Boston University TL1 Regenerative Medicine Training Program

The BU CTSI TL1 Pre-Doctoral and Post-Doctoral Fellowships in Regenerative Medicine is committed to increasing the diversity of the research workforce and strongly encourages applications from underrepresented, racial and ethnic groups (UREGs).

Regenerative medicine represents the next evolution of medical treatments through the replacement, engineering, or regeneration of damaged human cells, tissues, or organs to restore normal function. This groundbreaking field of medicine truly encompasses the concept of “bench to bedside” translational and personalized medicine research. Both the CTSI and BU School of Medicine place a strong emphasis on regenerative medicine, which also plays a central role in NCATS’ mission of expediting personalized medicine and the discovery and rapid delivery of cell-based therapeutic and pharmacologic approaches to market.

The result of interest sparked by an Affinity Research Collaborative (ARC) on iPSC, the Regenerative Medicine Training Program (RMTP)—CTSI’s transformative 2-year TL1 program—aims to support the creation of a pipeline of well-trained scientists and future leaders in the field of translational research by:

• Providing an innovative, integrative, and interdisciplinary training program, based on CTSA nationally developed competencies and leveraging the unique and internationally recognized strength of BU;
• Facilitating translational team science interactions, synergistically bridging research strengths with interdisciplinary approaches;
• Engaging pre- and post-doctorates who have already excelled and whose research would be transformed with the inclusion of regenerative medicine expertise and resources, making “today’s trainees the teachers of tomorrow;”
• Offering ongoing career and research guidance by mentors (primary and secondary) who have led successful, cross-disciplinary, sustained teams in groundbreaking areas and participated in the train-the-mentor program.

Created in collaboration with the Center for Regenerative Medicine (CReM), with its extensive faculty expertise, vast networking capabilities, and state-of-the-art facilities and resources, the RMTP TL1 will provide scientific expertise, laboratory, and financial support to trainees from many different departments and biological disciplines across BU, such as dentistry, medicine, surgery, pediatrics, geriatrics, cardiology, and biomedical engineering.

Integrating CReM as a training facility is a win-win for students and the institution alike. Regenerative medicine has been the most sought after discipline for BU School of Medicine PhD applicants, and the CReM faculty receives the greatest number of requests from matriculating students to conduct their PhD dissertation work. Until the establishment of the RMTP TL1 program, only a limited number of students could be accepted. The program will thus not only increase the capacity of trainees within the CReM but also extend the scope of regenerative medicine research to other disciplines.