Awarded Grant for Regenerative Medicine Program
The initiative is part of a statewide program through the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
Cal Poly will receive $2.89 million from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) to fund an undergraduate program focused on regenerative medicine.
The initiative is part of CIRM’s statewide Creating Opportunities through Mentorship and Partnership Across Stem Cell Science, or COMPASS program. CIRM’s mission is to accelerate world-class science to deliver transformative regenerative medicine treatments in an equitable manner to a diverse California and world. Its governing board has approved more than $46 million to help fund COMPASS programs throughout the Golden State.
Regenerative medicine seeks to develop any sort of medical treatment — drugs, engineered stem cells and devices — to help people regenerate parts of their bodies. Cell and biologic therapies represent the future of medicine, and after years of promise, the field is starting to realize its potential, as evidenced by the growth in the biotech sector and the large number of clinical trials currently ongoing for cell and tissue-engineered therapies in the nation.
Cal Poly’s COMPASS team will implement a two-year undergraduate training program to prepare a diverse group of students for a career in regenerative medicine. The team plans to recruit high school and community college students from underrepresented backgrounds as part of the initiative, which aligns with the program’s goal to “guide the growth of a diverse regenerative medicine workforce that represents California and benefits the world.”
“The agency is trying to enhance the diversity of our field while also creating a robust workforce for the rapidly expanding regenerative medicine industry,” said Kristen Cardinal, a biomedical engineering professor at Cal Poly.