The Integrative Molecular and Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program (IMBS) offers a multidisciplinary environment that provides the brightest and most ambitious students with skills needed to become leaders in diverse scientific disciplines.

Our goal is to prepare the next generation of pioneers in biomedical science. Challenging courses, attentive mentoring, and the resources of the largest medical center in the world enable us to meet that goal.

Our program will give you the advantage needed to succeed in your scientific career. We have incorporated the best things about traditional graduate programs—depth of focus and stellar faculty—while eliminating departmental boundaries, rigid curricula and restricted choices. The IMBS Program couples academic rigor with scientific creativity, and breadth of choice with intimate scale. Students enjoy intensive academic training in small group formats and the freedom to design an individualized curriculum with personal guidance from our co-directors.

Throughout your graduate studies, you will keep up-to-date with the research in other IMBS labs, maintaining the Program’s integrative theme even after you join a specific

lab. Upon graduation, you will have a solid foundation in the concepts and cutting-edge techniques of modern biology

and will appreciate the integration of diverse approaches and systems. You will be the world-expert on your research topic.

Research training is built on the same fundamentals as your future scientific career: scholarship, intellectual curiosity,

intensive research, and networking skills, combined with one-on-one mentoring.

The IMBS program has been supported for 25 years by a competitive training grant from the National Institute of General Medical Sciences

(GM008231).

Integrative Molecular and Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program discover

HIGHLIGHTS• • • Competitive stipend of $29,000; tuition scholarship; health insurance; Dean’s Award for Excellence provides an additional $3,000 to students who obtain a nationally competitive fellowship.• • • $500 awards given to the top performing students each year.• • • Students regularly win nationally competitive fellowships from the National

Institutes of Health, Ford Foundation, Department of Defense and National Science Foundation.

• • • Small class size allows one-on-one interactions with some of the nation’s top scientists.

• • • The Program has more than 110 internationally recognized and well-funded faculty, including members of the National Academy of Sciences, Howard Hughes Medical Institute investigators, and recipients of a variety of other prestigious awards. Program faculty have made seminal discoveries, including the molecular basis for common forms of Autism Spectrum Disorders, Rett syndrome, Spinocerebella ataxias, Prada-Willi and Angelman syndromes; pioneering links between p53, cancer and aging; and sequencing of the genomes of humans, other species, and microbiomes.

• • • IMBS students can join a Cancer Biology Track or a Biology of Aging Track, which provide opportunities to integrate basic research findings with a translational perspective.

MAjoR RESEARCH INTERESTS• • • Stem Cell Biology• • • Molecular Mechanisms of Disease• • • Cancer, Cell Cycle and Growth Control• • • The Human Microbiome Project• • • Functional Genomics/Proteomics• • • Gene Expression and Regulation• • • Developmental Biology• • • Signal Transduction and Membrane Biology• • • Structural and Computational Biology• • • Small Molecule Drug Screens/Development• • • Human Gene Therapy• • • Biology of Aging• • • The Human Genome Project• • • Infectious Disease

SuSan J. Marriott, Ph.D. Director Integrative Molecular and Biomedical Sciences Graduate Program Professor Molecular Virology and Microbiology

www.bcm.edu/imbs imbsprog@bcm.edu

713-798-6557

The Graduate School of Biomedical SciencesOne Baylor Plaza, Room N204, Houston, TX 77030

EMPHASIS oN FACuLTy-STuDENT INTERACTIoNA first-year class size of only 14 to 17 students ensures a personal level of interaction between faculty and students that cannot always be achieved in larger graduate programs. As a result, each student receives individual attention from faculty, even before they join a thesis lab. IMBS co-directors provide academic advice, meeting individually with you to recommend courses based on your interests and academic background, and to help you identify and evaluate lab rotations. Co-directors and other IMBS faculty participate in the Directors’ Course exclusively for first-year IMBS students, providing ample opportunity to interact closely and learn with highly successful faculty.

This attention does not end once you join a laboratory. The five co-directors diligently follow the progress of each student from admission to graduation from the IMBS program.

