Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Training Grant at UCSD III

The CIRM Training Grant at UC San Diego is a collaboration spanning nearly every department at the UC San Diego campus, as well as our partners at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology and the Salk Institute for Biomedical Sciences. Upon notice of award, a multidisciplinary Steering Committee developed a plan to ensure a diverse, scientific trainee cohort at our campus. The call for abstracts was drafted and circulated to both academic departments and advocacy organizations around the San Diego Research Mesa in December 2021. Our call drew in 70 total abstracts for 12 fellowship spots, creating a very competitive selection process. Five graduate students, five postdoctoral fellows and two clinical fellows were ultimately selected by the steering committee for the first year. The awarded fellows came from a variety of departments at UC San Diego, including Pediatrics, Bioengineering, Neurosciences, Cellular & Molecular Medicine, Pathology and Psychiatry. A fellowship was also awarded to the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology. The first year cohort has already authored six high impact publications and presented their work all across California. Several fellows attended the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Annual Meeting in San Francisco, CA on June 15, 2022 and three fellows had abstracts selected for poster presentations. A graduate level class originally created for the first iteration of the CIRM Training Grant, CMM 250, was attended by all UC San Diego fellows in order to learn the cutting edge work being done by stem cell scientists in California. UCSD CIRM fellows actively participate in a program of special lab courses, didactic courses, research seminars, and journal clubs to present findings, build relationships, hone professionalism, and develop interdisciplinary contacts. A hands-on, stem cell methods class for multiple training levels will be offered semi-annually to CIRM Trainees free of charge, which was developed by the UCSD Stem Cell Program and a local industry partner. The UC San Diego Training Grant steering committee has encouraged extensive collaboration with the two additional CIRM Training Grants awarded in San Diego; housed at Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) and Sanford Burnham Prebys. Together, the three programs are jointly hosting a retreat at the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, which is a CIRM Major Facility and the base of operations for the UC San Diego Stem Cell Program. Fellows who are further in their research careers are selected to present twenty minute talks and all non-speaking trainees participate in the poster session at the end of the day. The retreat is an excellent venue to foster collaborations between the institutions and give valuable presentation experience to the mentees. The Sanford Burnham and Scripps Research trainees both fully participate in CMM 250, attend the hands on stem cell training and present posters at the Sanford Stem Cell Symposium. The new CIRM Training Grant cohort joins an extremely successful group of past trainees who have gone on to successful careers in academia, industry and the clinic.

The CIRM Training Grant at UC San Diego is a collaboration spanning nearly every department at the UC San Diego campus, as well as our partners at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology and the Salk Institute for Biomedical Sciences. Upon notice of award, a multidisciplinary Steering Committee developed a plan to ensure a diverse, scientific trainee cohort at our campus. The call for abstracts was drafted and circulated to both academic departments and advocacy organizations around the San Diego Research Mesa in December 2021. Our call drew in 70 total abstracts for 12 fellowship spots, creating a very competitive selection process. Five graduate students, five postdoctoral fellows and two clinical fellows were ultimately selected by the steering committee for the first year. The awarded fellows came from a variety of departments at UC San Diego, including Pediatrics, Bioengineering, Neurosciences, Cellular & Molecular Medicine, Pathology and Psychiatry. A fellowship was also awarded to the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology. The first year cohort has already authored six high impact publications and presented their work all across California. Our entire cohort of fellows attended the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Annual Meeting in Boston, MA on June 14, 2023 and eleven fellows had abstracts selected for poster presentations. A graduate level class originally created for the first iteration of the CIRM Training Grant, CMM 250, was attended by all UC San Diego fellows in order to learn the cutting edge work being done by stem cell scientists in California. UCSD CIRM fellows actively participate in a program of special lab courses, didactic courses, research seminars, and journal clubs to present findings, build relationships, hone professionalism, and develop interdisciplinary contacts. A hands-on, stem cell methods class for multiple training levels will be offered semi-annually to CIRM Trainees free of charge, which was developed by the UCSD Stem Cell Program and a local industry partner. The UC San Diego Training Grant steering committee has encouraged extensive collaboration with the two additional CIRM Training Grants awarded in San Diego; housed at Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) and Sanford Burnham Prebys. Together, the three programs are jointly hosting a retreat at the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, which is a CIRM Major Facility and the base of operations for the UC San Diego Stem Cell Program. Fellows who are further in their research careers are selected to present twenty minute talks and all non-speaking trainees participate in the poster session at the end of the day. The retreat is an excellent venue to foster collaborations between the institutions and give valuable presentation experience to the mentees. The Sanford Burnham and Scripps Research trainees both fully participate in CMM 250, attend the hands on stem cell training and present posters at the Sanford Stem Cell Symposium. The retreat in December 2022 was held at the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine and organized by UC San Diego, the second year retreat will be hosted by Sanford Burnham Prebys on January 17, 2024 and the third year retreat will be hosted by the Scripps Research Institute before rotating back to UC San Diego.

