Singapore, March 26, 2009:  Dr. Ching-Hua Wang, Chair of Biology, Geology and Nursing, and Director of the MS Biotechnology and Bioinformatics Program at California State University Channel Islands (CSUCI), was recently awarded a grant of $1,733,406 from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) as a part of their Bridges to Stem Cell Research program. CSUCI was one of 11 universities statewide to receive funding from the program.

 

"We are thrilled to have been awarded one of the CIRM grants. These grants are critically important to the future of regenerative medicine in California. Without personnel trained to carry out this research, the stem cell research field would not move as quickly as we would like," said Dr. Wang.

 

The grant will fund both comprehensive lecture and laboratory courses designed to train students in stem cell research, internship placement, and completion of a new Emphasis in Stem Cell Technology and Laboratory Management within the MS Biotechnology and Bioinformatics degree program at CSUCI. The new degree program will provide students with the necessary expertise to enter the workforce in a rapidly expanding and technologically advanced field. One of the courses funded by the grant is a general education course on stem cell technology to be developed by faculty at CSUCI in collaboration with faculty from community colleges in Ventura County.

 

Mr Robert Klein, chairman of the CIRM governing board said, "Training young people is critical to our mission of developing new therapies. As California's stem cell industry continues to grow, the state will face a critical shortage for biomedical laboratory workers trained in state-of-the-art techniques required by stem cell research labs. The Bridges to Stem Cell Research program trains students to fill the necessary positions in the industry.”