APPLICATIoN REQuIREMENTS AND PRoCESSApplicants should have a bachelor’s degree (or the equivalent) in a relevant area of science with coursework in biology, chemistry, and biochemistry. Research experience is strongly recommended.

••• Complete the FREE on-line application••• Personal statement about your research experience and

career goals••• Official transcripts from each college or university attended••• Three letters of recommendation; at least one from a research

supervisor••• Official GRE scores (not more than three years old); the

General test is required; the Subject test is recommended••• TOEFL is required for foreign applicants who attended a non-

English-speaking university. Test scores must not be more than two years old at time of application.

FIRST-yEAR CuRRICuLuMA wide range of courses is available during the first year, including core courses (taught by the Graduate School) and specialty courses (offered by individual departments & programs).

The academic year is organized into five terms, each two months long. Most students take six to eight hours of coursework each term, leaving plenty of time for research rotations in potential thesis laboratories. You can complete the required 30 didactic course hours by the end of the first year.

Your first-year curriculum can be individualized to compliment courses taken during your undergraduate and/or master’s studies. To ensure you have acquired a broad base of knowledge by the end of the first year, we offer a curriculum that mixes elective courses with required courses and flexible required courses. The courses will provide you with a solid foundation in modern molecular and cellular biology and their application to human disease-related research.

REQuIRED CouRSES

Term 1 •••Organization of the Cell (2 hrs.) Molecular Methods (3 hrs.) Genetics A (2 hrs.) Science as a Profession - Ethics Years 1-4 (2 hrs.)

Term 2 •••Cell Division (2 hrs.) Method and Logic in Molecular Biology (3 hrs.)

or Method and Logic in Translational Biology (2 hrs)

Term 3 •••Macromolecules: Structure and Interactions (3 hrs.) Gene Regulation (3 hrs.)

FLExIBLE REQuIRED CouRSESChoose a least one course from each of the five categories: Category 1 •••Cancer/Agingterm2 Cancer (1 hr.) term4 Introduction Molecular Carcinogenesis (3 hrs.) term4 Translational Cancer Biology (2 hrs.) term4 Biology of Aging and Age Related Diseases (3 hrs.)

Category 2 •••Geneticsterm2 Genetics B (2 hrs.) term3 Mammalian Genetics (2 hrs.) term4 Genetics of Animal Viruses* (3 hrs.) term4 Gene and Cell Therapy (2 hrs.)

Category 3 •••Development/Neuroscienceterm2 Development (2 hrs.) term3 Evolutionary Conservation of Developmental Mechanisms (3 hrs.) term3 Neuroscience (1 hr.) term4 Neural Development (3 hrs.) term4 Concepts of Learning and Memory (2 hrs.) term4 Neurobiology of Disease (3 hrs.)

Category 4 •••Immunology/Microbiology/Virologyterm2 Immunology (3 hrs.) term2 Bacterial Structure and Function (3 hrs.)

term3 Immunology (1 hr.) term4 Molecular Immunology (3 hrs.)

Category 5 •••Statistical/Quantitative Analysisterm4 Introduction to Biostatistics (2 hrs.) term4 Biostatistics for Translational Researchers (3 hrs.)

*odd years only

PRoGRAM-SPECIFIC CouRSESAn important feature of the IMBS Program is a pair of courses specifically designed for IMBS students.

DIRECTORS’ COURSE••• This course is exclusively for first year IMBS students and is

taught by IMBS directors and faculty. Students will develop both practical and intellectual skills. Each student is mentored to critically evaluate the primary scientific literature, design and interpret experiments, give chalk talks and oral presentations, and develop and defend an NIH-style grant proposal. The friendly format enables each student to excel and get to know the directors early in their graduate career, and encourages close working relationships between IMBS classmates.

IMBS SEMINAR ••• In this weekly IMBS student-run seminar series students present

an annual research update. There is extensive student dialogue and exchange during the question-and-answer period that really enhances the integrative goals of the program. Students display an amazing degree of intellectual rigor and analysis, get fully engaged in each other’s research progress, and gain an appreciation for evolving models and developing technologies in diverse fields. Through these seminars, IMBS students develop scientific presentation skills that have earned awards at national and international meetings and rival those of any Ph.D. student in the U.S.

