Fellows complete a core curriculum consisting of three required courses (Biotechnology Entrepreneurship, Advanced Topics in Stem Cell Engineering, and the Fellows Meeting) and one elective. The core courses are designed to teach students with a variety of backgrounds, both biology and engineering.
Required Courses
1. BIO ENG 253 – Biotechnology Entrepreneurship: Impact, History, Therapeutics R&D, Entrepreneurship and Careers
This course is designed to introduce students to biotechnology entrepreneurship. Topics include the impact of biotechnology on medicine and society, the history of the field (including individual scientists, entrepreneurs and companies), key methodologies, therapeutic product classes, entrepreneurship and innovation within the life sciences. Students will learn principles of drug and biologics discovery, development and commercialization, and will be exposed to the range of careers in the biopharmaceutical industry.
2. BIO ENG 290 – Advanced Topics in Stem Cell Engineering
This course is taught primarily by the mentors and is designed to promote the practice of teaching and learning as an interactive process. Covers advanced topics in biology, quantitative physical sciences, and engineering related to stem cell research
3. Fellows’ Meeting
This informal course meets monthly and includes discussion of ethical, regulatory and legal issues in stem cell research, career development and research presentation skills.
Elective Courses
Fellows select an elective course, chosen to represent foundational biology and engineering aspects of stem cell biological engineering, in consultation with their mentor and the program co-directors. Suggested elective courses include, but are not limited to:
- MCELLBI 230 – Advanced Cell Biology
- BIO ENG 215-Molecular Biomechanics and Mechanobiology of the Cell
- BIO ENG 243-Probabilistic Modeling in Computational Biology