# Training in Developmental Biology, Stem Cells and Regeneration

> **NIH NIH T32** · UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA · 2022 · $205,518

## Abstract

This application is for renewal for a third cycle of a Predoctoral Training Program in Developmental Biology,
Stem Cells, and Regeneration at the University of Southern California (USC). This training program has both
benefitted from and contributed to the dramatic growth of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine research
at USC Keck School of Medicine. The presence of a dedicated Department of Stem Cell Biology and
Regenerative Medicine that has been actively recruiting new faculty, a highly successful PhD Program in
Development, Stem Cells, and Regeneration (DSR) that now averages ~15 new entering students per year, and
a university-wide USC Stem Cell initiative makes for a highly dynamic, ideal training environment for students.
The training program is designed to provide cohesive, structured training in developmental and stem cell biology,
coupled with training-grant-specific courses and activities that provide in-depth exposure to clinical problems and
advanced bioinformatics. Such a program will best train a future generation of scientists that wish to apply their
foundational research in developmental and stem cell biology to the field of regenerative medicine. A unique
strength of this training program is that it provides added value, beyond the DSR program, in the form of clinical
exposure. Each trainee is paired with a Clinical Co-Mentor, who guides the student in learning about the diseases
to which their primary research relates. Trainees take a T32-specific seminar class led by clinician scientists, as
well as a hands-on workshop in USC’s new GMP facility that exposes students to manufacturing of clinical-grade
stem cells and gene therapy reagents. This exposure of students to how stem cells can address unmet clinical
needs is aided by close ties of USC with one of the largest public hospitals in the country, and the extensive
participation of clinician-scientists in all aspects of the training program. Recently, we have also partnered with
the Department of Quantitative and Computational Biology to offer specialized computational biology training, in
direct response to feedback from trainees. During the previous four years of the training program, the 16 funded
trainees have published 30 manuscripts in journals such as Cell Stem Cell, Developmental Cell, PNAS, Neuron,
and PLoS Biology, and have received four NIH F31 fellowships. Of the 30 trainees since T32 inception, 16 have
graduated and 13 remain in training. All graduates have remained in science-intensive positions, with 7
performing postdocs, 6 entering industry, 3 pursuing science policy and journalism, and 1 recently accepting a
tenure-track assistant professorship at UCLA. From the first to second funding period, we have increased
diversity in our program (12.5% to 25% URM), success of NIH F31s (2 to 4), and the number of students in the
main DSR feeder program (~6 to ~15 per year), while decreasing time to degree (6.5 to 5.1 years). The students
have hosted a major sy...

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10410302
- **Project number:** 2T32HD060549-11
- **Recipient organization:** UNIVERSITY OF SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
- **Principal Investigator:** Gage D Crump
- **Activity code:** T32 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2022
- **Award amount:** $205,518
- **Award type:** 2
- **Project period:** 2011-05-01 → 2027-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10410302

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10410302, Training in Developmental Biology, Stem Cells and Regeneration (2T32HD060549-11). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-24 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10410302. Licensed CC0.

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