PRoGRAM ACTIvITIESANNUAL RESEARCH CONFERENCE••• Students and faculty gather for two days of talks and poster

presentations by students. The scientific program, including an invited speaker and talks by new IMBS faculty, is organized completely by IMBS students.

FACULTY RESEARCH TALkS••• During the first two terms, IMBS faculty give brief research

presentations to help incoming students gain a broad perspective of the program and focus their choices of labs for research rotations.

SOCIAL ACTIVITIES••• Apart from the IMBS seminar, there is a reception for new

students, a social evening during the research conference, and other informal get-togethers throughout the year.

RESEARCH RoTATIoNSTwo-month (each term) research rotations allow students to sample three to five different IMBS laboratories to choose a mentor and thesis lab. Three rotations are required prior to making a lab choice. This opportunity to perform experiments and get to know members of a lab provides you with the information needed to choose your thesis lab. Research rotations also help you develop a network of contacts from different IMBS labs around the BCM campus.

FACuLTy/RESEARCH FoCuSDEPARTMENT oF BIoCHEMISTRy AND MoLECuLAR BIoLoGy

WAH CHIu, Ph.D.• • • Structural and computational biology of macromolecular machines and cells.IDo GoLDING, Ph.D.• • • Systems biology; quantitative biology; using physical principles to understand living systems.ADAM KuSPA, Ph.D.• • • Molecular genetics of development and innate immunity in Dictyostelium.jIANPENG MA, Ph.D.• • • Computational molecular biophysics and structural biology.B.v. vENKATARAM PRASAD, Ph.D..• • • Structural biology of viruses and viral proteins.SHELLEy SAzER, Ph.D.• • • Eukaryotic cell-cycle control; evolutionary cell biology; nuclear division; spindle assembly checkpoint;

Ran GTPase.ANNA SoKAC, Ph.D.• • • Using quantitative, live-cell imaging to understand how actin and membrane work together to drive

morphogenesis.zHou SoNGyANG, Ph.D.• • • Molecular mechanisms of signal transduction.FRANCIS T. F. TSAI, D.Phil.• • • Structural and functional studies of protein complexes and macromolecular assemblies.

SALIH WAKIL, Ph.D.• • • Mechanism and regulation of fatty acid metabolism.

THEoDoRE G. WENSEL, Ph.D.• • • G-protein signaling in neurons.

THoMAS WESTBRooK, Ph.D.• • • RNAi-based strategies to discover mechanisms of cancer genesis and new therapeutic entry points for

cancer patients.

joHN H. WILSoN, Ph.D.• • • Instability of trinucleotide repeats; knock-in mouse models for retinitis pigmentosa; gene therapy of

dominant rhodopsin mutations.

zHENG zHou, PH.D.• • • Molecular genetic studies of clearance of apoptotic and necrotic cells in C.elegans.

LESTER & SuE SMITH BREAST CENTERSuzANNE A.W. FuQuA, PH.D.

• • • The role of mutant estrogen receptor in resistance to hormonal therapies and breast cancer metastasis.

xIANG zHANG, Ph.D.• • • The role of microenvironment in breast cancer metastasis.

HuFFINGToN CENTER oN AGINGWEIWEI DANG, PH.D.

• • • Epigenetic regulation mechanisms during aging and oncogenesis.

FRED A. PEREIRA, Ph.D.• • • Signaling pathways in auditory development, aging and cancer.ERGuN SAHIN, M.D., Ph.D • • • The regulation of telomerase and the mechanism underlying telomere driven ageing.

CoNTINuED...

Houston is home to one of the most heterogeneous populations nationally, if not worldwide, and BCM seeks to reflect our community with regard to gender, culture and life experiences, age, disability, race, ethnicity, geography, religion, sexual orientation and socioeconomic status. Diversity strengthens our institution by increasing talent and ensuring a fuller perspective. It helps BCM to reduce disparities in health and healthcare access, to address the needs of the community we serve, and to achieve our organizational goals.

Thus, BCM is committed to the recruitment and retention of excellent students, trainees, faculty and staff who represent the full diversity of Houston and our nation, and to the provision of a welcoming, supportive environment for all members of the BCM community.

