The UCSF CIRM Scholars Research Program aims to support the next generation of basic and clinical scientists in their journey toward advancing in the fields of regenerative medicine, stem cell research, and gene therapy. To achieve this goal and generate these experts for the advancement of science in California, we must support trainees at multiple levels of education. This past year, the program selected one clinical fellow and two postdoctoral fellows from a highly competitive pool of applicants. Our trainees were ultimately selected based on their prior work, proposed research, and potential for impact on the fields of stem cell, gene therapy, and regenerative medicine. The cohort for this year combines these new candidates with our trainees continuing from the first year of the grant.

Overall, our cohort this year represents a diverse pool of backgrounds and specialties from stem cells to tissue engineering to gene editing all working toward a shared goal of improving human health. They each have established, rigorous research and training programs under the guidance of committed mentors. In addition to their individualized research plans, the trainees have been engaged in a series of community and patient oriented activities. For example, our trainees have independently mentored and tutored to students from backgrounds underrepresented in the sciences at multiple education levels (from high school to masters students). A majority of our trainees participated in UCSF’s “CIRM Days,” offering tours and talks aimed illuminating the possibilities of stem cell and gene editing therapies to high school students and undergraduate students. The trainees have also had the opportunity to directly engage with physicians and patients about their experience with stem cell/ gene editing based therapies for diseases such as sickle cell , alpha thalassemia, severe combined immunodeficiency, and cancer.

In their second year, the trainees have persistently made impressive strides in their research projects that model human diseases and devise innovative therapeutic strategies and tools to combat these conditions. Collectively, they are addressing a wide spectrum of diseases including leukemia, retinal disorders, diabetes, neural degeneration, liver insufficiencies, and obesity. Research progress was shared among the entire cohort and their mentors in a monthly Research-In-Progress (RIPS) meeting. The trainees have also taken individualized courses specific to their research and attended conferences to both present their work as well as keep abreast of the latest conceptual, technical, and translational advances in the field. Three of the trainees who have recently left our training program will start or have already started faculty positions at other institutions, including UT Austin and UC San Diego. Two of our trainees have developed inventions from their research and one has published a paper in Cell Stem Cell. We excited to see the progress of this year and future cohorts as the grant progresses.