Year 5

The fifth year of the San Diego State University (SDSU)/ California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) Stem Cell Internship Program (SCIP) has provided ten interns with the technical skills and the experience to work in the field of regenerative medicine. These students have worked directly with stem cells, both embryonic and induced pluripotent stem cells, as well as other organisms used in the study of regenerative properties, e.g. zebra fish. The interns carried out their research at leading institutes in San Diego, including the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, the Scripps Research Institute, The Sanford/Burnham Medical Research Institute and the University of California, San Diego. Many of these students, due to their background, would have otherwise not had access to research at this level. As a result of their training they will bring their knowledge of regenerative medicine into a great many areas of public interest, including basic and translational research, the biotech industry and medicine and dentistry.

Our students have also become representatives for the field of regenerative medicine and well as for SDSU and CIRM. We believe strongly that the SCIP interns will continue to represent the regenerative field in their future endeavors as well. SCIP interns attended several meetings at both the regional and international level, including the Annual Stem Cell Meeting on the Mesa in La Jolla in October, 2013 and the Annual Meeting for the International Society for Stem Cell Research in Vancouver, June 2014, where they met with experts in the field and presented their own research as part of the poster sessions.

Because these students have had extensive training and experience in state of the art laboratories, as well as opportunities to share their newly gained knowledge, their expertise will strengthen the field of stem cell research in California and beyond. The SCIP Program has not only increased the pool of young investigators studying regenerative medicine, but also has also accelerated scientific progress in basic and translational stem cell research. Finally the SCIP Program has enabled SDSU to harness the great academic potential of student minds found in the largest university in San Diego.