CIRM Graduate Student Training in Stem Cell Sciences in the Stem Cell Technology and Lab Management Emphasis of the MS Biotechnology Program

In 2020, voters in California approved $5.5 billion in funding for stem-cell research. This funding allowed for the Bridges program to continue and our university- CSU Channel Islands, was one of several institutions to have received a $3.6 million "CIRM Graduate Student Training in Stem Cell Sciences" award in 2021, lasting until 2026. This has allowed us to continue offering a rigorous and highly productive training grant for our graduate students within the existing Stem Cell Technology and Laboratory Management (SCTLM) emphasis in the MS Biotechnology degree program. For the training program in this emphasis, each year 10 MS Biotechnology students are supported by CIRM for a total of 50 interns over 5 years. Because the team has well-established collaborative relationships with local biotechnology firms and research institutions, the instructors include not only academic faculty, but also senior scientists, professionals, and experienced business managers at local biotech companies. Our training program requires students to complete a set of six common core courses as well as three required courses focusing on molecular cell biology, bioinformatics, genomics and proteomics, stem cell culture techniques, cell culture facility management, regenerative medicine, project management, biotech law & regulation and an internship. These courses are being offered in various formats-in-classroom, online, seminar, full lecture/lab and 1-year internship and thus allow students to experience the full benefits of a diverse educational regimen. In addition, students are also required to complete 2 elective courses from a pool of 15 electives offered. As a result of this roadmap, interns complete more than 400 hours of coursework and also learn about the research of stem cell experts through a seminar course that typically invites 10-12 researchers from CIRM funded institutions. Before the start of the internship students are required to complete a week long intensive stem cell training workshop offered at an off-site location, typically in the summer. The most valuable experience for the students is the 1-year internship whereby they acquire skills in stem cell techniques, work on an original independent research project, establish collaborations with other scientists in the field, network with peers and project themselves as skilled researchers in stem cell technology. Thus, the curriculum within this emphasis consistently offers students a variety of options to expand their knowledge and lab skills in stem cell sciences. In addition to didactic instruction and the internship, the interns also participate in auxiliary activities in four areas- healthcare and patient engagement, community outreach, educational enhancement and career development. In addition, in collaboration with the Americans for Cures foundation, our students are also involved in patient advocacy programs. Our interns also partnered with the National Marrow Donor Program (NMDP) to complete several volunteer activities. However, a few volunteer activities could not be completed in 2021-2022 due to the Covid pandemic.. CSUCI has established a mentor database from a plethora of host institutions that conduct world-class research such as the Scripps Research Institute, Salk Institute, the Beckman Center at City of Hope, Loma Linda university, Stanford, UCSB, USC, UCR, UCSD, UCSC, UCSF, UCD, UC Merced, Cedars-Sinai Center, the Children’s Hospital Los Angeles and Stanford university. The CIRM Bridges award has provided us the opportunity to avail of these institutions as training sites which has proven to be an excellent platform for the students to fulfill the unmet need for highly qualified technical personnel in stem cell research technology. Interns have frequently been offered employment by these host institutions after finishing their internships and this reflects the confidence that researchers are placing in our interns. Graduating interns tend to continue their scientific endeavors and fulfill the need for stem cell biologists in California. Future endeavors of our interns have been varying- with several opting for the industry, some continuing to work in the academia while others pursuing PhD programs. The training program has directly made a key contribution to the stem cell efforts supported by the people of California as evidenced by our interns’ interest in pursuing future research in the stem cell areas either via seeking employment in the R & D sectors of stem cell based biotech companies or labs in academia and also pursuing PhD programs. Our interns have spoken at community events held on our campus and increased the transparency of the SCTLM emphasis and CIRM funded research. This training program made possible by the CIRM Bridges award has gained tremendous popularity at CSUCI and continues to garner wide interest. In summary, our Year 1 interns under this grant have successfully completed their internships and achieved their goals.

In 2020, voters in California approved $5.5 billion in funding for stem-cell research. This funding allowed for the Bridges program to continue and our university- CSU Channel Islands, was one of several institutions to have received a 5-year $3.6 million "CIRM Graduate Student Training in Stem Cell Sciences" award in 2021. This has allowed us to continue offering a rigorous and highly productive training grant for our graduate students within the existing Stem Cell Technology and Laboratory Management emphasis in the MS Biotechnology degree program. For the training program in this emphasis, each year 10 MS Biotechnology students are supported by CIRM for a total of 50 interns over 5 years. Because the team has well-established collaborative relationships with local biotechnology firms and research institutions, the instructors include not only academic faculty, but also senior scientists, professionals, and experienced business managers at local biotech companies. Our training program requires students to complete a set of six common core courses as well as three required courses focusing on molecular cell biology, bioinformatics, genomics and proteomics, stem cell culture techniques, cell culture facility management, regenerative medicine, project management, biotech law & regulation and an internship. These courses are being offered in various formats-in-classroom, online, seminar, full lecture/lab and 1-year internship and thus allow students to experience the full benefits of a diverse educational regimen. In addition, students are also required to complete 2 elective courses from a pool of 15 electives offered. As a result of this roadmap, interns complete more than 400 hours of coursework and also learn about the research of stem cell experts through a seminar course that typically invites 10-12 researchers from CIRM funded institutions. Before the start of the internship students are required to complete a week long intensive stem cell training workshop offered at an off-site location, typically in the summer. The most valuable experience for the students is the 1-year internship whereby they acquire skills in stem cell techniques, work on an original independent research project, establish collaborations with other scientists in the field, network with peers and project themselves as skilled researchers in stem cell technology. Thus, the curriculum within this emphasis consistently offers students a variety of options to expand their knowledge and lab skills in stem cell sciences. In addition to didactic instruction and the internship, the interns also participate in auxiliary activities in four areas- healthcare and patient engagement, community outreach, educational enhancement and career development. In addition, in collaboration with the Americans for Cures foundation, our students are also involved in patient advocacy programs. Our interns also partnered with the National Marrow Donor Program to complete several volunteer activities. However, in-person volunteer activities in a healthcare setting could not be completed in year 2 due to ongoing Covid restrictions being practiced by the local hospitals in our area CSUCI has established a mentor database from a plethora of host institutions that conduct world-class research such as the Scripps Research Institute, Salk Institute, City of Hope, Loma Linda university, UCSB, USC, UCR, UCSD, UCSC, UCSF, UCD, UCI, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, the Children’s Hospital of LA and Stanford university. The CIRM Bridges award has provided us the opportunity to avail of these institutions as training sites which has proven to be an excellent platform for the students to fulfill the unmet need for highly qualified technical personnel in stem cell research technology. Interns have frequently been offered employment by these host institutions after finishing their internships and this reflects the confidence that researchers are placing in our interns. Graduating interns tend to continue their scientific endeavors and fulfill the need for stem cell biologists in California. Future endeavors of our interns have been varying- with several opting for the industry, some continuing to work in the academia while others pursuing PhD programs. The training program has directly made a key contribution to the stem cell efforts supported by the people of California as evidenced by our interns’ interest in pursuing future research in the stem cell areas either via seeking employment in stem cell based biotech companies or labs in academia and also pursuing PhD programs. Our interns have spoken at community events held on our campus and increased the transparency of the SCTLM emphasis and CIRM funded research. This training program made possible by the CIRM Bridges award has gained tremendous popularity at CSUCI and continues to garner wide interest. In summary, our Year 2 interns under this grant have successfully completed their internships and achieved their goals.