Translational Research in Biomaterials

Boston University (Charles River Campus), Boston MA

Investigators

Linked publications, trials & patents

Abstract

ABSTRACT This application is for an administrative supplement for one additional slot for the parent award NIH T32 parent award T32EB006359, Boston University's NIH training program, Translational Research in Bio- materials (TRB). The TRB mission is to train PhD students as interdisciplinary and translational research scientists and engineers. The TRB trainees acquire a fundamental and quantitative understanding of mate- rials, biomaterial-tissue responses, and molecular and cell biology, as well as interdisciplinary training expe- riences and education that promote discussion and scientific inquiry in areas outside students’ “comfort zones,” such as in business and clinical trials. New for this renewal are the following: a junior faculty men- toring plan, integrated student governance, better data collection, new courses, professional development workshops, student founded and led translational MInT program, Fireside chats with key opinion-leaders, peer mentoring program pairing first year trainees with senior trainees, and more targeted efforts for un- derrepresented minority recruitment. The cornerstones of the TRB program are the curriculum and the program elements that combine interdis- ciplinary research, quantitative science, engineering, and translational-based courses in clinical trials and business, with student-organized seminar club, dinners with clinicians, training in professional ethics, indi- vidual development plans, and professional workshops/ career panels. Our aim is to teach the unique skills and competencies that are essential to thrive in a multidisciplinary collaborative team striving to meet com- mon goals in research, development, translation, and, ultimately, commercialization. Since our initial funding in 2009, 55 students have participated in the TRB training program: 33 were supported with NIH funds and 11 were co-funded by the BU Departments of Biomedical Engineering and Chemistry. We have accom- plished our demographic and training mission: 32 women (54%), 27 men (46%), 31% minority, 93% reten- tion; 100% employment; 23 current students. The TRB trainees have excelled on multiple fronts, including 157 published papers, 24 patent applications over 230 oral and poster conference presentations, 16 com- petitive individual NSF or NIH fellowships. TRB alumni hold positions ranging from Assistant Professor at Rice University, to a postdoctoral fellowship at Harvard, to co-founding biomedical start-ups (e.g., Phar- machk).