Our training program is an interdisciplinary Specialization in Regenerative Medicine, offered within the MS degrees in Biomedical Engineering, Biological Sciences, and Animal Science. The MS specialization is a 2-year program, which includes one academic-year of coursework plus a course-capstone project at our institution, a two-quarter T-Cell Techniques Course, and a full-time/off-site ten-month internship at a non-profit research institution or for-profit biotech company. Students also complete patient-engagement activities throughout the program.
During this reporting period, our thirteenth cohort (5 students) completed their coursework, course-capstone projects, Techniques Course, and started their internship (August 15). These students worked on their capstone project with faculty from Biomedical Engineering and Animal Science, and are completing their internship at CSL Behring, ThermoFisher Scientific, ViaCyte, and the University of California San Diego. Finally, our thirteenth cohort (11 students) was admitted to the program and will begin coursework in the fall.
The graduates of this program have strengthened the future of cell-based therapies in California by contributing to all aspects of the field. Graduates of our program are directly strengthening stem cell research and regenerative medicine by performing fundamental investigations in both academic laboratories (as research associates and doctoral students) and for-profit companies, developing and manufacturing regenerative medicine products at biotech companies, and participating in clinical-trial organization.
Detailed Descriptions
Coursework:
Our core coursework (i.e. courses taken by students from all three majors) is laboratory intensive, and includes Tissue Engineering, Biomedical Imaging, Cell Transplantation, and Molecular Techniques. In these courses this year, students learned to grow cells/tissues, evaluate native and engineered tissue structure, label cellular structures and proteins, perform all manner of advanced optical microscopy, perform micro-surgical procedures to induce rodent disease models and test cell therapies, and learn fundamental molecular techniques, such as DNA amplification, nucleic acid isolation, and cloning. In addition to these laboratory-intensive courses, the core coursework also included a quarterly Seminar, a seminar-style Principles of Stem Cell Biology course, and an activity course in Communicating Biology. Through this coursework, students learn both the theoretical knowledge and practical skills that are important for regenerative medicine and gain important preparation for their internship projects.
Techniques Course:
During this reporting period, we offered for the first time, a training course in advanced cell culture techniques at our institution, spread over over two quarters, students learned to culture, isolate, and purify human T-lymphocytes.
Course Capstone:
Before embarking on their internship, students finish their training with a capstone project. The capstone project challenges students to apply the knowledge and skills gained through the coursework to an open-ended project. This allows the students to complete and receive feedback on an independent project with a written report and poster presentation before embarking on a rigorous 10-month project that culminates in an extensive report and presentation. Examples of projects from the thirteenth cohort include evaluating the impact of mesenchymal stem cell-derived exosomes on oocyte maturation, implementing a new hydogel for 3D culturing of vascularized tissue models, and determining the impact of humidity on fabrication of biomaterials for tissue engineered blood vessels.
Internship:
After completing their coursework, our students began their internship with one of our partners, listed above. Our internship hosts for this cohort provide a wide variety of project opportunities for our students, from fundamental biological studies in academic labs to device engineering at for-profit companies, and encompass several of the major physiological systems- immune, hematopoietic, cardiovascular, and endocrine. Over the 10-month internship, students work full-time, live away from their home institution, and do not enroll in any formal coursework, so they can focus all of their efforts on the internship project.
Patient Engagement:
In the first year of the Program, students read an article, write a summary, and participate in a discussion on racial disparities in peripheral amputation in patients with peripheral artery disease, and counted carbs like a diabetic for 2 days. They also participated in community events, such as Camp Reach for the Stars, a weekend nature camp for children with cancer/cancer survivors.
Reporting Period:
Year 2
Our training program is an interdisciplinary Specialization in Regenerative Medicine, offered within the MS degrees in Biomedical Engineering, Biological Sciences, and Animal Science. The MS specialization is a 2-year program, which includes one academic-year of coursework plus a course-capstone project at our institution, a two-quarter T-Cell Techniques Course, and a full-time/off-site ten-month internship at a non-profit research institution or for-profit biotech company. Students also complete patient-engagement activities throughout the program.
During this reporting period, our thirteenth cohort (5 students) completed their internships at CSL Behring, ThermoFisher Scientific, ViaCyte, and UCSD. Additionally, our fourteenth cohort (11 students) completed their coursework, course-capstone projects, Techniques Course, and started their internship (August 14). These students worked on their capstone project with faculty from Biomedical Engineering, Biological Sciences, and Animal Science, and are completing their internship at Allogene Therapeutics, CSL Behring, Novo Nordisk, Stemson Therapeutics, ThermoFisher Scientific, UCSD, and Sarepta Therapeutics (privately funded). Finally, our fifteenth cohort (12 students) was admitted to the program and will begin coursework in the fall.
Our graduates have strengthened the future of cell-based therapies in California by contributing to all aspects of the field. They aredirectly strengthening stem cell research and regenerative medicine by performing fundamental investigations in both academic laboratories and for-profit companies, developing and manufacturing regenerative medicine products at biotech companies, and participating in clinical-trial organization.
