Bridges to Stem Cell Research, Therapy and Careers: A Talent Development Program for Training Diverse Undergraduates for Careers in Regenerative Medicine

The Bridges to Stem Cell Research (BSCR) program at California State University – Fullerton (CSUF) has provided academic and practical training in stem cell research to a diverse group of students since its inception in 2010. Undergraduate students selected into the program (BSCR Scholars) receive extensive training at CSUF for seven months prior to their year-long, full-time internship in a host stem cell research lab. This intensive 19-month program prepares these students for future laboratory careers. The BSCR program has greatly benefitted the BSCR Scholars, CSUF biology department and state of California. Shortly after being accepted into the program, the eighth cohort of BSCR Scholars enrolled in the summer course – Essential Techniques in Cell Biology. This class teaches students the basics of working in a research lab including recombinant DNA technology, cell culture, Western blots and immunocytochemistry. During the summer, students also conduct research in a CSUF faculty member’s lab. This was a first hands-on research experience for five of the ten 2017-18 BSCR Scholars. This independent research experience links the information that Scholars have learned in the classroom with its direct application in the laboratory. Through this process they also learn for the first time how to implement the planned experiments, the basics of working in a research lab, time management with lab responsibilities and other research-related skills. At the end of August, the Scholars presented their research projects and initial observations at the College of Natural Sciences & Mathematics’ Summer Research Symposium. For the fall semester, BSCR Scholars enrolled in a select set of stem cell-related courses: Stem Cell Biology, Research Ethics, BSCR Professional Seminar, Independent Research and Techniques in Stem Cell Biology lab. These courses provided a jump-start for the students in the theoretical aspects of stem cell biology and hands-on techniques necessary to become effective stem cell researchers. Students are also empowered by learning essential laboratory techniques in the laboratory courses that they utilized in their internship research projects. According to the Scholars, the BSCR curriculum was very effective in preparing them for their internship, and that they were more confident in their research capabilities after their CSUF training. After developing a strong foundation in stem cell research and having planned their internship projects with the internship mentors during the Fall semester, the BSCR Scholars are ready to hit the ground running at their internship sites. The BSCR Scholars conducted their twelve-month, full time internship at a participating host institution lab from January to December, 2018. The CSUF BSCR Scholars gained the rare experience for a CSU student to be involved in full time research at Stanford University, University of California Irvine, and University of Southern California. The BSCR Scholars conducted research on the potential of stem cells for treatment of a vast array of conditions including: Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis, cancer stem cells, cancer therapeutics, Celiac Disease, Huntington's Disease, wound healing, delivery of progenitor cells, and derivation of neural progenitor cell. The BSCR program fosters the transition of the selected participants from a “student” who attends lectures and completes coursework to a “scholar” that is an independent, focused and inspired researcher, who is capable of making scientific contributions in some of the best research labs in California. Research mentors noted that nearly half the undergraduate BSCR Scholars were comparable to first-year Ph.D. students. Five of the scholars were offered a position in their internship labs. Over the past eight years, the CSUF BSCR program has trained 64 undergraduates to become competent stem cell researchers. Approximately, 40% are working as research technicians, 30% are (or were) in medical school or a health-related professional program (e.g., DDS, PharmD), 5% are in Ph.D. programs, 5% are students at CSUF or are in a training program (post-baccalaureate), and 5% are assistants in healthcare fields.

