T32 CTEng (Cellular and Tissue Engineering) Training Program

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Project Summary This application requests funding for Years 31-35 of our highly successful and impactful NIGMS Biotechnology T32 Program on Cell and Tissue Engineering (CTEng). The objective of CTEng is to provide innovative and integrated training for predoctoral engineering students in cell and tissue engineering to develop future leaders for these biotechnology industries. CTEng will provide an innovative and integrated training program comprising (i) formal courses on engineering fundamentals, biosciences, bioengineering, and business principles; (ii) bi-weekly meetings with faculty with topics rotating among journal club discussion, research presentation, faculty and industry career discussions, and mentorship training; (iii) industrial visits and internships; (iii) an industry mentor program; (iv) an annual cell and tissue engineering conference; (v) a regional T32 Biotechnology career development workshop; and (vi) training in the responsible conduct of research and methods for enhancing reproducibility. Georgia Tech provides an outstanding, highly collaborative and integrative training and research environment in cell and tissue engineering. The particular strengths, and in many instances unique features, of our program include (1) one of the largest faculties in the nation, comprising many of the leading researchers in cell and tissue engineering, who provide a dynamic, broad and deep critical mass of expertise; (2) recognized leadership in engineering and medicine (with our partner Emory University School of Medicine) and especially at their intersection; (3) outstanding research facilities and infrastructure; (4) a curriculum of innovative training components emphasizing developing interdisciplinary researchers with strong leadership and communication skills; (5) a dynamic ecosystem with multi-faceted connection points to industry and entrepreneurship and commercialization; (6) a richly diverse and supportive culture; and (7) quality programs for the recruitment, training and graduation of underrepresented minority students that are among the largest and most successful in the nation. CTEng preceptors will nominate predoctoral students from our BioEngineering, joint GT/Emory Biomedical Engineering, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and Mechanical Engineering programs at the end of their first year, and CTEng will support selected trainees for the second and third years of graduate school. We request support for 9 students per year, which is the current funding level. Graduates of CTEng will exhibit high research productivity in terms of publications and presentations and will transition into impactful careers in academic, industry, and government and become leaders of the cell and tissue engineering biotechnology industries.