MENG WANG, Ph.D.• • • Systemic studies of endocrine and metabolic signaling in

promoting healthy aging.HuI zHENG, Ph.D.• • • Molecular genetics of Alzheimer’s disease and age-related

disorders.

DEPARTMENT oF MEDICINELAWRENCE CHAN, M.B., B.S., D.SC.

• • • Molecular pathogenesis of diabetic complications, obesity, and gene therapy of diabetes.

N.ToNy EISSA, M.D.• • • Innate immunity and inflammation.

PAuL E. KLoTMAN, M.D.• • • HIV-related kidney disease.

NoAH F. SHRoyER, PH.D.• • • Gastrointestinal stem cells, tissue engineering, and cancer.

LI-yuAN yu-LEE, Ph.D.• • • Signaling pathways in immune and inflammatory responses and

cancer.

DEPARTMENT oF MoLECuLARAND CELLuLAR BIoLoGyWILLIAM (B.R.) BRINKLEy, Ph.D.

• • • Factors in the nucleus and mitotic apparatus affecting genomic instability in cancer.

KEITH SySoN CHAN, Ph.D.• • • Urothelial cancer stem cells in metastasis and therapeutic responses.

ERIC CHANG, Ph.D.• • • Growth and signaling regulation by Ras G-proteins.

oRLA CoNNEELy, Ph.D.• • • Nuclear receptors in hematological cancers.

AuSTIN j. CooNEy, Ph.D.• • • Nuclear receptor regulation of embryonic stem cell function.

FRANCESCo j. DEMAyo, Ph.D.• • • Molecular and developmental biology of the lung and uterus.

xIN-HuA FENG, Ph.D.• • • Protein modifications and cell signaling in cell fate determination,

development and cancer.

MILAN A. jAMRICH, Ph.D.• • • Role of homeobox and forkhead genes in vertebrate eye development.

WEEI-CHIN LIN, M.D., Ph.D.• • • Cell cycle regulators and novel cancer therapeutic targets.

DAvID D. MooRE, Ph.D.• • • Nuclear hormone receptors regulate metabolism and cancer.

HoANG NGuyEN, Ph.D.• • • Skin epithelial stem cell fate maintenance and lineage

determination.

BERT W. o’MALLEy, M.D.• • • Steroid receptors and coactivators regulate gene expression in

normal and disease states.

joANNE S. RICHARDS, Ph.D.• • • Hormonal control of ovarian follicle development, ovulation and

cancer.

jEFFREy M. RoSEN, Ph.D.• • • Mammary gland development and breast cancer.

DAvID R. RoWLEy, Ph.D.• • • The tumor microenvironment in cancer progression.

MING-jER TSAI, Ph.D.• • • Transcription factors in development and diseases.

NANCy L. WEIGEL, Ph.D.• • • Steroid receptors and cell signaling in prostate and breast cancer.

LI xIN, Ph.D.• • • Prostate epithelial stem cells, homeostasis and carcinogenesis.

jIANMING xu, Ph.D.• • • Transcriptional control of development and hormonally promoted

breast and prostate cancers.

DEPARTMENT oF MoLECuLARAND HuMAN GENETICSDAvID B. BATES, PH.D.• • • Chromosome dynamics, molecular mechanisms of DNA

replication, and cell cycle control in E. coli.ARTHuR L. BEAuDET, M.D.• • • Neuronal carnitine deficiency as a risk factor for autism; Prader-

Willi and Angelman syndrome; genotype correlations for CHRNA7; molecular diagnosis In the CLIA lab.

RICHARD A. GIBBS, Ph.D.• • • Genomics; genome sequencing; molecular basis of human genetic

diseases.jASoN HEANEy, Ph.D.• • • Testicular and colon cancer genetics, stem/progenitor cell

maintenance, and mouse models of human diseases.CHRISToPHE HERMAN, Ph.D.• • • Regulation of cellular processes and quality control by an ATP

dependent membrane protease.GREG IRA, PH.D.• • • Cellular responses to DNA repair and recombination.

