The
international PhD Program Bioengineering –
Cell Therapies and Regenerative Medicine comprises a 1st
year of Advanced Studies (60 ECTS)
followed by a 3-year research
project (180 ECTS).
The 1st year aims to provide state-of-the-art theoretical background, advanced skills and hands-on experience in 3 Education-Research vectors:
(i) Stem Cell Biology,
During the 1st trimester students will be enrolled in 4 mandatory courses (M1-M4) (2-3 weeks each) that introduce core concepts, tools and technologies involved in Regenerative Medicine.
M1. Stem Cell Biology (6 ECTS)
M2. Stem Cell Engineering (6 ECTS)
M3. Translational Research, Clinical Applications and Ethics (6 ECTS)
During the 2nd trimester, students shall select 3 additional out of 6 elective modules (2 weeks each) to provide additional training in specific areas of Regenerative Medicine: For the curricular year of 2016/17, the elective modules are the following:
E1. Materials for Regenerative Medicine (6 ECTS)
E2. Animal Cell Technology (6 ECTS)
E3. Gene Therapy (6 ECTS)
In month 4, a 3-day Forum will be organized by the consortium to launch the 2 central mandatory modules of practical training:
M4. GoMed: New Ventures for Regenerative Medicine (6 ECTS)
M5. SEED projects (18 ECTS)
In M4, teams of students (4x3 students) will be challenged by bioenterpreneurs from the consortium companies and MD’s, to develop business projects aimed at creating new products or services in the area of Cell Therapies and Regenerative Medicine. The students will attend a 1-week course designed to promote an entrepreneurial go-to-market attitude and provide insights on business development for Regenerative Medicine. Teams will develop their projects during the 2nd semester, under the guidance of selected business developers.
The SEED projects are individual research projects that combine interdisciplinary training in the 3 ER vectors, (2 mini-projects, 8 weeks each), to provide the student with experience in research methods with science, engineering and clinical perspectives, and will be developed in 2 different environments (research laboratories, hospitals and/or industry) .These projects must have at their origin a clinical challenge (proposed by consortium MDs) around which students shall design their SEED projects. The PhD program will actively foster the creation of these interdisciplinary projects, aiming to strength collaborations within the consortium and to build research teams that will address the clinical challenges of Regenerative Medicine.
Over the 2nd semester, following up the outcome of the SEED project, PhD project proposals will be defined jointly by the students and the research teams, including international placements (see Collaborations). The PhD program will continue for 36 months past the first curricular year.
During the Annual Program Retreat, the 1st year students will present and discuss their PhD projects. They are expected to produce a full case for his/her project, including a study of their scientific and economic implications. In this retreat, 2nd/3rd year students will present their PhD progress reports.
Location of the 1st year of Advanced Studies:
