Graduate Programs – MED – Stem Cell Institute, University …

This degree program offers training in stem cell biology, which is a rapidly growing interdisciplinary field that rests on foundations provided by molecular, cellular, and developmental biology. Students will take lecture, lab, and seminar classes in these various disciplines, in addition to stem cell biology. They will interact with members of the Stem Cell Institute through participation in research seminars and journal clubs, and will spend a full calendar year conducting stem cell research in the laboratory of a Stem Cell Biology Graduate Program faculty member. This research will form the basis of the Masters thesis.

This program is an excellent preparation for work in academic and bioscience industry settings.

Since the first Stem Cell Institute in the United States was founded at the University of Minnesota in 1999, many universities have established their own stem cell centers, (e.g., Wisconsin, Connecticut, Vanderbilt, Oregon, and several in California). This area of research is rapidly expanding, and funding from the State and Federal level is being invested. As projects move from the academic to the applied science area, bioscience companies will increasingly take up the technology and will be in need of skilled staff. Important companies currently engaged in this area include Merck, Pfizer, Novartis, and Geron. All of this activity, in both academic and commercial settings, is creating a demand for trained staff, which in turn will lead to more demand for relevant education.

The minor in Stem Cell Biology is available to students in relevant Ph.D. programs such as MCDB&G, MICaB, Neuroscience, Pharmacology, or Bioengineering who have an interest in stem cell biology. Students pursuing this minor will undertake their main research project in the laboratory of a member of the Stem Cell Biology Graduate Program faculty.

The Stem Cell Biology Training Program provides pre-doctoral training in stem cell biology, the clinical applications of stem cells, and the ethical issues related to stem cell research. The goal of the training program is to provide trainees with the essential tools to establish successful careers.

The program provides coursework and hands-on training that will train students to make advancements in the basic biological study of stem cells and to develop new stem cell-based clinical therapies.

Download a graduate program brochure.

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Graduate Programs - MED - Stem Cell Institute, University ...