BRENDAN LEE, M.D., Ph.D.• • • Genetic pathways that specify development and homeostasis;

Translational studies of skeletal development and urea cycle disorders, and therapy for metabolic diseases.

oLIvIER LICHTARGE, M.D., Ph.D.• • • Computational and systems biology; rational protein engineering;

inhibition of protein interactions and drug design.

jAMES R. LuPSKI, M.D., Ph.D.• • • Molecular genetics of Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease and related

inherited neuropathies; molecular mechanisms for human DNA rearrangements; genomic disorders, copy number variation (CNV) and disease.

MICHAEL L. METzKER, Ph.D.• • • Next-generation technology for genome sequencing; novel

fluorescence imaging; molecular genetics of diabetics; phylogenetic analysis of HIV-1 transmission between individuals.

DAISuKE NAKADA, Ph.D.• • • Molecular and genetic analysis of stem cell function and cancer.

DAvID L. NELSoN, Ph.D.• • • Human genetic disorders; fragile X syndrome; unstable DNA and

neurodegeneration.SuSAN M. RoSENBERG, Ph.D.• • • Genome instability in evolution, cancer and antibiotic resistance.MARCo SARDIELLo, Ph.D.• • • Regulatory networks of cell metabolism and neurological disorders.KENNETH SCoTT, Ph.D.• • • Cancer gene discovery, pathways governing tumor metastasis; animal

models for cancer.GAD SHAuLSKy, Ph.D.• • • Allorecognition, evolution of sociality and functional genomics in

Dictyostelium.CHENGHANG zoNG, Ph.D.• • • Single cell analyses for tumorigenesis and stem cell differentiation.

DEPARTMENT oF MoLECuLARPHySIoLoGy AND BIoPHySICSMARy DICKINSoN, Ph.D.• • • Vital microscopy of heart development and angiogenesis.WILLIAM LAGoR, Ph.D.• • • Regulation of lipid and lipoprotein metabolism.

IRINA LARINA, PH.D.• • • Development and application of highly innovative methods for

live dynamic imaging and analysis of mammalian embryonic development.

joEL NEILSoN, PH.D.• • • Post-transcriptional gene regulation in mammalian development and

disease by microRNAs and RNA-binding proteins.

STEEN E. PEDERSEN, Ph.D.• • • Ion channel function and structure.xANDER H.T. WEHRENS, M.D., Ph.D.• • • Regulation of cardiac ion channels in normal and diseased hearts.PuMIN zHANG, Ph.D.• • • Cell-cycle regulation in development and disease.

DEPARTMENT oF MoLECuLARvIRoLoGy AND MICRoBIoLoGyjANET S. BuTEL, PH.D.• • • Polyomaviruses and pathogenesis of infection and disease.LAWRENCE A. DoNEHoWER, Ph.D.• • • Tumor suppressors and mouse cancer and aging models.MARy K. ESTES, Ph.D.• • • Molecular mechanisms regulating vital–intestinal cell interactions

and pathogenesis.RoNALD jAvIER, Ph.D.• • • Adenoviruses and viral oncology.jASoN T. KIMATA, Ph.D.• • • Mechanisms of retroviral persistence and disease.

RICHARD E. LLoyD, Ph.D.• • • Control of translation in virus infection and cell stress.ANTHoNy W. MARESSo, Ph.D.• • • Pathogenesis of bacterial infections.SuSAN j. MARRIoTT, Ph.D.• • • Cellular transformation mediated by human retroviruses.joSEPH F. PETRoSINo, Ph.D.• • • Functional genomics of biodefense and emerging infectious

disease pathogens.REBECA RICo-HESSE, Ph.D., M.P.H• • • Mosquito transmission and pathogenesis of dengue viruses, using a

new, humanized mouse model of disease.

BETTy L. SLAGLE, Ph.D.• • • Viral hepatitis and liver cancer.

LyNN zECHIEDRICH, Ph.D.• • • Antibiotic resistance, DNA structure/function; non-viral DNA vectors

for gene therapy.

DEPARTMENT oF NEuRoLoGyjEFFREy L. NoEBELS, M.D., PH.D.• • • Gene control of neuronal network excitability.

DEPARTMENT oF NEuRoSCIENCEBENjAMIN DENEEN, PH.D.• • • Glial cell development and disease.

