CIRM Awards $1.08 million Grant to BCC for “Specialty in Stem Cell Biology” Program

Biotechnology draws from many disciplines including genetics, biochemistry, and molecular biology. Recent advances in biotechnology have resulted in the development of products that are having a positive impact on our health, food, and environment. BCC’s program, which integrates academic and occupational instruction, prepares you for entry-level employment as a bioscience technician in this exciting field. When you finish the two-year program in biotechnology, you will earn either an Associate in Science degree or a Certificate of Completion.

The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) recently awarded a $2.4 million grant to the Berkeley City College Biotechnology Department, chaired by Dr. Barbara Des Rochers, for its “Bridges to Stem Cell” Program. The grant title is “Speciality in Stem Cell Biology” and its status and funding level can be found on this website: http://cirm.ca.gov/for-researchers/researchfunding?Institution[]=854. Additionally, BCC’s program is listed among some of the most prestigious in California, and is one of only two community colleges given stem cell awards by CIRM.

BCC’s Bridges to Stem Cell Proposal will prepare community college students, particularly members of racial and ethnic minorities underrepresented in the health sciences, to obtain positions in the field of stem cell research by providing them with hands-on laboratory experience as well as academic instruction. The California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), a newly created state agency, administers $3 billion in California voter-approved funding for stem cell research and research opportunities.

Read BCC’s proposal on the CIRM website here:  http://cirm.ca.gov/content/specialty-stem-cell-biology.

BCC on List of CIRM-Funded Institutions

Berkeley City College is listed with a host of prestigious universities and research facilities which receive stem cell research grants from the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. BCC’s Bridges to Stem Cell Program, offered by the Biotechnology Department, was recently awarded $1,086,819 in grant funding under the grant category of Specialty in Stem Cell Biology. Berkeley City College is one of only two California community colleges to receive CIRM grant awards.