Preparing undergraduate and master’s students for the regenerative medicine industry
Grant Award Details
Grant Number:
EDUC8-20295
Investigator(s):
Name:
Institution:
Type:
PI
Award Value:
$6,446,520
Status:
Pre-Active
Grant Application Details
Application Title:
Preparing undergraduate and master's students for the regenerative medicine industry
Public Abstract:
Our proposed regenerative medicine training programs includes interdisciplinary groups of undergraduate and master's students representing 3 different majors and departments from 3 academic units, and based upon over 15 years of experience directly training students in this area. The goal of both our BS and MS programs are to graduate day-one ready professionals who are capable of advancing CIRM's mission of accelerating regenerative treatments and cures to patients with unmet clinical needs. The first step in achieving this goal in both programs is a year of coursework at our institution, which will prepare students by training them in the knowledge and skills relevant to regenerative medicine. At the master's level, students will becoming proficient in laboratory techniques such as cell culture, fluent with primary literature, clear communicators across many audiences, familiarity with the process of biologic therapy development empathetic to the patient experience, and capable of designing and executing independent research projects. At the undergraduate level, students will also become proficient in laboratory techniques such as cell culture, familiar with current advancements in the field, and empathetic to the patient experience. With these skills and knowledge, we will prepare undergraduates for 3-6 month summer or summer-fall industry internships while master's students will complete 10 month internships over the entire second year of their degree. Students will work full-time during these internships, as they refine relevant skills while contributing to a variety of current real-world applications. (The results of our students' previous internship projects have been included in journal publications, conference presentations, patent applications, and regulatory approval documents filed with the FDA.) Common to both undergraduate and graduate students is a capstone project experience that graduate students execute to prepare for their internship, while undergraduate students execute to demonstrate learning gains from the internship. At the conclusion of our program, students will be poised to enter and directly impact the regenerative medicine field. Therefore, this award will allow us to contribute to CIRM's mission of accelerating treatments to patients with unmet clinical needs by providing the crucial workforce with specialized skills.
Statement of Benefit to California:
Our proposed program will benefit California in several ways, beginning with the first beneficiaries- the students in the program. Through our broad recruitment strategies, we will attract a diverse cohort of students to benefit from the comprehensive training and nearly 100% employment placement historically achieved by our program. The activities of our undergraduate and graduate student cohorts will in turn benefit countless Californians by accelerating the development of regenerative medicines to treat patients with unmet medical needs. This contribution depends upon this grant allowing us to deliver a pre-internship curriculum that would not be possible without CIRM support, and that provides highly effective preparation for the internship. As a result of this preparation, students at their internships can help advance both translational research and product development, and accelerate the identification of new therapeutic targets or strategies. Without CIRM support, most internship opportunities would not be possible, as the start-up companies developing regenerative medicines and cures are often without the revenue stream required for an internship program. In this way, our program accelerates the development of regenerative medicines by providing companies with the technically-skilled emerging professionals needed to development these new therapies.
The regenerative medicines and cures that our students and future alumni help develop will directly benefit Californians who receive these innovative therapies, while also indirectly benefiting the entirety of our state by growing and strengthening California's economy. Graduates of our program have historically impacted, and will continue to impact, a number of fields, such as performing fundamental and translational research in academic laboratories and for-profit companies, developing and manufacturing regenerative medicine products at for-profit companies, and participating in clinical-trial organization at large medical centers. Our graduates will help position California as the world leader in regenerative medicine by providing the workforce necessary for this field, and the economic benefits of this outcome are great.
Beyond the students that matriculate into our program and the benefits they impart, our outreach activities will also help build a diverse 'pipeline' by community college students to pursue bachelors and advanced degrees in the fields that support regenerative medicine. These outreach activities will also develop awareness, support, and enthusiasm among the general public for regenerative medicine.
In summary, our program will benefit students and patients, help strengthen California's economy, and help build the regenerative medicine talent pipeline with the promise of a rewarding career and the chance to enhance medical practice and treatment options for patients with unmet clinical needs.