Alzheimer’s drug discovery training program set

Paul Trippier, PhD, associate professor in the UNMC College of Pharmacy, and Howard Fox, MD, PhD, professor in the UNMC College of Medicine, collaborated on a $1.2 million grant from the National Institute on Aging to establish a training program focused on Alzheimer's Disease and Related Dementias Drug Discovery (ADRD3).

This prestigious T32 training grant provides funds for up to six PhD-level graduate students per year for the next five years. Students will have the opportunity to conduct interdisciplinary research to identify new targets, new models and new drugs for the potential treatment of Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias. The students will interact with clinicians who care for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease, so they can see potential areas where their research can improve human health.

"Funded training grants are the mark of a nationally recognized program," said Jennifer Larsen, MD, vice chancellor for research.

The ADRD3 is the third T32 program at UNMC and complements UNMC’s other research in Alzheimer’s disease and related dementias.

"UNMC has world-renowned experts in drug discovery, Alzheimer’s disease pathophysiology, disease models and clinical care," Dr. Fox said. "This training grant brings these faculty together to provide a unique environment for graduate students to be fully immersed in basic, translational and clinical research."

The training program will include specialized didactic courses in drug discovery and the molecular basis of neurodegenerative diseases, as well as a new journal club and Alzheimer’s disease drug discovery conference.

"Drug discovery is an interdisciplinary undertaking that involves scientists from many different areas," Dr. Trippier said. "This training program will guide students in their training to work with multiple scientific areas to best serve Alzheimer’s disease patients."

There will be an announcement for new graduate student applications this summer with a start date of August. Any student with an interest in Alzheimer’s disease or related fields who has questions about the program can contact either Dr. Trippier or Dr. Fox.