The Bridges to Stem Cell Research (BSCR) program at California State University – Fullerton (CSUF) has provided academic and practical training in stem cell research to a diverse group of students since its inception in 2010. Undergraduate students selected into the program (BSCR Scholars) receive extensive training at CSUF for seven months prior to their year-long, full-time internship in a host stem cell research lab. This intensive 19-month program prepares these students for future laboratory careers. The BSCR program has greatly benefitted the BSCR Scholars, CSUF biology department and state of California. Shortly after being accepted into the program, the ninth cohort of BSCR Scholars enrolled in the summer course – Essential Techniques in Cell Biology. This class teaches students the basics of working in a research lab including recombinant DNA technology, cell culture, Western blots and immunocytochemistry. During the summer, students also conduct research in a CSUF faculty member’s lab. This was a first hands-on research experience for six of the ten 2018-19 BSCR Scholars. This independent research experience links the information that Scholars have learned in the classroom with its direct application in the laboratory. Through this process they also learn for the first time how to implement the planned experiments, the basics of working in a research lab, time management with lab responsibilities and other research-related skills. At the end of August, the Scholars presented their research projects and initial observations at the College of Natural Sciences & Mathematics’ Summer Research Symposium. During August, they also completed three workshops on Research and Stem Cell Ethics, Leadership in Research Projects, and Time Management. For the fall semester, BSCR Scholars enrolled in a select set of stem cell-related courses: Stem Cell Biology, Techniques in Stem Cell Biology lab, BSCR Professional Seminar, Independent Research and Regulatory Affairs: Bench to Bedside. These courses provided a jump-start for the students in the theoretical aspects of stem cell biology and aspects to consider in translational research projects, and hands-on techniques necessary to become effective stem cell researchers. Students are also empowered by learning essential laboratory techniques in the laboratory courses that they utilized in their internship research projects. After developing a strong foundation in stem cell research and having planned their internship projects with the internship mentors during the Fall semester, the BSCR Scholars are ready to hit the ground running at their internship sites. The BSCR Scholars conducted their twelve-month, full time internship at a participating host institution lab from January to December, 2019. The CSUF BSCR Scholars gained the rare experience for a CSU student to be involved in full time research at Sanford Burnham Prebys Institution, Stanford University, and University of California Irvine. The BSCR Scholars conducted research on the potential use of stem cells for treatment of a vast array of conditions including: Alzheimer's disease, epilepsy, melanoma, recovery after radiation therapy, small cell lung cancer, spinal cord injury, and traumatic brain injury. One of them also worked on identification and characterization of skeletal stem cells, while two others directed differentiation of human stem cells into neurons or thymic epithelial cells. The BSCR program fosters the transition of the selected participants from a “student” who attends lectures and completes coursework to a “scholar” that is an independent, focused and inspired researcher, who is capable of making scientific contributions in some of the best research labs in California. Four of the scholars were offered a position in their internship labs. Over the past nine years, the CSUF BSCR program has trained 82 undergraduates to become competent stem cell researchers. Approximately, 40% are working as research technicians, 30% are (or were) in medical school or a health-related professional program (e.g., DDS, PharmD), 5% are in Ph.D. programs, 5% are students at CSUF or are in a training program (post-baccalaureate), and 5% are assistants in healthcare fields.

The Bridges to Stem Cell Research (BSCR) program at California State University – Fullerton (CSUF) has provided academic and practical training in stem cell research to a diverse group of 89 students since its inception in 2010. Undergraduate students selected into the program (BSCR scholars) receive extensive training at CSUF for seven months prior to their year-long, full-time internship in a host stem cell research lab. This intensive 19-month program prepares these students for careers in research and healthcare. The 7 BSCR Scholars completed the following courses from June to December, 2019: (1) Essential Techniques in Cell Biology, which teaches students the basics of working in a research lab including recombinant DNA technology, cell culture, Western blots, immunocytochemistry and reporter gene assays; (2) Stem Cell Biology lecture course, which focuses on fundamental concepts and current approaches in stem cell research; (3) Techniques in Stem Cell Biology lab, where students learn how to maintain stem cell cultures for over three months and use of microscopy, immunocytochemistry, and quantitative PCR to characterize stem cell cultures; (4) Medical Product Development and Regulatory Affairs, which discusses biomedical approaches and regulatory approvals required to bring innovation from bench to bedside and precautionary checks; (5) BSCR Professional Seminar, which guides scholars in preparing a detailed research proposal for their full-time, yearlong internship; and Independent Research Study where scholars carry out a mini-research project to learn how to plan, implement, analyze and troubleshoot cell and molecular biology experiments. The scholars also completed five workshops on curriculum vitae and resume preparation, interviewing for an internship, research and stem cell ethics, leadership in research projects, and time management. BSCR scholars also presented about advances in stem cell research to high school students and their community members, and participated in 40 hours of self-patient engagement activities. These activities over a 7-month period foster the transition of the selected participants from a “student” who attends lectures and completes coursework to a “scholar” that is an independent, focused and inspired researcher, who is capable of making scientific contributions in some of the best