Cell Transplantation & Biotherapeutics‐ a course linking bio‐therapies with survival surgery & experimental assessment

Laboratory mice are the most commonly used model in biomedical research and often the first in vivo preclinical model used in the medical device, pharma, and biotech industries. Despite the wide‐spread use of mice in basic investigation and preclinical product evaluation, few universities offer formalized courses on experimental and surgical approaches in rodents. To address this unmet need, I developed a new course entitled Cell Transplantation & Biotherapeutics. The primary goals of the laboratory‐intensive course are to train students in: animal handling and anesthesia, aseptic surgery, and experimentation. To accomplish these goals, 24 students perform 48 femoral artery ligation surgeries to produce a model of chronic peripheral ischemia. At the time of surgery, collagen gels and collagen gels containing fibroblasts are implanted deep to the gracilis muscles. One to two weeks after surgery and cell transplantation, hindpaw pulse oximetery, gastrocnemius weight, and gastrocnemius force production is measured to determine the effectiveness of the cell transplantation therapy. The students use their results for preliminary data in a mock grant application, which they present during a mock study section. This course is well‐received by the students and provides them with an opportunity to gain skills of great value to both basic research and bio‐medical industry.