The CIRM Training Grant at UC San Diego is a collaborative initiative that spans multiple departments across the UC San Diego campus, in addition to our partners at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology and the Salk Institute for Biomedical Sciences. Upon receipt of the award, a multidisciplinary Steering Committee was formed to ensure a diverse and scientifically robust cohort of trainees. Applications were highly competitive, with 70 abstracts submitted for just 12 fellowship positions. Ultimately, the Steering Committee selected a cohort comprising five graduate students, five postdoctoral fellows, and two clinical fellows for the first year. Awardees came from a wide range of departments at UC San Diego, including Pediatrics, Bioengineering, Neurosciences, Cellular & Molecular Medicine, Pathology, and Psychiatry. In addition, a fellowship was awarded to a researcher at the La Jolla Institute for Allergy & Immunology. The year one fellowship cohort authored six high-impact publications and presented their research at multiple venues across California. Several fellows attended the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Annual Meeting in Germany, where fellows had abstracts selected for poster presentations. As part of their training, all fellows participated in CMM 250, a graduate-level course designed to showcase the cutting-edge stem cell research being conducted throughout California. This course, originally created for the inaugural cohort of the CIRM Training Grant, has become an essential part of the fellows' educational experience. In addition to CMM 250, UC San Diego CIRM fellows engage in a comprehensive program that includes special lab courses, didactic sessions, research seminars, and journal clubs. These opportunities help the fellows present their findings, develop interdisciplinary relationships, enhance their professionalism, and foster a collaborative environment. A hands-on stem cell methods class, developed by the UC San Diego Stem Cell Program in partnership with a local industry collaborator, is offered semi-annually to CIRM trainees at no cost. The UC San Diego CIRM Training Grant Steering Committee also fosters collaboration with the other two CIRM-funded training programs in the San Diego area, based at Scripps Research Institute (TSRI) and Sanford Burnham Prebys. Together, the three institutions host an annual retreat at the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine, a CIRM Major Facility and the home base of the UC San Diego Stem Cell Program. The retreat serves as an excellent venue for trainees to present their research in both oral and poster formats. Advanced fellows are selected to deliver 20-minute talks, while all trainees are invited to present posters. This retreat is a valuable opportunity for cross-institutional collaboration and provides essential presentation experience for the trainees. Additionally, fellows from Sanford Burnham Prebys and the Scripps Research Institute fully participated in CMM 250, attended the hands-on stem cell training sessions, and presented posters at the Sanford Stem Cell Symposium, further enriching the collaborative and interdisciplinary nature of the CIRM Training Program at UC San Diego. Current cohorts are progressing in fields as diverse as stem-cell based modeling of inflammatory bowel disease, drug discovery, pediatric leukemia, hematopoietic stem cell fitness and aging, Alzheimer’s Disease, SETD5 syndrome, and myeloma. Trainees will meet with affiliate CIRM EDUC4 institutes in December 2024 to give oral and poster presentation in front of 40+ peers and mentors. Furthering our mission to advance stem cell research discoveries through strategic educational outreach that starts in the state of California and benefit the world.