research labs in California. The BSCR scholars conducted their twelve-month, full-time internship at Stanford University, University of California Irvine, and University of Southern California from January to December 2020. The BSCR Scholars conducted research on the potential use of human stem cells for the treatment of Alzheimer's disease, Huntington’s Disease, epilepsy, traumatic brain injury, pancreatic cancer, as well as neurodevelopment and cartilage disorders. In mid-March 2020, the pandemic disrupted many well-established processes. All of the CSUF BSCR internship mentors were able to keep the students engaged in research. Despite these hurdles, four of the interns were able to implement their planned research projects and were offered a paid research associate position in their internship labs. One of the interns was awarded a research scholarship, and one published their work in 2020. Evaluation of our interns training over the last four years showed that 70% of the BSCR interns were gauged by their internship mentors to be “above” or “well above expectation” for their ability to carry out cell, molecular, and stem cell biology experiments, and run project-specific assays. When asked to gauge their BSCR intern’s ability to conduct tasks that scientists conduct routinely, the mentors rated that 90% of the CSUF BSCR interns meet their expectations. Over the past 11 years (including the current cohort of interns), the CSUF BSCR program has trained 100 students. More than half of them were Pell Grant recipients (a measure of low household income) and 40% were first-generation to a college degree. Of the 84 BSCR interns that have graduated, 40% were hired by their internship lab as research associates. Currently, a third of them are research associates in academia and biotech industry, 25% are pursuing medical doctor careers, 15% are in graduate school or are post-doctoral fellows, and 7% have specialized degrees or careers. Scientific productivity of the BSCR interns was also very high: 35/84 (42%) have published 82 articles with their internship mentors.

The COVID-19 pandemic underlined the importance of science, education and technological progress. Science and education are among the many components needed for safety and well-being of our communities. In such moments, we realize and appreciate CIRM’s goals to cure ailments that severely debilitate some of our citizens regardless of the pandemic. The Bridges to Stem Cell Research (BSCR) program at California State University – Fullerton (CSUF) has provided academic and practical training in stem cell research to a diverse group of students since its inception in 2010. This objective was successfully met for 2020-21 cohort despite the pandemic. With CIRM’s permission we were able to accept an eleventh intern to fill one of the three intern positions that were not filled in 2019-20. Eleven undergraduate students were selected into the program (BSCR Scholars) in May, 2020, and trained for 7-months at CSUF from June to December, 2020. All their academic, administrative, and technical instructions were provided online and by emails. The program leadership recognized that hands-on activities were going to be impacted, and thus focused on learning different concepts in the field of stem cell biology and the theoretical knowledge behind various techniques used in stem cell research and regenerative medicine. For the one in-person lab course, hands-on skills demonstration were provided through video recordings and as written protocols. These eleven interns were well-versed in fundamental concepts in stem cell biology and were able to gain a stronger understanding of ongoing research through attending the virtual 2020 ISSCR meeting. CSUF’s commitment to the mission of BSCR program in face of the pandemic was apparent in at least four situations described under Program Activities. All in-person activities were susceptible to sudden changes in regulations. The campus was completely closed for most of summer. Drs. Miyamoto and Patel had planned for this and moved up the Stem Cell Biology lecture (B427) courses from fall to summer so that when the campus reopened students would have more time for hands-on activities. We had to offer the Essential Techniques in Cell Biology course (B329) online during summer, which used to be taught during summer from 2010-2019. Techniques in Stem Cell Biology (B429) lab course was offered in-person during fall semester, but with extensive changes in how the class operated. The other two required courses (BSCR Professional Seminar [B480C], and Regulatory Affairs - Bench to Bedside [B425]) were not heavily impacted as moving those courses to online was not difficult. The BSCR scholars are required to enroll in independent research courses (B499L or CHEM 495) and complete a small research project in one of the CSUF laboratories. These credits apply towards graduation requirement for their bachelor’s degrees. This experience was impacted to a greater extent because of dramatic reduction in number of people allowed in a lab on a given day. The importance of these hands-on, independent research experiences was apparent in the fact that the students who had participated in research from 2019 or prior found it easier to startup their research project at the internship site. The scholars also completed three workshops on Research and Stem Cell Ethics, Leadership in Research Projects, and Time Management. All three were led by Dr. Patel. For patient engagement, we initiated a new project to take the place of the regular in-person volunteering: a virtual library of patient experiences, in which the scholars identified web-based resources (videos, blogs), wrote questions about the resource, and then peer reviewed each other’s work. Community outreach was performed via social media, especially around the Proposition 14 initiative. The scholars met with their potential internship mentors online and planned out their internship projects remotely. These scholars/interns completed their 12-month, full-time internship in-person from January to December, 2021. This select group of CIRM-funded interns across California were among the very few individuals that got to participate in research and advance their careers due to their desire to preserve and master the skills needed to be effective researchers. Four of the students came back to CSUF to complete their remaining courses. The remaining seven interns had a full-time job at the end of the internship, with most of them continuing as research technicians in their internship labs.

