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T1-00005: California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) Type I Comprehensive Training Program

Application Number:  T1-00005

Proposal Abstract as Submitted by Applicant

The aim of the UCLA Type1, Comprehensive Training Program is to train basic scientists, engineers and physicians to become leaders in stem cell research and clinical programs in academia and industry. A distinctive feature of the UCLA program is that Scholars will be trained from a multidisciplinary perspective, which is possible because faculty from the College of Letters and Science, and the Schools of Dentistry, Engineering, Law, Nursing, Medicine, and Public Affairs are located in close proximity on the same campus and have developed a tradition of multi-disciplinary teaching and research collaboration. The recently established UCLA Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Medicine (ISCBM) has been built on this foundation and has received strong campus-wide support as evidenced by the allocation of 12 new faculty positions in stem cell biology and a major space commitment. The ISCBM will coordinate the training of 5 pre-doctoral, 5 post-doctoral, and 6 clinical Scholars, each of whom will be presented with numerous training options. Some may choose to work with UCLA faculty who are leaders in cell and molecular biology, while others will elect to receive training in gene medicine, cell-based therapies, and organ transplantation from clinician-scientists already applying these new procedures to patient care. As part of this training Scholars will develop an understanding of Good Manufacturing Policies (GMP) and compliance issues related to clinical trials. Scholars with interests in bioengineering and nanotechnology can work with faculty developing methods for manipulating and visualizing cells using microfluidic systems, bio-mechanical tools, and nano-scale microscopes or whole body imagers. The training program will also accommodate Scholars interested in social, legal, or policy aspects of stem cell research. In addition to their individualized research program, all Scholars will participate in numerous common activities, including a new course in Stem Cell Biology that includes lectures and discussion sessions on adult and embryonic stem cells (ESC), organogenesis, tissue repair, nuclear reprogramming, gene therapy, the conduct of clinical trials, and social, legal, and ethical aspects of stem cells. Scholars will also have the opportunity to join one or more journal clubs, attend research seminars featuring leading stem cell biologists, and present talks describing their own research. Regardless of their particular interest, by the end of the training, Clinical Scholars, many of whom are simultaneously working for a graduate degree and board certification through the UCLA STAR Program, will obtain an appreciation of basic research and basic scientists and engineers will acquire knowledge human disease and an understanding of how research advances are translated to the clinic. Whether they ultimately work individually or as part of a multidisciplinary team, the UCLA program will train highly skilled scientists and clinicians who will help to make the practice of regenerative medicine a reality.

Benefit of this Program to California

This program will benefit the people and the state of California by providing high-quality training in the scientific, clinical, social, and ethical aspects of stem cell research to the scientists and clinicians who will develop and apply future therapies in this rapidly emerging field.