Bridges to Stem Cell Research and Therapy at Pasadena City College

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Grant Award Details

Grant Type:

Bridges

Grant Number:

EDUC2-12607

Investigator(s):

Name:

Dr. Pamela Eversole-Cire

Institution:

Pasadena City College

Type:

Award Value:

$3,051,008

Status:

Active

Progress Reports

Reporting Period:

Year 1

Bridges to Stem Cell Research and Therapy at Pasadena City College (PCC) is a stem cell training program funded by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). The program offers exceptional research, educational, and training opportunities to PCC biotechnology students. Participants have an opportunity to perform a research internship and are eligible for coursework, educational enhancement activities, and training related to stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. They also take part in outreach to increase awareness of stem cell research among high school students in diverse communities as well as patient and healthcare engagement activities to raise their own awareness of the importance of their research efforts. The program has produced highly qualified lab personnel for stem cell research in both academic and industry settings. Qualifying students selected for the program receive a one-year paid internship in a world-class laboratory performing stem cell related research. Internship sites include three renowned research institutes: the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), the University of Southern California (USC), and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). Trainees are offered research opportunities with mentors in fields ranging from basic science of stem cells to translational research in regenerative medicine to gene therapy. A training course in human pluripotent stem cell culture techniques prepares selected students for the research opportunities. Interns are eligible for coursework including a graduate-level course on the process for developing and regulating new stem cell-based therapies at USC. Additionally, PCC has added courses and training in: specialized techniques and instrumentation, stem cell-based biomanufacturing, fluorescence microscopy, and a stem cell journal club. Educational enhancement activities that prepare students for the internships and enhance their internship experience include: seminars and symposia (intellectual property and confidentiality issues, stem cells and regenerative medicine, bioethics, and stem cell career opportunities) and specialized workshops (data management and statistical analyses, bioinformatics, flow cytometry, confocal microscopy, cell and gene therapies manufacturing, scientific communication, and graduate school applications). Additional activities (real-time stem cell imaging) will be developed to further enhance their training. Interns also participate in outreach activities, including stem cell research presentations at several high schools in the local community. A portable Stem Cell Demonstration Laboratory redesigned as a series of hybrid educational sessions extends outreach by providing stem cell training in the teachers’ classrooms. Teaching modules in Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine have also been developed for outreach purposes. Patient and healthcare engagement activities allow interns to reach out to the community their research may benefit. The bridge formed between PCC and institutions engaged in stem cell research and regenerative medicine adds immeasurable value to its Biological Technology Certificate Program. PCC has offered a Certificate of Achievement in Biological Technology since 1999 and in Stem Cell Culture since 2005. Students in the Keck Biotechnology Program at PCC represent the diversity of California’s workforce, including: first generation college students, individuals pursuing a second career, women re-entering the workforce, displaced workers, and veterans. Their educational backgrounds range from no college experience to advanced degrees. More than half have already earned a Bachelor’s degree but need additional training to secure employment or enter postgraduate programs. Those selected for the CIRM Bridges Internship Program are drawn from a diverse pool of Biotechnology Program students and the general student body which is 79% minority, 44% low-income, and 45% first-generation. In addition, a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Plan incorporates targeted outreach to ensure that the program includes substantial numbers of culturally diverse and economically disadvantaged individuals, reflecting the diversity of California's population. Summary: The CIRM-funded program: Bridges to Stem Cell Research and Therapy at Pasadena City College offers advanced stem cell training and research experience to PCC biotechnology students, who bring both laboratory skills and diversity to the California stem cell workforce. Engaging in long-term academic research projects in laboratories performing stem cell research, along with related training activities, has prepared the interns for varied research and career opportunities in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. After completing the internship program, students have accepted research positions in academia and the biotechnology industry; prepared to transfer to four-year universities; and been accepted into graduate or professional programs.

Reporting Period:

Year 2

Bridges to Stem Cell Research and Therapy at Pasadena City College (PCC) is a stem cell training program funded by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). The program offers exceptional research, educational, and training opportunities to PCC biotechnology students. Participants have an opportunity to perform a research internship and are eligible for coursework, educational enhancement activities, and training related to stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. They also take part in outreach to increase awareness of stem cell research among high school students in diverse communities as well as patient and healthcare engagement activities to raise their own awareness of the importance of their research efforts. The program has produced highly qualified lab personnel for stem cell research in both academic and industry settings. Qualifying students selected for the program receive a one-year paid internship in a world-class laboratory performing stem cell related research. Available internship sites include three renowned research institutes: the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), the University of Southern California (USC), and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). Trainees are offered research opportunities with mentors in fields ranging from basic science of stem cells to translational research in regenerative medicine to gene therapy. A training course in human pluripotent stem cell culture techniques prepares selected students for the research opportunities. Interns are eligible for coursework including a graduate-level course on the process for developing and regulating new stem cell-based therapies at USC. Additionally, PCC has added courses and training in: specialized techniques and instrumentation, stem cell-based biomanufacturing, fluorescence microscopy, and a stem cell journal club. Educational enhancement activities that prepare students for the internships and enhance their internship experience include: seminars and symposia (intellectual property and confidentiality issues, stem cells and regenerative medicine, bioethics, and stem cell career opportunities) and specialized workshops (data management and statistical analyses, bioinformatics, confocal microscopy, real-time stem cell imaging, cell and gene therapies manufacturing, scientific communication, and graduate school applications). Additional activities are in development to further enhance their training. Interns also participate in outreach activities, including stem cell research presentations at several high schools in the local community. A portable Stem Cell Demonstration Laboratory redesigned as a series of hybrid educational sessions extends outreach by providing stem cell training in the teachers’ classrooms. Teaching modules in Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine have also been developed for outreach purposes. Patient and healthcare engagement activities allow interns to reach out to the community their research may benefit. The bridge formed between PCC and institutions engaged in stem cell research and regenerative medicine adds immeasurable value to its Biological Technology Certificate Program. PCC has offered a Certificate of Achievement in Biological Technology since 1999 and in Stem Cell Culture since 2005. Students in the Keck Biotechnology Program at PCC represent the diversity of California’s workforce, including: first generation college students, individuals pursuing a second career, women re-entering the workforce, displaced workers, and veterans. Their educational backgrounds range from no college experience to advanced degrees. More than half have already earned a Bachelor’s degree but need additional training to secure employment or enter postgraduate programs. Those selected for the CIRM Bridges Internship Program are drawn from a diverse pool of Biotechnology Program students and the general student body which is 76% minority, 72% low-income, and 29% first-generation. In addition, a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Plan incorporates targeted outreach to ensure that the program includes substantial numbers of culturally diverse and economically disadvantaged individuals, reflecting the diversity of California's population. Summary: The CIRM-funded program: Bridges to Stem Cell Research and Therapy at Pasadena City College offers advanced stem cell training and research experience to PCC biotechnology students, who bring both laboratory skills and diversity to the California stem cell workforce. Engaging in long-term academic research projects in laboratories performing stem cell research, along with related training activities, has prepared the interns for varied research and career opportunities in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. After completing the internship program, students have accepted research positions in academia and the biotechnology industry; prepared to transfer to four-year universities; and been accepted into graduate or professional programs.

