Molecular Pharmacology
The Molecular Pharmacology Home Area combines training and research opportunities in basic sciences and clinical research. Home Area studies integrate mathematics, engineering, physical, biological and medical sciences to achieve together advances that we cannot achieve individually in three overall areas, based on “the triangle”: (1) understanding the biology of disease, (2) developing new molecular diagnostics and (3) developing new molecular and cellular therapeutics. The Molecular Pharmacology: Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Biology of Disease Home Area offers students opportunities to interact with postdocs, medical fellows, and basic and clinical faculty to explore together the molecular and biological mechanisms that regulate cellular and organ functions (1) to identify and understand molecular errors of disease, (2) to develop biochemical and non-invasive imaging means to diagnose and monitor disease and (3) to develop pharmacological means to correct these errors. The research interests of this home area span a broad range of studies by integrating biological, physical, engineering, imaging and medical sciences to explore mechanisms of disease in biological systems from in silico through studies ranging from single cells to the whole organism level, including encompassing patient studies. We strive to understand basic biological systems and disease states, and—where appropriate—to use these observations to develop both new molecular diagnostic technologies and new molecular therapeutics. Within the Molecular Pharmacology: Diagnostics, Therapeutics and Biology of Disease Home Area research program are the preclinical Crump Institute for Molecular Imaging (CIMI) and the Ahmanson Translational Imaging Division (ATID). Within ATID, with its Nuclear Medicine and PET imaging research and clinical services, students have access to state-of-the-art clinical science and technology and the opportunity to make a direct impact on patient care.