Program in Molecular Medicine
Columbian College of Arts and Sciences
The George Washington University
Washington, District Of Columbia
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The George Washington University - Program in Molecular Medicine - Overview
A Doctoral Program in Molecular Medicine
The Molecular Medicine program, one of 3 Ph.D. programs offered through George Washington University's Institute for Biomedical Sciences, trains students for careers in cutting-edge biomedical research involving the analysis of the human organism, and its role in health and disease, at the molecular and genomics levels.
Students in the program enroll in one of 4 tracks: molecular and cellular oncology, neurosciences, pharmacology and physiology, or systems biology.
After one year of coursework study in a core curriculum in biomedical sciences, students begin biomedical research in their chosen field.
Students work under the mentorship of highly trained faculty in research labs tackling issues ranging from neurotransmitter signaling and carcinogenesis to congenital defects of the nervous system and the role of stem cells in regenerative biology.
The program provides access to extensive research and core facilities in the George Washington University Medical Center, as well as the Children's Research Institute of the Children's National Medical Center, and researchers often collaborate with labs at the National Institutes of Health and other Washington-area research organizations that are affiliated with the program.
First Year Students Immersed in Core Curriculum
IBS students at George Washington University take a first-year core curriculum of rigorous coursework, complemented by practical career skills courses focusing on topics such as scientific writing, speaking, biomedical ethics, and careers in the biomedical sciences.
Research Rotations
Research rotations are also a central component of the first year of study. Students take part in 3 research rotations that are 11 weeks long and offered in the fall, spring, and summer semesters. Following completion of the rotations, students select faculty mentors and labs in which they will go on to complete their dissertations.
In addition to expanding students' research skills and experience, the rotations give students familiarity with research projects taking place in the institute. Students are expected to be in the lab for 30 hours per week.
Molecular and Cellular Oncology Track
In the molecular and cellular oncology track, students join faculty on research projects that involve molecular biology and genomics in improving the understanding of the cellular nature, etiology, prevention, and therapy of cancer.
Projects tackle issues such as the molecular mechanisms of breast cancer progression and UV radiation carcinogenesis and the effects of UV on cellular immunity.
Neuroscience Track
Students in the neuroscience track have opportunities to pursue research training in laboratories that study the full spectrum of questions currently motivating neuroscience research.
The new George Washington Institute for Neuroscience includes 25 investigators with a wide range of research interests. These encompass: exploration of neuronal excitability at the level of single channels; analysis of the action of therapeutic and addictive drugs on the developing or mature brain; circuitry, function and plasticity of sensory systems, and learning, memory, attention and language capacities in the human brain. An emerging emphasis is neural development and the consequences of disrupted development for pathology in a variety of developmental disorders including autism, and several psychiatric diseases including schizophrenia.
Pharmacology and Physiology Track
In the pharmacology and physiology track, research focuses on pharmacology, or the interaction of drug molecules with biological systems, such as how the body reacts to drugs and toxins, and physiology, which can include the study of everything from organ system function to how cells regulate ionic fluxes.
Principal areas of research in the pharmacology and physiology track include neuropharmacology, molecular carcinogenesis and genetic toxicology, cancer chemotherapy, drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics, pharmacogenomics, and cardiovascular physiology.
Systems Biology Track
The systems biology track looks at various disciplines in the modeling of biological systems in health and disease. The research focuses on multi-scale modeling of the physiome, taking into account frames of time, ranging from nanoseconds to decades, and biology, including protein-protein interaction and organ-organ systems.
Research Labs
Research labs in molecular medicine investigate some of modern medicine's most pressing challenges. Projects include the study of nicotine and the functional roles of nicotinic acetylcholine receptors in the central nervous system, the regulation of presynaptic neurotransmitter release, and the regulation of tumor metastasis and angiogenesis by tyrosine kinase signaling in childhood brain tumors.
In the Brain and Navigation Lab, research probes the reasons why some people never get lost, while others are easily disoriented, delving into issues such as visual space perception and navigation and self-motion sensing.