Detailed Descriptions
Coursework:
Our core coursework (i.e. courses taken by students from all three majors) is laboratory intensive, and includes Tissue Engineering, Biomedical Imaging, and Molecular Techniques. In these courses this year, students learned to grow cells/tissues, evaluate native and engineered tissue structure, label cellular structures and proteins, perform all manner of advanced optical microscopy, and learn fundamental molecular techniques, such as DNA amplification, nucleic acid isolation, and cloning. In addition to these laboratory-intensive courses, the core coursework also included a quarterly Seminar, a seminar-style Principles of Stem Cell Biology course, and an activity course in Communicating Biology. Through this coursework, students learn both the theoretical knowledge and practical skills that are important for regenerative medicine and gain important preparation for their internship projects.
Techniques Course:
During this reporting period, we offered for the second time, a training course in advanced cell culture techniques at our institution, spread over over two quarters, students learned to culture, isolate, and purify human T-lymphocytes.
Course Capstone:
Before embarking on their internship, students finish their training with a capstone project. The capstone project challenges students to apply the knowledge and skills gained through the coursework to an open-ended project. This allows the students to complete and receive feedback on an independent project with a written report and poster presentation before embarking on a rigorous 10-month project that culminates in an extensive report and presentation. Examples of projects from the thirteenth cohort include evaluating the directed differentiation of equine induced pluripotent stem cells into cardiomyocytes, evaluating the impact of skeletal muscle progenitor cells on macrophage phenotype, and determining the impact of polymer solvent on fabrication of biomaterials for tissue engineered blood vessels.
Internship:
After completing their coursework, our students began their internship with one of our partners, listed above. Our internship hosts for this cohort provide a wide variety of project opportunities for our students, from fundamental biological studies in academic labs to device engineering at for-profit companies, and encompass several of the major physiological systems- immune, hematopoietic, integumentary, musculoskeletal, neural, vascular, and endocrine. Over the 10-month internship, students work full-time, live away from their home institution, and do not enroll in any formal coursework, so they can focus all of their efforts on the internship project.
Patient Engagement:
In the first year of the Program, students read an article, write a summary, and participate in a discussion on racial disparities in peripheral amputation in patients with peripheral artery disease, and counted carbs like a diabetic for 2 days. They also participated in community events, such as Camp Reach for the Stars, a weekend nature camp for children with cancer/cancer survivors. First and second year students attended a Zoom-based Patient Panel Discussion.
Reporting Period:
Year 3
Our training program is an interdisciplinary Specialization in Regenerative Medicine, offered within the MS degrees in Biomedical Engineering, Biological Sciences, and Animal Science. The MS specialization is a 2-year program, which includes one academic-year of coursework plus a course-capstone project at our institution, a two-quarter T-Cell Techniques Course, and a full-time/off-site ten-month internship at a non-profit research institution or for-profit biotech company. Students also complete patient-engagement activities throughout the program.
During this reporting period, our fourteenth cohort (11 students) completed their internships at Allogene Therapeutics, CSL Behring, Novo Nordisk, Stemson Therapeutics, ThermoFisher Scientific, UCSD, and Sarepta Therapeeutics (privately funded). Additionally, our fifteenth cohort (11 students) completed their coursework, course-capstone projects, Techniques Course, and started their internship (August 13). These students worked on their capstone project with faculty from Biomedical Engineering, Biological Sciences, and Animal Science, and are completing their internship at A2 Biotherapeutics, Genentech, Novo Nordisk, ThermoFisher Scientific, UCSD, and Sarepta Therapeutics (privately funded). Finally, our sixteenth cohort (11 students) was admitted to the program and will begin coursework in the fall.
Our graduates have strengthened the future of cell-based therapies in California by contributing to all aspects of the field. They are directly strengthening stem cell research and regenerative medicine by performing fundamental investigations in both academic laboratories and for-profit companies, developing and manufacturing regenerative medicine products at biotech companies, and participating in clinical-trial organization.
Detailed Descriptions
Coursework:
Our core coursework (i.e. courses taken by students from all three majors) is laboratory intensive, and includes Tissue Engineering, Biomedical Imaging, Molecular Techniques, and Cell Transplantation. In these courses this year, students learned to grow cells/tissues, evaluate native and engineered tissue structure, label cellular structures and proteins, perform all manner of advanced optical microscopy, learn fundamental molecular techniques, such as DNA amplification, nucleic acid isolation, and cloning, and perform microsurgery to create a rodent model of disease, transplant therapeutic cells, and evaluate cell transplant efficacy. In addition to these laboratory-intensive courses, the core coursework also included a quarterly Seminar, a seminar-style Principles of Stem Cell Biology course, and an activity course in Communicating Biology. Through this coursework, students learn both the theoretical knowledge and practical skills that are important for regenerative medicine and gain important preparation for their internship projects.
Techniques Course:
During this reporting period, we offered for the third time, a training course in advanced cell culture techniques at our institution, spread over over two quarters, students learned to culture, isolate, purify, and assay human T-lymphocytes.
