Organizer Description: We will provide foundational training on basic stem cell techniques, including human induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC) reprogramming, human pluripotent stem cell (PSC) culture, gene editing, and differentiation. The introductory training is conducted virtually by UCLA faculty in collaboration with Thermo Fisher Scientific, a prominent member of the California biotech community and trusted provider of standardized reagents for stem cell modeling and regenerative medicine applications. This partnership leverages course materials successfully used and updated for over a decade by Thermo Fisher. UCLA Faculty will cover specific aspects of the course as neural differentiation (Dr. Michael Wells) and muscle differentiation (Dr. April Pyle) from human PSCs, and be available to answer questions (Dr. Kathrin Plath, Dr. Kitai Kim). The course gives a basic introduction to conducting human PSC-based research in their home laboratories. The course represents a component of the UCLA-CIRM Shared Resource Laboratory education activities (https://www.uclastemcellengineering.com/ucla-cirm-srl).
Course Format and Dates:
7 virtual sessions (1.5 - 2 hours each), Mondays at 9 AM – spanning seven weeks from March 10, 2025 – April 21st, 2025. The specific lecture dates are listed below:
The individual sessions will consist of lectures by experienced stem cell biology scientists and educators from Thermo Fisher, with support from UCLA faculty. For a thorough learning experience, the lecture material will be paired with relevant e-learning resources and instructional videos.
Lecture 1: Introduction to human PSCs Monday 9 am, March 10th
Lecture 2: Reprogramming to human iPSCs Monday 9 am, March 17th
Lecture 3: Basics of feeder-free human PSC culture Monday 9 am, March 24th
Lecture 4: Advanced feeder-free human PSC culture Monday 9 am, March 31st
Lecture 5: Gene Editing on human PSCs Monday 9 am, April 7th
Lecture 6: Mesodermal differentiation (w/ Dr. Pyle) Monday 9 am, April 14th
Lecture 7: Neural differentiation in 2D/3D (w/ Dr. Wells) Monday 9 am, April 21st