CIRM 2.0 Bridges Training Program

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Grant Award Details

Grant Type:

Bridges

Grant Number:

EDUC2-08397

Investigator(s):

Name:

Dr. Jacob Varkey

Institution:

Humboldt State University Sponsored Programs Foundation

Type:

Award Value:

$2,534,223

Status:

Closed

Progress Reports

Reporting Period:

Year 1

Reporting Period:

Year 2

The Humboldt State University (HSU) CIRM Bridges Training program has been one of the most effective training programs that we have been associated with over three decades. More than 90% of HSU CIRM Bridges Trainees who have completed the program over the last six years have been either employed in biotechnology or research laboratories or gained admission to graduate or professional programs. This exceptional rate of success can be attributed to the hard working nature of our students and the brilliant design of the CIRM Bridges Training program. The foresight of designing a program to meet the growing stem cell and regenerative medicine workforce demands has paid dividends. After starting their training, in a short span of three to four months, we have witnessed the transformation of undergraduate students who earlier had to be forced to give scientific presentations to energetic young scientists eager to share their findings in a language that was foreign to them a few months back. This program allows young people to find their passion and explore their strengths. It is rare to find a state or national level training program with such an excellent success rate. In addition to the training of undergraduate students in stem cell and regenerative medicine, our grant also uses limited resources to promote CIRM and its goals. We invite leading scientists from major California research institutions (UC Davis, UCSF and Stanford University) to the campus to give public seminars on the more recent developments in the field of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. In addition, these scientists give scientific presentations to local physicians as part of grand rounds. This grant has also facilitated the establishment of a rigorous stem cell training program in Humboldt State University’s biology department. This program has made the community more aware of potential stem cell therapies for human diseases. 12 interns were appointed in the second year of this program.

Reporting Period:

Year 3

The Humboldt State University (HSU) CIRM Bridges Training program has been one of the most effective training programs that we have been associated with over three decades. The design of our program to provide students selected to the program, initial training in stem cell biology and some undergraduate research experience has allowed them to flourish as independent researchers in their training laboratories in class I California research universities. After starting their training, in a short span of three to four months, we have witnessed the transformation of undergraduate students who earlier had to be forced to give scientific presentations to energetic young scientists eager to share their findings in a language that was foreign to them a few months back. More than 90% of HSU CIRM Bridges Trainees who have completed the program over the last nine years have been either employed in biotechnology or research laboratories or gained admission to graduate or professional programs. This exceptional rate of success can be attributed to the hard working nature of our students and the brilliant design of the CIRM Bridges Training program. The foresight of designing a program to meet the growing stem cell and regenerative medicine workforce demands has paid dividends. It is rare to find a state or national training program with such an incredible success rate. In addition to the training of undergraduate students in stem cell and regenerative medicine, our grant also uses limited resources to promote CIRM and its goals. We invite leading scientists from major California research institutions (UC Davis, UCSF and Stanford University) to the campus to give public seminars on the more recent developments in the field of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. In addition, these scientists give scientific presentations to local physicians as part of grand rounds. This grant has also facilitated the establishment of a rigorous stem cell training program in Humboldt State University’s biology department. This program has made the community more aware of potential stem cell therapies for human diseases.

Reporting Period:

Year 4

Reporting Period:

Year 5 – Supplemental

The Humboldt State University (HSU) CIRM Bridges Training program has been one of the most effective training programs that we have been associated with over three decades. The design of our program to provide students selected to the HSU CIRM Bridges with initial training in stem cell biology and some undergraduate research experience at HSU has allowed them to flourish as independent researchers in their training laboratories in class I California research universities. After starting their training, in a short span of three to four months, we have witnessed the transformation of undergraduate students who earlier had to be forced to give scientific presentations to energetic young scientists eager to share their findings in a language that was foreign to them a few months back. More than 90% of HSU CIRM Bridges Trainees who have completed the program over the last 11 years have been either employed in biotechnology or research laboratories or gained admission to graduate or professional programs. This exceptional rate of success can be attributed to the hard working nature of our students and the brilliant design of the CIRM Bridges Training program. The foresight of designing a program to meet the growing stem cell and regenerative medicine workforce demands has paid dividends. It is rare to find a state or national training program with such an incredible success rate. In addition to the training of undergraduate students in stem cell and regenerative medicine, our grant also uses limited resources to promote CIRM and its goals. We invite leading scientists from major California research institutions (UC Davis, UCSF and Stanford University) to the campus to give public seminars on the more recent developments in the field of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. In addition, these scientists give scientific presentations to local physicians as part of grand rounds. This grant has also facilitated the establishment of a rigorous stem cell training program in Humboldt State University’s biology department. This program has made the community more aware of potential stem cell therapies for human diseases.

Grant Application Details

Application Title:

CIRM 2.0 Bridges Training Program

Public Abstract:

In 2004 the people of California, recognizing the significance and potential of stem cell therapies for treatment of degenerative diseases like Alzheimer’s, macular degeneration, etc., passed proposition 71 to fund stem cell research and development of stem cell therapies. The California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) was established to manage the funds, plan and execute programs that would facilitate the development of stem cell therapies. Recognizing the need for a large workforce in stem cell research for the development of stem cell therapies, the initial phase of the program was focused on research and training of individuals in the stem cell fields. These efforts have resulted in a substantial increase in the number of scientists and technically trained individuals in the field of stem cell biology and, more importantly, an increase in number of laboratories and biotechnology industries focused on stem cell research and regenerative medicine in California.

