Solano Community College's runs its CIRM COMPASS program through its Biotechnology department. The Biotechnology program offers several certificates, an Associates degree, and a Bachelor of Science in Biomanufacturing. With dual enrollment courses taught by college faculty in the local high schools, and with partnerships with nine universities, this program provides a complete educational pathway (from high school through graduate school) to members of the community (and beyond). Built into this pathway are multiple entry and exit points, and graduates enjoy a near 100% placement rate into a high wage, high potential-for-upward-mobility careers. Historically the program trained graduates to grow cells that produce pharmaceutical proteins and to carry out the unit operations to recover and isolate those proteins to purity. The CIRM COMPASS program catalyzed the expansion of the program into education and training about stem cells and regenerative medicine.
Solano Community College (located half-way between San Francisco and Sacramento) was one of the first colleges, 2-year or 4-year, to offer a biotechnology program that emphasized the skills and knowledge required to go into the manufacturing (rather than research) sector of the biotechnology industry. Over the years, this curriculum has been disseminated to other colleges and our faculty continue to mentor biotech programs around the country. The biotechnology program serves a diverse student population (drawn from the most diverse county in California and containing the most diverse city in the United States) by providing academic and workforce training that allows graduates to either continue their education or to enter the workforce.
In the last several years, Solano College designed and launched its Certificate of Achievement in Cell and Gene Therapies/ Stem Cells. Courses and the program were taken through the local, regional, and statewide curriculum approval process and are now listed in the college catalog. Students stack this three course certificate on top of the existing core Industrial Biotechnology certificate. The courses emphasize aseptic technique, mammalian cell culture, analytical techniques, and the regulatory considerations that apply to the production of these emerging therapies. CIRM COMPASS scholars completed these courses as preparation for their summer internships.
The Solano Community College's CIRM COMPASS program supported five undergraduate trainees in its first year and placed them into summer internships: two at Stanford University's Laboratory for Cell and Gene Medicine, one in a research laboratory on the main campus of the University of California, Davis, and two at UC Davis' stem cell cGMP facility in Sacramento. All students were enrolled in the Biomanufacturing Bachelors degree and were taking upper division courses that emphasized engineering principles important in biomanufacturing unit operations, advanced cell therapies, business principles (including supply chain, Total Quality Management, Six Sigma, and Lean Manufacturing), operational excellence, technical writing, project management, and bioethics.
In the second year the CIRM COMPASS program is supporting seven additional scholars that also have gained valuable background knowledge and laboratory skills by completing the Cell and Gene Therapy/ Stem Cell certificate. All of these CIRM scholars will have completed their Junior year in the Bachelors of Science in Biomanufacturing degree and will participate in a summer internship in where they will conduct research or production of regenerative medicine products in Summer 2024.
Over the academic year CIRM COMPASS scholars met regularly with their faculty to discuss issues of diversity, equity, and inclusion in STEM. They discussed topics important to professional and academic development, and strategies for career advancement after graduation. CIRM COMPASS scholars regularly attend academic conferences, attend professional development events held by biotechnology trade organizations, participate in industry specific training offered by these organizations, pursue professional certifications, and attend lectures by guest speakers from the industry, and tour biotechnology companies.
CIRM Scholars have applied what they have learn to engage the broader community. Trainees volunteered for community outreach events, especially working with the non-profit organization Be-The-Match to organize three events on campus that recruited hundreds of students to be tissue typed to enter into a national bone marrow registry. CIRM Scholars work with the adult school, high schools, elementary students, and a pre-school to promote STEM.
The Solano College CIRM COMPASS program helps promote the development of a well-trained and diverse workforce that will become leaders in the promotion of the development and production of cell and gene therapies that will serve patients, our communities, and our country.
Grant Application Details
Application Title:
IDEA-CBMS - Increase Diversity, Equity, and Advancement in Cell Based Manufacturing Sciences
Statement of Benefit to California:
The scientific initiatives for advancing stem cell and regenerative medicine towards new therapeutics to treat human disease are being led by the state of California.
These therapies are critical to society and the initiatives are driving future innovations in Biomedical sciences. As we move forward, there’s an unequivocal need for a robust talent development pipeline to train our future professionals in regenerative medicine that represent California’s diverse population.
We designed our program to answer this call to action and provide opportunities for our diverse college students to receive focused training and education, accelerating their efforts into the advanced skilled technical workforce.
Our program also encompasses the skills and training needed as a regenerative medicine research professional, that is mindful and comprehends the importance of translational medicine and how their scientific efforts will result in patient therapies. These efforts also include community outreach and patient advocacy to disseminate the importance and benefits of these research initiatives.
Our community college population represents the diversity of California and further ensures equitable recruitment. Our focused laboratory partners in academia and industry are committed to delivering innovative and comprehensive internship experiences for our undergraduates through part-time, year-round or summer intensive, full time work-based learning in regenerative medicine.
Our student scholars will work on multiple applications in regenerative medicine and cell therapies to treat complex human diseases such as multiple cancers, diabetes, spinal cord injuries, as well as various autoimmune and neurological diseases.
The program is designed for students to concurrently work in scientific laboratories while finishing their undergraduate credentials in Biomanufacturing with no schedule disruption. Our students participate in a focused mentor fellowship and work in collaboration with global patient advocacy partners on multiple events to support donor drives and other gift of life activities. These programs and initiatives all contribute to our students moving forward in California’s workforce and completing their 4-year bachelor’s education.
Our program will train and support at least 25 individuals that represent the diverse population of California and will continue to represent the evolving population of our scientific workforce. Our strategic initiatives for this program are aligned with California’s workforce initiatives, supplying a skilled technical workforce to combat the significant labor market gaps in our scientific sector workforce.
Our students have broad and diverse perspectives and understand the importance of regenerative medicine, the community impact of new cell therapeutics, and how their knowledge and efforts will advance regenerative medicine in California.