Course Capstone:
Before embarking on their internship, students finish their training with a capstone project. The capstone project challenges students to apply the knowledge and skills gained through the coursework to an open-ended project. This allows the students to complete and receive feedback on an independent project with a written report and poster presentation before embarking on a rigorous 10-month project that culminates in an extensive report and presentation. Examples of projects from the fifteenth cohort include evaluating the directed differentiation of equine induced pluripotent stem cells into pancreatic beta cells, evaluating the impact of arteriogenesis on innervation, and determining the impact of culture conditions on the production of vascularized tumor organoids used for drug screening.
Internship:
After completing their coursework, our students began their internship with one of our partners, listed above. Our internship hosts for this cohort provide a wide variety of project opportunities for our students, from fundamental biological studies in academic labs to device engineering at for-profit companies, and encompass several of the major physiological systems- immune, hematopoietic, digestive, musculoskeletal, neural, cardiovascular, and endocrine. Over the 10-month internship, students work full-time, live away from their home institution, and do not enroll in any formal coursework, so they can focus all of their efforts on the internship project.
Patient Engagement:
In the first year of the Program, students participated in community events, such as Pure Stoke Surf Camp, for kids whose parents are going through a cancer battle, attended a Zoom-based Patient Panel Discussion,. Second year students participated in a variety of activities in the communities near their internship locations.
Grant Application Details
Application Title:
Training Masters Students to Advance the Regenerative Medicine Field
Public Abstract:
Our proposed training program is an interdisciplinary Specialization in Regenerative Medicine, offered within the masters of science (MS) degrees of 3 different departments from 3 academic units, and based upon over 10 years of experience directly training students in this area. The goal of our MS program is to graduate 10-11 day-one ready professionals per year who are capable of advancing CIRM's mission of accelerating regenerative treatments and cures to patients with unmet clinical needs. The first step in achieving this goal is a year of coursework and project experience at our institution, which will prepare students by training them in a variety of skills. Specifically, students will learn to: 1) Perform fundamental laboratory techniques involved in regenerative medicine research & development, including cell culture, cell transplantation, microscopy, and molecular biology. 2) Discuss and critically evaluate biomedical primary literature. 3) Effectively communicate technical topics to peer and general audiences. This will include community outreach with K-12 schools, community colleges, and other community groups. 4) Explain the process of biotechnology development and commercialization. Developing this skill will include exposure to FDA regulatory pathways and other areas of product development ranging from early research to manufacturing and more. 5) Describe how research and development efforts are motivated by and impact patient experiences. This will include direct patient engagement. 6) Design and execute independent research projects, by carrying out a culminating capstone project on campus. Achieving these six learning objectives, along with a practical training course in critical methods of cell manufacturing, will allow students to effectively advance product development and translational research during the second step of our program, which is a 10-month internship at one of our commercial or academic partner institutions. Students will work full-time during these internships, as they refine and further master relevant skills while contributing to a variety of current real-world applications. (The results of our students' previous internship projects have been included in journal publications, conference presentations, patent applications, and regulatory approval documents filed with the FDA.) At the conclusion of our program, students will be poised to enter and directly impact the regenerative medicine field. Therefore, this award will allow us to contribute to CIRM's mission of accelerating treatments to patients with unmet clinical needs by providing the crucial workforce with specialized skills.
Statement of Benefit to California:
Our proposed program will benefit California in several ways, beginning with the first beneficiaries- the students in the program. Through our broad recruitment strategies, we will attract a diverse cohort of students to benefit from the comprehensive training and 100% employment placement historically achieved by our program. The activities of our student cohorts will in turn benefit countless Californians by accelerating stem cell treatments to patients with unmet medical needs. This contribution depends upon this grant allowing us to deliver a pre-internship curriculum that would not be possible without CIRM support, and that provides highly effective preparation for the internship. As a result of this preparation, students at their internships can help advance both translational research and product development, and accelerate the identification of new therapeutic targets or strategies. Without CIRM support, most internship opportunities would not be possible, as the start-up companies developing regenerative treatments and cures are often without the revenue stream required for an internship program. In this way, our program accelerates the development of stem cell treatments by providing regenerative medicine companies with the technically-skilled emerging professionals needed to development new therapies.
The regenerative therapies and cures that our students and future alumni help develop will directly benefit Californians who receive these innovative medicines, while also indirectly benefiting the entirety of our state by growing and strengthening California's economy. Graduates of our program have historically impacted, and will continue to impact, a number of fields, such as performing fundamental and translational research in academic laboratories and for-profit companies, developing and manufacturing regenerative medicine products at for-profit companies, and participating in clinical-trial organization at large medical centers. Our graduates will help position California as the world leader in regenerative medicine by providing the workforce necessary for this field, and the economic benefits of this outcome are great.
Beyond the students that matriculate into our program and the benefits they impart, our outreach activities will also help build a diverse 'pipeline' by motivating students in K-12 schools and community colleges to pursue bachelors and advanced degrees in the fields that support regenerative medicine. These outreach activities will develop awareness, support, and enthusiasm among the general public for regenerative medicine.
In summary, our program will benefit students and patients, help strengthen California's economy, and help build the regenerative medicine talent pipeline with the promise of a rewarding career and the chance to enhance medical practice and treatment options.
