Grant: Collaborative Research and Training Experience

The proposed CREATE program (Medicinal Chemistry Network in Epigenetics Training; ChemNET) willtrain the next generation of medicinal chemists within an open access, international research collaboration involving four Canadian universities, the Structural Genomics Consortium (SGC) - a not-for-profit research organization based at the University of Toronto, and the international research labs of Pfizer, Novartis and GSK. The trainees will generate research tools to study the science of epigenetics, a fundamental gene regulatory mechanism that influences diseases such as cancer, depression and diabetes, as well as bioenergy, livestock science and agriculture. The chemical tools generated will be made available to all researchers without restriction on use, as part of a world-leading movement in open access science.ChemNET trainees will train in universities across Canada, but will also spend time in the international labs of the pharmaceutical companies- the global hotspots for medicinal chemistry. This industry internship is critical because medicinal chemistry is a discipline best learned ""on the job"". ChemNET will also complement the chemistry training with a two-months ""Bootcamp"" at the SGC at the University of Toronto, where the trainees will learn specialized biochemical and biophysical techniques for drug design, in addition to enrolling in a primer course on epigenetics. An Annual Research Symposium will provide the trainees with the opportunity to present their work and network with academic and global industry leaders of medicinal chemistry. A special online seminar course will invite a range of speakers for an open discussion with the trainees on topics of relevance to their training. ChemNET's ultimate objective is to train highly-qualified medicinal chemists for academia, industry or the regulatory divisions of government by developing their technical and theoretical knowledge as well as their communication, collaborative and organizational skills. These scientists will lead Canada's future epigenetics efforts within the pharmaceutical, agriculture and bioenergy sectors.