Year 4

The UC Davis Stem Cell Training Program includes: (1) experienced, well-funded mentors; (2) essential techniques, methodologies, and facilities relevant to basic, translational, and clinical training in stem cell research; (3) established graduate and training programs that provide the spectrum of experiences in undergraduate, graduate, and postgraduate training, education, and bioethics; (4) a clinical enterprise that includes a medical school, teaching hospital, NIH Clinical and Translational Science Center, and exceptional infrastructure including the CIRM Translational Human Embryonic Stem Cell Shared Research Facility and Institute for Regenerative Cures to support basic, translational, and clinical stem cell/regenerative medicine research; (5) core facilities that provide essential equipment and expertise in cell and molecular biology, in vivo imaging, genomics, animal models, biostatistics and bioinformatics, and Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP), to name a few; (6) a strong, collaborative framework in which to mentor and cultivate students and young investigators using a team approach, with special efforts for underrepresented groups; and (7) community outreach and public education, including advocacy by our leadership council, community advisors, and Scientific Board of Advisors. The overarching objective of our training program is to provide scholars a comprehensive, coordinated, and carefully planned experience with state-of-the-art multidisciplinary team training to ensure they become productive, critical thinking, highly trained, and well-rounded collaborative scientists with research careers in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. For the current progress report, 9 graduate, 7 postdoctoral fellows, and 3 clinical fellows participated in the program including the weekly journal club, core courses, annual symposia and workshops, and the annual training program retreat. The exceptional science supported during the current reporting period addressed a wide range of research topics and clinical roadblocks.