Title: Scottish Clinical Pharmacology & Pathology Programme (SCP3)
Funder: Medical Research Council

Abstract: Scotland offers a world-class environment in which to train future clinical academic leaders. We propose an exciting clinical research fellowship programme (SCP3) that will integrate clinical pharmacology and pathology training across the Scottish Biomedical Universities. We will thereby break the mould of two traditional ?ologies? by integrating training in the combined competencies necessary to dissect complex pathogenesis and promote mechanism-based medicine discovery. SCP3 is built on the notion that mechanistic (pathology)-based approaches comprise an essential prerequisite to successful elucidation of pathogenesis, and therefore drug discovery, development and evaluation in a ?translational medical? environment. A corollary is that research in the UK can be optimised by integrated training for future translational medicine leaders in these disciplines from an early stage. SCP3 will operate within an outstanding research environment ideally suited to achieve this goal. Evidence for such research and environmental excellence resides in excellent recent RAE performance and in consistent, competitive levels of grant income and publication productivity. The rich project resource available to fellows will encompass organ- or tissue-based themes, but will include the opportunity to combine clinical pharmacology and pathology supervisorial teams to truly integrate state-of-the-art molecular/cellular pathology techniques to foster drug development and pathogenesis discovery. Moreover we bring strong, established partnership with Pfizer that will benefit SCP3 both through provision of industrial placements and through access to the state of the art Translational Medicine Research Institute. The programme will focus in the disciplines of cardiovascular, metabolic and inflammation medicine and cancer representing areas of global unmet clinical need and reflecting areas of conspicuous research excellence in Scotland. Fellows selected on the basis of individual excellence will receive comprehensive training in generic skills that will add value to high quality core research training, providing an overall mixture of didactic and flexible laboratory/clinical research based training. Excellent mentorship and supervision built into a flexible programme will ensure a tailored approach to the needs of individual fellows. A robust oversight structure is proposed to ensure prompt recruitment and ongoing management of the programme. We will offer the unique added value of ?run through training? to appointed fellows such that upon satisfactory progress, each recruit will be offered a lecturer position within discipline to facilitate training to senior appointment level. SCP3 will therefore generate a cadre of high quality clinical academics in clinical pharmacology and pathology with the necessary skills to drive forward clinical research excellence in the next decades.


Research activity codes: 2.6 RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE (AETIOLOGY);6.9 RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE (TREATMENT EVALUATION);5.9 RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE (TREATMENT DEVELOPMENT);4.5 RESOURCES AND INFRASTRUCTURE (DETECTION)
Health categories: INFLAMMATORY AND IMMUNE SYSTEM;CANCER AND NEOPLASMS;METABOLIC AND ENDOCRINE;CARDIOVASCULAR