 18 faculty from 4 basic and 3 clinical science departments have joined together to develop a thematic, interdepartmental pre-doctoral training program in GI infection and inflammation. Participating faculty include: Q. Al-Awqati (differentiation & membrane trafficking of gut epithelium); J. Bulinski (microtubule function in intracellular transport); M. Field (ion transport across intestinal epithelial membranes); M. Gershon (development & function of the enteric nervous system); A. Gershon (Herpes virus and HIV infection); S. Goff (retrovirus infection & replication); G. Gundersen (microtubule control of membrane trafficking); R. Kessin (mechanisms of phagocytosis); R. Liem (cytoskeleton of the enteric nervous system); J. Luan (HIV-1 replication & pathogenesis); A. Mitchell (infection by the fungus, Candida albicans); L. Pon (actin cytoskeletal control of membrane trafficking & enterobacterial infection); A. Prince (bacteria-host interactions); V. Racaniello (enterovirus pathogenesis); H. Shuman (pathogenesis of enterobacteria); S. Silverstein (membrane transport & leukocytes); and H. Worman (inflammatory bowel, and hepatobiliary diseases and hepatitis C). The multidisciplinary nature of this program is congruent with an evolution of graduate education at Columbia University. It also provides, for the first time in years, an institutional focus on research and research training in GI disease. The inception of this program has already led to the development of new graduate courses, expansion of existing courses and establishment of new collaborations.