Basic Laboratory Research
Clinical and Translational Research
Center for Clinical and Translational Research (CCTR)
Basic Laboratory Research
Addiction and Abuse of Drugs
Strengths are in behavioral and molecular studies of central nervous system agonists and antagonists of receptors for cannabinoids, opiates, nicotine and alcohol as well as the identification of genes involved in addiction.
PhD and Masters degrees are awarded in Pharmacology and Toxicology and Human Genetics. An Institutional Training Grant supports pre- and postdoctoral students doing research in this area. Investigators are located primarily in the following Departments:
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Allergy and Immunology
Strengths are in immediate hypersensitivity, mast cell biology, tumor immunology, T cell biology and cytokine signaling.
The Departments of Microbiology/Immunology and Biochemistry award advanced degrees to students doing research in this area. An Institutional Training Grant supports predoctoral students. Faculty are in the following Departments:
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Cancer Biology
Strengths are in therapy of hematologic malignancies, cell signaling, cell response to radiation, epigenetic control of hematologic processes, cancer immunology and cancer genomics.
The faculty performing research in this area are members of the Massey Cancer Center and most have their laboratories in the new Goodwin Research Building. Two Institutional Training Grants support pre and postdoctoral students doing research in this area. Students who work with these investigators can get degrees in the following Departments:
In addition to the Departments listed above that grant PhD degrees, faculty have their primary appointments in the following Departments:
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Cell and Molecular Signaling
Strengths are in cell signaling in cancer and bacterial cells and, in particular, in the role of lipids in cell signaling.
Students doing research in this area can get PhD and Masters degrees in:
An Institutional Training Grant supports postdoctoral students doing research in this area. In addition to the Departments above, faculty doing research in this area are also in the following Departments:
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Gastrointestinal Physiology and Hepatology
Strengths include the entire nervous system, enteric ion channels, hepatic and gut cholesterol metabolism and hepatic steatosis. And Institutional Training Grant supports postdoctoral students. Advanced degrees are awarded in:
Faculty performing research in this area are also in the Department of Internal Medicine.
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Molecular Biology and Genetics
A formal interdisciplinary training program, called MBG, has been created for advanced degree students that merges coursework from various graduate programs and has its own seminars and journal clubs. The coordinator is Gail Christie, PhD. Participating Departments include:
Students can pursue advanced degrees in any of these four disciplines.
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Molecular Cardiology and Vascular Disease
Strengths include study of cardiac ion channels, vascular and tissue oxygen exchange, vascular signaling mechanisms in normal and diseases endothelium and mechanism and treatment of myocardial ischemia/reperfusion injury. Masters and PhD degrees in this area are awarded by the following Departments:
Faculty doing research in these areas are also in the Departments of:
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Neuroscience
Strengths in this area lie in traumatic brain injury, substances of abuse, genetic basis of behavior and neurological disease, neurodegeneration, apilepsy and the neurologic basis of sensation.
A PhD degree is awarded in this discipline and there is an Institutional Training Grant (T32) that supports predoctoral students. The integrated program is coordinated by Les Satin, PhD and involves faculty from the following Departments:
In addition to getting a PhD in Neuroscience, students can get a Masters or PhD degree in:
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Pathogenic Microbiology and Vaccinology
Strengths are in the pathogenesis of infectious diseases, staphylococcal infections, vaccine development and evaluation, microbial genomics and the resistance of pathogens to antiinfective agents.
Students can obtain PhD and Masters degrees in the Department of Microbiology and Immunology. An Institutional Training Grant (T32) supports both predoctoral and postdoctoral students. Fasulty doing research in this area are in the following Departments:
Reproductive Biology
Strengths include the molecualar basis of preeclampsia, regulation of steroidgenesis, the genetic basis of polycystic ovary syndrome, mechanisms of fetal membrane rupture, the molecular basis of sperm motility and folliculogenesis. Advanced degrees are awarded in:
Faculty doing research in this area are also in the Departments of:
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Clinical and Translational Research
Center for Clinical and Translational Research (CCTR)
CCTR is an incubator for all clinical research to be performed in the five schools on the MCV Campus. VCU has received an NIH Planning Grant to develop the Center and formulate curricula for advanced degrees (both Masters and PhD) in Clinical and Translational Research. Many of these studies in the School of Medicine are coordinated by and run in the General Clinical Research Center.
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Clinical Research Programs in the School of Medicine include:
Biostatistics
Investigators in the Department of Biostatistics collaborate with clinical researchers in other departments on clinical trial design, statistical analysis of trial data and bioinformatics.
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Cancer
Investgators in the Massey Cancer Center study new chemotherapy coupled with bone marrow transplant and radiation therapy.
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Diabetes, Obesity and Metabolic Disease
Departments of Internal Medicine and Pediatrics, Divisions of Endocrinology and Gastroenterology. Investigators study patients with interlinked conditions: Type II diabetes, the metabolic syndrome, insulin resistance, polycystic ovary disease and hepatic steatosis.
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Hepatitis C and HIV- Hepatitis C Coinfection
Department of Internal Medicine, Divisions of Gastroenterology and Infectious Disease. NIH - funded clinical trials are directed at therapy for these infections.
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HIV/AIDS
HIV-infected patients participate in clinical trials for new therapy or therapeutic regimes. This is coordinated by the HIV/AIDS Center through clinical trial grants from industry and the NIH.
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Liver Transplantation
Living donor and hepatocyte transplantation studies are conducted by investigators in the Departments of Surgery and Internal Medicine.
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Mood and Anxiety Disorders
Investigators in the Department of Psychiatry and the Mood Disorders Institute (MDI) perform clinical trials that help patients cope with mood and anxiety disorders and also deal with women's mental health issues.
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Parkinson's Disease
The Hunter Holmes McGuire Veterans Administration Hospital houses one of six Parkinson's Disease Research, Education and Clinical Centers (PADRECC) in the country, serving patients in the Southeastern United States. It is coordinated by the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
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Schizophrenia
Investigators in the Virginia Center for Psychiatris and Behavioral Genetics (VIPBG) study the epidemiology and genetic basis of schizophrenia using databases collected from large population groups and the MATR.
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Status Epilepticus
Investigators in the Department of Neurology coordinate multicenter epilepsy trials and data collection.
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Substance Abuse
Investigators in the Departments of Psychiatry, Pharmacology and Toxicology and the Virginia Center for Psychiatris and Behavioral Genetics (VIPBG) study the epidemiology and treatment of individuals who abuse drugs and alcohol.
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Twin Studies
The Mid-Atlantic Twin Registry (MATR) is a unique resource coordinated by investigators in the Department of Human Genetics that collects and maintains an extensive twin database.
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VCU Reanimation Engineering and Shock (VCURES)
Investigators in the Departments of Emergency Medicine, Anesthesiology, Surgery and Physiology conduct studies on the treatment of shock and the use of blood substitutes.
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Virginia Ambulatory Care Outcomes Research Network (ACORN)
The Department of Family Practice operates a statewide, practice-based research network with the mission of collecting longitudinal data on the health status of primary care patients and on the effectiveness and quality of the care they receive.
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