Bridges to Stem Cell Research and Therapy at Pasadena City College (PCC) is a stem cell training program funded by the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). The program offers exceptional research, educational, and training opportunities to PCC biotechnology students. Participants have an opportunity to perform a research internship and are eligible for coursework, educational enhancement activities, and training related to stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. They also take part in outreach to increase awareness of stem cell research among high school students in diverse communities as well as patient and healthcare engagement activities to raise their own awareness of the importance of their research efforts. The program has produced highly qualified lab personnel for stem cell research in both academic and industry settings.
Qualifying students selected for the program receive a one-year paid internship in a world-class laboratory performing stem cell related research. Available internship sites include three renowned research institutes: the California Institute of Technology (Caltech), the University of Southern California (USC), and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles (CHLA). Trainees are offered research opportunities with mentors in fields ranging from basic science of stem cells to translational research in regenerative medicine to gene therapy. A training course in human pluripotent stem cell culture techniques prepares selected students for the research opportunities.
Interns are eligible for coursework including a graduate-level course on the process for developing and regulating new stem cell-based therapies at USC. Additionally, PCC has added courses and training in: specialized techniques and instrumentation, stem cell-based biomanufacturing, fluorescence microscopy, and a stem cell journal club.
Educational enhancement activities that prepare students for the internships and enhance their internship experience include: seminars and symposia (intellectual property and confidentiality issues, stem cells and regenerative medicine, bioethics, and stem cell career opportunities) and specialized workshops (data management and statistical analyses, bioinformatics, confocal microscopy, real-time stem cell imaging, cell and gene therapies manufacturing, scientific communication, and graduate school applications). Additional activities are in development to further enhance their training.
Interns also participate in outreach activities, including stem cell research presentations at several high schools in the local community. A portable Stem Cell Demonstration Laboratory redesigned as a series of hybrid educational sessions extends outreach by providing stem cell training in the teachers’ classrooms. Teaching modules in Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine have also been developed for outreach purposes. Patient and healthcare engagement activities allow interns to reach out to the community their research may benefit.
The bridge formed between PCC and institutions engaged in stem cell research and regenerative medicine adds immeasurable value to its Biological Technology Certificate Program. PCC has offered a Certificate of Achievement in Biological Technology since 1999 and in Stem Cell Culture since 2005. Students in the Keck Biotechnology Program at PCC represent the diversity of California’s workforce, including: first generation college students, individuals pursuing a second career, women re-entering the workforce, displaced workers, and veterans. Their educational backgrounds range from no college experience to advanced degrees. More than half have already earned a Bachelor’s degree but need additional training to secure employment or enter postgraduate programs. Those selected for the CIRM Bridges Internship Program are drawn from a diverse pool of Biotechnology Program students and the general student body which is 76% minority, 72% low-income, and 29% first-generation. In addition, a Diversity, Equity and Inclusion Plan incorporates targeted outreach to ensure that the program includes substantial numbers of culturally diverse and economically disadvantaged individuals, reflecting the diversity of California’s population.
Summary: The CIRM-funded program: Bridges to Stem Cell Research and Therapy at Pasadena City College offers advanced stem cell training and research experience to PCC biotechnology students, who bring both laboratory skills and diversity to the California stem cell workforce. Engaging in long-term academic research projects in laboratories performing stem cell research, along with related training activities, has prepared the interns for varied research and career opportunities in stem cell biology and regenerative medicine. After completing the internship program, students have accepted research positions in academia and the biotechnology industry; prepared to transfer to four-year universities; and been accepted into graduate or professional programs.