Grant Application Details

Application Title:

Bridges to Stem Cell Research and Therapy at Pasadena City College

Public Abstract:

This project will support further development of an existing stem cell biology training program featuring varied internship opportunities at established host institutions, a rigorous curriculum, substantive auxiliary training, and advanced stem cell techniques coursework. Based upon their demographics (79% minorities, 47% low-income, and 45% first-generation), extensive experience in biotechnology training, and an effective current internship program, the applicant institution anticipates that interns recruited for this project will strongly represent the diversity of California’s population. Recruitment of interns will encompass strong community outreach (including dissemination of stem cell education module), inviting students from local colleges to seminars and activities, advertising to campus and community, and leveraging support from established biotechnology research and training centers.

This CIRM Bridges project will provide up to 50 one-year internships over five years. Interns will be offered research opportunities with mentors in fields ranging from basic science of stem cells to translational research in regenerative medicine to gene therapy, and will be required to complete Certificates of Achievement in Biological Technology (or equivalent) and Stem Cell Culture. Stem cell-related coursework includes specialized techniques and instrumentation, stem cell-based biomanufacturing, fluorescent microscopy, and a journal club. A stem cell unit has been added to genetics, bioethics, and bioinformatics courses. Stem cell modules have been produced at college and secondary levels. Auxiliary training includes seminars (intellectual property and confidentiality, stem cells and regenerative medicine, bioethics, stem cell careers, advising and career development, diversity in STEM, disparity in healthcare), specialized workshops (data management, bioinformatics, flow cytometry, confocal microscopy, real-time imaging, cell and gene therapies manufacturing, scientific communication, and graduate school applications), scientific meetings and symposiums, and research presentations. Interns will also take part in patient and healthcare engagement activities and study the regulatory pathway in therapy development. In addition, the project will implement a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Plan that incorporates targeted outreach to disadvantaged and first-generation students.

By combining established programs and partnerships, rigorous curriculum, mentoring at both home and host institutions, performance evaluations of trainees and program, and experienced leadership and research opportunities at partner institutions, the program will produce highly qualified lab personnel for stem cell research in both academic and industry settings. The training will prepare CIRM Bridges interns to work at many levels in stem cell research and therapy labs (lab assistant, lab manager, professional staff, and research associates), or to continue in postgraduate programs.

Statement of Benefit to California:

This CIRM Bridges to Stem Cell Research and Therapy Award aligns with and will fulfill CIRM’s objectives to: create stem cell training programs that significantly enhance the technical skills, knowledge, and research experience of a diverse cohort of trainees in the development of stem cell-based and gene therapies; foster a commitment among trainees to the goal of accelerating the delivery of stem cell-based and gene therapies to patients; and broaden the participation in stem cell science of individuals representing the diversity of California’s population. The diversity of prospective interns is ensured by both the applicant institution’s demographics (79% are minorities, 47% are low-income, and 45% are first-generation) and their broad experience with disadvantaged and underrepresented student populations in their biotechnology and internship programs. The grant supports and enhances an existing stem cell biology training program that includes: • internship opportunities with mentors in fields ranging from basic science of stem cells to translational research in regenerative medicine to gene therapy • up to 50 one-year internships over life of the grant • rigorous curriculum and established Biotechnology Certificate Program • established partnerships between the home institution and host institutions • substantive auxiliary training opportunities • advising and career development and job preparation program • cell and gene therapy good manufacturing practices (GMP) • patient and healthcare engagement activities • coursework on the regulatory pathway and therapy development process • advanced stem cell techniques coursework • bioinformatics, optical imaging, and FACs training workshops and seminars • extensive mentoring and program evaluation strategies • experienced leadership at partner institutions • a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Plan to ensure that outreach to underrepresented groups is prioritized within the intern recruitment process. These attributes will ensure that the program produces highly qualified lab personnel from diverse backgrounds for stem cell research in both academic and industry settings.