Project Summary
This application requests funding for Years 31-35 of our highly successful and impactful NIGMS
Biotechnology T32 Program on Cell and Tissue Engineering (CTEng). The objective of CTEng is to
provide innovative and integrated training for predoctoral engineering students in cell and
tissue engineering to develop future leaders for these biotechnology industries. CTEng will
provide an innovative and integrated training program comprising (i) formal courses on engineering
fundamentals, biosciences, bioengineering, and business principles; (ii) bi-weekly meetings with faculty
with topics rotating among journal club discussion, research presentation, faculty and industry career
discussions, and mentorship training; (iii) industrial visits and internships; (iii) an industry mentor
program; (iv) an annual cell and tissue engineering conference; (v) a regional T32 Biotechnology career
development workshop; and (vi) training in the responsible conduct of research and methods for
enhancing reproducibility. Georgia Tech provides an outstanding, highly collaborative and integrative
training and research environment in cell and tissue engineering. The particular strengths, and in many
instances unique features, of our program include (1) one of the largest faculties in the nation,
comprising many of the leading researchers in cell and tissue engineering, who provide a dynamic,
broad and deep critical mass of expertise; (2) recognized leadership in engineering and medicine (with
our partner Emory University School of Medicine) and especially at their intersection; (3) outstanding
research facilities and infrastructure; (4) a curriculum of innovative training components emphasizing
developing interdisciplinary researchers with strong leadership and communication skills; (5) a dynamic
ecosystem with multi-faceted connection points to industry and entrepreneurship and
commercialization; (6) a richly diverse and supportive culture; and (7) quality programs for the
recruitment, training and graduation of underrepresented minority students that are among the largest
and most successful in the nation. CTEng preceptors will nominate predoctoral students from our
BioEngineering, joint GT/Emory Biomedical Engineering, Chemical and Biomolecular Engineering, and
Mechanical Engineering programs at the end of their first year, and CTEng will support selected
trainees for the second and third years of graduate school. We request support for 9 students per year,
which is the current funding level. Graduates of CTEng will exhibit high research productivity in terms
of publications and presentations and will transition into impactful careers in academic, industry, and
government and become leaders of the cell and tissue engineering biotechnology industries.