The Bridges to Stem Cell Research (BSCR) program at California State University Fullerton (CSUF) has provided academic and practical training in stem cell research to 110 undergraduate students since its inception in 2010. Approximately 40% of these 110 interns were first-generation, and 50% were Pell Grant recipients. These students have completed full-time internships with one of 61 internship mentors at six institutions. Over 40% of these interns have published one or more peer-reviewed articles with their mentor, which is an amazing accomplishment for CSUF undergraduates. The internship mentors considered 75% of the interns to either “meet” or be “above expectations” when compared to first-year Ph.D. students at their institutions. More than 50 interns continued as full-time employees in their internship lab after graduating from CSUF. CSUF BSCR alumni work in academia or biotech as researchers (50%), medical field (25%), in graduate school (15%), or in other post-graduate degrees (10%). The COVID-19 pandemic underlined the importance of science, education, and technological progress. Science and education are among the many components needed for the safety and well-being of our communities. Regenerative medicine approaches used by our internship mentors hold the promise to ameliorate or cure many ailments. CIRM’s Bridges program has provided these amazing opportunities to undergraduate students. Some of these students did not know much about stem cells a few years earlier and may not have considered research as a career path. These new research contributors will continue to inform their families and communities about science and promote scientific research. The initial Bridges grant facilitated the development of advanced-level stem cell and biotechnology research courses, which also benefit other CSUF students. For the undergraduates selected into the program (BSCR interns), the BSCR curriculum trains them for future research careers in the booming field of regenerative medicine. The CSUF BSCR training program requires successful completion of five courses prior to starting their internship: Essential Techniques in Cell Biology lab (B329), Stem Cell Biology lecture (B427), Techniques in Stem Cell Biology lab (B429), Regulatory Affairs - Bench to Bedside (B425), BSCR Professional Seminar (B480C; research proposal and presentation preparation), and independent research courses (B499L). The continued support has allowed for further training through five workshops focused on Research and Stem Cell Ethics, Leadership in Research Projects, Soft Skills, Time Management, and Data Science. The interns also learn about a patient’s experiences through online discussions, curating a virtual library of patient experiences (finding videos, blogs, etc.), and writing self-reflections. Depending on the year, the interns have made general presentations at the local schools, CSUF events, or through social media. The CSUF BSCR interns are guided into selecting their own internship mentors. This is an intimidating process for undergraduates, and the BSCR program facilitates progress in identifying their internship mentors through several mini-assignments with formative feedback. After the initial introduction by the program, all the communications with the internship lab are conducted by the intern. The CSUF BSCR mentors meet with the interns (as a group and individually) to provide guidance on how to approach the next steps of communication. The interns must prepare a thorough 10-page research proposal based on information they collect from their internship mentors and a literature review. Through these processes (i.e., courses, workshops, project discussions, guidance, and counseling as needed), the program is able to transform undergraduates that may not know much about stem cell research into successful, well-rounded, communicative interns.