Animal Models of Infectious Diseases Training Program (AMID T32)
Objectives
The Animal Models of Infectious Diseases Training Program, funded by the National Institutes of Health (NIH), established for the first time a training grant in microbiology at UC Davis. The program seeks to train talented graduate students to conduct studies of human infectious diseases using animal models and novel biological methods that are evolving from the revolutions in genomics and bioinformatics. The co-localization of the Graduate School, the Schools of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine, and the California National Primate Research Center combine to make UC Davis a unique environment in which to conduct this training. The environment is further enhanced by a major genomics initiative at UC Davis. The mentors for the training program are 23 NIH-funded investigators at UC Davis, whose work uses animal models to better understand a broad range of viral and bacterial human pathogens.
Seven students are funded each year, with renewal for one year contingent on satisfactory research progress. Projects of recent trainees include studies of Helicobacter pylori, Yersinia enterocolitica, HIV, Influenza, Malaria, HIV, Salmonella, and Borrelia burgdorferi using both mouse and primate models. Training emphasizes rigorous scientific research, oral and written scientific communication, and interaction with a broad range of scientists interested in animal models of human infectious diseases.