The goal of the Graduate Program in Cell, Molecular and Developmental Biology (CMDB) is to train highly skilled research scientists. Approximately two dozen faculty and thirty students are engaged in this mission. Emphasis on laboratory research, combined with didactic courses, journal clubs, and research forums helps students to develop the analytical, technical, and communication skills necessary for productive careers in the biomedical sciences. The program is supported in part by a training grant from the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development. A Program Project grant on cell-matrix interactions is also funded by the NIH. Major fields of research in the department emphasize the use of molecular and imaging techniques in cell, developmental, and reproductive biology. In the areas of cell and developmental biology, major research programs focus on the influences of extracellular matrix on cell behavior in embryonic development, tissue remodeling and tumorigenesis, regulation of cell proliferation, vascular pathobiology, cell cycle controls, the role of contractile proteins in cell motility, and mechanisms of membrane sorting and transport. In the area of reproductive biology, major research programs
include studies of the function of the hypothalamic pituitary-gonadal axis in adult mammals in relation to cyclicity, ovulation, fertilization, preimplantation,
embryo development, the establishment and maintenance of pregnancy, and
reproductive decline in aging mammals.

All of the most powerful cellular, molecular, and biochemical techniques are employed in the laboratories of program faculty. These include: gene microarray anaylsis, gene cloning, transgenic and knock-out mice, gene silencing, cell culture, monoclonal antibodyproduction, radioimmunoassay, immunocytochemistry and immunoelectron microscopy, confocal microscopy, and computer-based image analysis.

The CMDB Program participates in the Integrated Studies Program (ISP) along with the Cellular and Molecular Physiology Program and the Biochemistry Program. The ISP is a joint admissions and first-year academic program and is the portal of entry for all students interested in any one of these three programs. Upon completion of the first-year interdisciplinary core curriculum, students select a thesis advisor from approximately 60 faculty who comprise the three programs in the ISP. This choice determines which program they enter; if a thesis advisor in the CMDB Program is chosen, the student will complete two more specialized courses that will be selected to prepare the student for his/her thesis project. The unique features of the ISP are highlighted on the ISP home page and on different pages within the CMDB website.

Candidates for admission through the ISP should demonstrate superior performance in their undergraduatecurriculum (a grade point average of B or better) with emphasis in the areas of: biology, chemistry(inorganic and organic), and mathematics. Acceptance is based on criteria such as academic transcripts, references, and the Graduate Record Examination. Since demonstration of research potential is a major factor in the admissions decision, basic research laboratory experience can significantly strengthen the candidate's
credentials.