Pharm. D. pathways to biomedical research: the National Institutes of Health special conference on pharmacy research.

To address the shortage of research-trained pharmaceutical scientists (or doctor of pharmacy [Pharm.D.] scientists), a 2-day pharmacy research conference titled "Pharm.D. Pathways to Biomedical Research" was convened on December 13-14, 2006, at the National Institutes of Health (NIH) campus (Bethesda, MD). The workshop included invited speakers and participants from academia, industry, and government. Forty-two pharmacy schools were represented, including deans and clinical pharmaceutical scientists with current NIH funding. In addition, several pharmacy professional organizations were represented--American Association of Colleges of Pharmacy, American College of Clinical Pharmacy, American Society of Health-System Pharmacists, and the Accreditation Council on Pharmaceutical Education. The workshop was divided into three sessions followed by breakout discussion groups: the first session focused on presentations by leading pharmaceutical scientists who described their path to success; the second session examined the NIH grant system, particularly as it relates to training opportunities in biomedical research and funding mechanisms; and the third session addressed biomedical research education and training from the perspective of scientific societies and academia. We summarize the discussions and findings from the workshop and highlight some important considerations for the future of research in the pharmacy community. This report also puts forth recommendations for educating future pharmaceutical scientists.

Amebocyte production begins at stage 18 during embryogenesis in Limulus polyphemus, the American horseshoe crab.

Limulus polyphemus, the American horseshoe crab, has a single type of circulating blood cell, the granular amebocyte, which is the horseshoe crab's primary cellular defense against microbial infection. On exposure to gram-negative bacteria or their endotoxins, the amebocytes degranulate, releasing the clotting protein coagulogen and a number of proteases. The protease cascade converts the soluble coagulogen to insoluble coagulin, which forms fibrous clots that seal off the site of infection. The first description of this clotting reaction in the 1950s initiated development of Limulus amebocyte lysate and spurred an intensive study of the amebocytes. However, the site or sites and timing of amebocyte production have yet to be determined. We report here that during embryonic development in Limulus polyphemus, amebocyte production begins at stage 18. The first amebocytes detected are found in developing hemocoel cavities, and the cells may derive from previously undifferentiated yolk nuclei.