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T1-00007: Human Stem Cell Training at UC Berkeley and Children's Hospital at Oakland

Application Number:  T1-00007

Proposal Abstract as Submitted by Applicant

UC Berkeley and the Children’s Hospital Oakland Research Institute (CHORI) propose training opportunities in stem cell biology and technology, their application to the treatment of disease, and the legal and ethical issues surrounding the study and use of stem cells. Capitalizing on the new opportunities in human stem cell science, faculty and staff have organized a stem cell center to consolidate our research activities in gene expression, tissue engineering, and the analysis of cord blood stem cells.  We have designed a program to support the education and training of fellows in the full spectrum of issues relating to stem cell technology. Scientific coursework will cover renewal and differentiation of embryonic and somatically derived stem cells, the engineering of stem cells and tissues, and the characterization and therapeutic application of stem cells derived from human cord blood. This program will be complemented by teaching from faculty in the humanities, social sciences, and law, who will provide a comprehensive overview of sociological, bioethical and legal issues surrounding stem cell research. The training program will include 16 fellowships; 2 clinical fellows in pediatric hematology/oncology, 6 postdoctoral and 6 predoctoral fellows in molecular biology or bioengineering, 1 predoctoral fellow in humanities, and 1 fellowship in law, to be shared between two students. Science fellows’ research will be in one of four major areas; growth, renewal and differentiation of hematopoietic and neural stem cells; engineering synthetic environments that control stem cell self-renewal and fate; gene networks in stem cell differentiation; and stem cells and cancer. Humanities fellows’ research will promote the representation of women and minorities in stem cell research or combat health disparities in the development, testing and affordability of stem cell therapeutics. Law fellows will focus their studies on the legal rules, issues and institutions most likely to impact the pursuit and application of stem cell research. This program will develop scholars with varying areas of expertise, but a shared appreciation of the scientific, ethical and legal complexities surrounding this emerging technology.

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.