In the second phase of the CIRM program, the focus is more on translational medicine where potential stem cell therapies initiated during the first phase of the CIRM objective are further developed for clinical trials and ultimately used as effective therapies for many degenerative diseases. The objectives of our proposal are to train some of our most talented students in translational medicine such that they have a good understanding of the process of development of stem cell therapies and the regulatory processes that govern such developments.

We propose to accomplish these goals by providing excellent training in stem cell biology at our home institution, which would generate a large pool of well-trained students with an aptitude for stem cell biology. From this pool of diverse students, we propose to select 10 students per year to participate in a 12 month research training in one the three premiere research institutions in the state, UC Davis, UCSF or Stanford University. These institutions have given written assurance that they will train our students in one of their stem cell and regenerative medicine laboratories and provide opportunities for them to interact with patients with aliments that have the potential to be cured by stem cell therapies. They also will be educated in the process of development of stem cell therapies as well as the ethical and moral considerations in the development of stem cell therapies and regulatory processes that govern such development.

We also propose to educate non-science majors and the public on the significance and recent developments in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine through workshops and seminars.

Statement of Benefit to California:

The substantial investment of funds by the people of California in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine through Proposition 71 was in recognition of the potential of stem cell therapies to cure hitherto “incurable” diseases like Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s, muscular dystrophy, etc. The California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) was established for the judicial administration of funds with proper public oversight to set a course to reach the ultimate objective of the proposition, cures for many of the ailments that have potential stem cell therapies. Even though the primary goal of the program was to improve the health of individuals, economic benefit to the state was another major consideration. CIRM, to its credit, was able to achieve many of the goals set for the first five years of its 10-year plan by making the general pubic aware of stem cell research and regenerative medicine and funding many projects that have the potential to be developed into stem cell therapies. CIRM launched the CIRM Bridges Training Program to develop a workforce technically trained in stem cell and regenerative medicine to meet the growing demand in the industry and research laboratories within the state. This tremendously successful program has managed to attract a large number of talented young people to the field and has generated a skilled workforce. It is estimated that the economic benefits to the state far outweigh the investment in the training of these students. In the second phase of the CIRM program (CIRM 2.0), emphasis is being placed on the development of stem cell therapies by augmenting clinical trials and the delivery of stem cell therapies. With many CIRM funded stem cell research projects on the verge of entering the clinical trial phase, it is critical to develop a workforce knowledgeable in the field of stem cell therapies that has a good understanding of the regulatory process and the ethical issues involved in the development of such therapies. We have designed a CIRM 2.0 Bridges training program for Humboldt State University to provide a diverse group of students with training in stem cell and regenerative medicine. They will also have a good understanding of the needs of patients who could benefit from stem cell therapies as well as being educated with regard to the regulatory process and ethical issues. Our CIRM 2.0 Bridges program would contribute to the development of a well-trained workforce, which would have a tremendous impact on the economy of the state for years to come.

Publications

Nat Med (2020): Articular cartilage regeneration by activated skeletal stem cells. (PubMed: 32807933)
Nature (2019): CD24 signalling through macrophage Siglec-10 is a target for cancer immunotherapy. (PubMed: 31367043)
JCI Insight (2020): CD47 prevents the elimination of diseased fibroblasts in scleroderma. (PubMed: 32814713)
Mol Cell (2018): Examining the Roles of H3K4 Methylation States with Systematically Characterized Antibodies. (PubMed: 30244833)
Nature (2020): Hair-bearing human skin generated entirely from pluripotent stem cells. (PubMed: 32494013)
Stem Cells Int (2019): Hypoxic Preconditioning Enhances Survival and Proangiogenic Capacity of Human First Trimester Chorionic Villus-Derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells for Fetal Tissue Engineering. (PubMed: 31781252)
Cell (2018): Identification of the Human Skeletal Stem Cell. (PubMed: 30241615)
Int J Mol Sci (2021): Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Regulate Sialylations of N-Glycans, Affecting Cell Migration and Survival. (PubMed: 34206740)
Sci Rep (2019): Modeling Snyder-Robinson Syndrome in multipotent stromal cells reveals impaired mitochondrial function as a potential cause for deficient osteogenesis. (PubMed: 31659216)
FASEB J (2019): Neuroprotective effect of placenta-derived mesenchymal stromal cells: role of exosomes. (PubMed: 30753093)
Tissue Eng Part A (2019): Phenotypic Variation Between Stromal Cells Differentially Impacts Engineered Cardiac Tissue Function. (PubMed: 30968748)
Stem Cell Res Ther (2019): Potential long-term treatment of hemophilia A by neonatal co-transplantation of cord blood-derived endothelial colony-forming cells and placental mesenchymal stromal cells. (PubMed: 30670078)