The Life Sciences Fellowship Program supports predoctoral trainees and is open to all life science-related departments and faculty researchers. An interdepartmental committee selects candidates for these training slots, which are highly competitive. The goal of the Life Sciences Fellowship program is that trainees will develop both a high level of expertise and knowledge in their own discipline and, at the same time, an appreciation for the experimental approaches and knowledge of other disciplines. Several mechanisms have been developed to encourage an interdisciplinary approach by both the Life Sciences Fellows and the trainees of this NIGMS-supported training grant, including a LS Seminar series, in which the LS Fellows and NIGMS trainees present their research to their peers and required participation in the annual Life Sciences Week, which brings together more than 300 undergraduate, graduate and postdoctoral researchers across campus in a two-day poster session.

Alex Moore
I am interested in how blood flow to skeletal muscle is regulated, particularly as a muscle transitions from rest to exercise. I use intravital microscopy of the mouse gluteus maximus to study a phenomenon called rapid onset of vasodilation; the ability of a vessel to rapidly dilate in response to a single muscle contraction that precedes buildup of carbon dioxide or metabolic byproducts. The amount of dilation and duration of dilation seems to be decreased as we age, indicating a decreased ability to provide adequate blood flow as muscles change their metabolic rates. My research uses pharmacological interventions to investigate why rapid onset of vasodilation decreases with age, and how we can alleviate this problem.