ANDREW K. GRovES, Ph.D.• • • Development and regeneration of the inner ear.MATTHEW N. RASBAND, PH.D.• • • Molecular basis of assembly of electrogenic compartments of

axons; role of neuronal-glial signaling in brain development, functions, injury and disease.

KIMBERLEy R. ToLIAS, Ph.D.• • • Molecular mechanisms regulating synapse development and

plasticity and cell migration in the brain.

DEPARTMENT oF PATHoLoGyAND IMMuNoLoGyTHoMAS A. CooPER, M.D. • • • Alternative splicing regulation in development and disease.H. DANIEL LACoRAzzA, Ph.D. • • • Genetic control of hematopoiesis. Mouse models to study the

pathobiology and treatment of lymphoid and myeloid leukemias.DARIo MARCHETTI, Ph.D.• • • The biology, biomarker discovery, and therapeutic utility of

Circulating Tumor Cells (CTCs) in cancer metastasis.GRAEME MARDoN, Ph.D.• • • Molecular mechanisms controlling retinal development.RICHARD N. SIFERS, Ph.D.• • • Glycobiology; posttranslational disease modifiers; conformational

disease.jAMES vERSALovIC, M.D., Ph.D.• • • The intestinal microbiome; beneficial microbes and host

interactions, probiotics; innate immunity, and intestinal inflammation.

jIN WANG, Ph.D. • • • Molecular regulation of immune responses by apoptosis and autophagy.LAISING yEN, Ph.D. • • • RNA-based molecular switches and biosensors; cancer

transcriptome analyses.

DEPARTMENT oF PEDIATRICS

ALISoN BERTuCH, M.D., Ph.D.• • • Telomere structure, maintenance and function, and DNA double-

strand break repair.

MARIA ELENA BoTTAzzI, PH.D.• • • Translational research and vaccine development for neglected

tropical diseases.MARGARET A. GooDELL, Ph.D.• • • Molecular regulation of hematopoietic stem cells.KENDAL HIRSCHI, Ph.D.• • • Plant biology related to human nutrition and environmental

issues.PETER j. HoTEz, M.D., Ph. D.• • • Neglected tropical diseases and vaccine development.

LoNING Fu, Ph.D.• • • Role of the circadian clock in cancer development and therapy.SHARoN E. PLoN, M.D., Ph.D.• • • Genetic susceptibility to cancer; molecular mechanisms that

control genomic stability.yoNG xu, M.D., Ph.D.• • • Understanding CNS control of body weight, glucose balance, and

cardiovascular functions.jASoN T. yuSTEIN, M.D., Ph.D.• • • Insights into molecular pathogenesis of pediatric sarcomas.HuDA y. zoGHBI, M.D.• • • Molecular pathogenesis of neurodegenerative and neurodevelop-

mental disorders.

DEPARTMENT oF PHARMACoLoGyPuI-KWoNG CHAN, PH.D.• • • Antitumor agents and mechanism.TIMoTHy G. PALzKILL, Ph.D.• • • Antibiotic resistance; protein structure-function; protein-protein

interactions.jIN WANG, PH.D.• • • Nanomedicine for cancer and cardiovascular disease. Molecular

probes for biological and biomedical imaging.

INTERINSTITuTIoNAL FACuLTyuT MD ANDERSoN CANCER CENTER juNjIE CHEN, PH.D.• • • Mechanisms underlying genomic instability and cancer

development.MICHAEL j. GALKo, Ph.D.• • • Molecular genetics of tissue repair responses in Drosophila

THE METHoDIST HoSPITAL RESEARCH INSTITuTEHENRy PoWNALL, Ph.D.

• • • Identification of the molecular basis of disorders associated with atherosclerosis, obesity, alcoholic hepatitis, and hypertriglyceridemia; dietary studies in human subjects and in animal models; cell culture and gene regulation.

STEPHEN WoNG, PH.D.• • • Integrative biology and imaging for drug repositioning, targets

discovery, and clinical diagnosis and intervention in cancer and neurological disorders.

FACuLTy/RESEARCH FoCuS (cont.)