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News — LOS ANGELES (April 18, 2025) -- The Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute is marking its 15^th anniversary by further expanding its commitment to research, development of cell-based human models and therapies, and education with three new leadership appointments and the creation of a master’s degree program.  

“Our four pillars are scientific discovery, biomanufacturing, education and training, and clinical trials,” said , executive director of the Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute and professor of Medicine and Biomedical Sciences at Cedars-Sinai. “We’ve made great strides in each over the past 15 years and now look forward to continuing to build on existing programs and to developing new ones.”

To that end, , will take on a new role as associate director of the institute, , will become director of the Blood Program, and , will become the chief biomanufacturing officer for the Cedars-Sinai Biomanufacturing Center, which creates clinical-grade cell products for regenerative medicine. The institute also will launch the Master of Science in Regenerative Medicine Program under the direction of , the institute’s director of Education and Training.

Svendsen noted that much of the institute’s growth has been enabled by the , a state agency providing funding to accelerate stem cell, regenerative medicine and gene therapy research, and the , a group of philanthropic leaders who support clinical programs, biomedical research and community outreach.

Key Milestones

Key milestones since the institute was founded in 2010:

2011: The institute launches the , one of the first facilities in California dedicated to the production of induced pluripotent stem cells.

2012: Svendsen receives a $17.8 million grant from CIRM to develop a novel treatment for , also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig’s disease.

2018: An institute team advances , which combines induced pluripotent stem cells and specially engineered laboratory devices to recreate biology outside the body. This work was highlighted on the cover of .

2019: A CIRM-funded clinical trial to study a stem cell-based treatment for , an inherited eye disease with no cure, enrolls its first patient.

2020: The institute opens the  to identify stem cell-based treatments for musculoskeletal injuries or disease.

2020: The institute opens the , which houses clean-room cell production suites and process development rooms for producing the next generation of cell and gene therapies.

2022: Institute investigators send experiments on the first of four missions to the  to explore the possibility of producing large batches of stem cells in a low-gravity environment.

2022: The institute launches the , part of a statewide network of CIRM-funded clinics that conducts cell and gene therapy trials focused on disorders with unmet medical needs.

2024: Cedars-Sinai opens the CIRM , which serves as a hub for the development of organ-chip technology.

A New Master’s Program

The introduction of the  within Cedars-Sinai’s Health Sciences University marks yet another milestone for the institute.

“Cedars-Sinai is a leader in regenerative medicine, stem cell biology research and biomanufacturing, and we are ready to educate the next generation of young scientists to contribute to this exciting field,” said Tawackoli. “We have robust programs for high school students, PhD students and postdoctoral fellows, and a Master of Science in Regenerative Medicine Program is a logical addition to our education portfolio.”

The 20-month program will accept four to six students in its first class, pairing each student with a specific laboratory and mentor in their second year. The curriculum will focus on three professional paths: biomanufacturing, academic research and clinical specialties. Deadline to apply is June 30, 2025.

“We plan to invite biotech industry professionals to share what kind of job candidates they are looking for, so our graduates are well trained for any of these three categories and have the upper hand in their job searches,” Tawackoli said. “This will also offer good preparation for those who plan to continue their education in medical or PhD programs.”

New Leadership Roles

In her new role, Goodridge, previously associate director of Discovery at the institute, will assist Svendsen with strategic planning for the institute’s next 15 years of milestones.

“This appointment gives me an opportunity to work with Dr. Svendsen and other institute leaders to shape the vision for the next 15 years,” Goodridge said. “I have been here to see the growth within the institute and at Cedars-Sinai as a whole. It is amazing how the field has evolved and exciting to think about where we will go next. I enjoy my research, but it is great to also be part of the big picture and to have had many opportunities over the years to collaborate both in the research space and across the institution.”

Chute, director of the Division of Hematology and Cellular Therapy at Cedars-Sinai, will now also direct the Blood Program in the regenerative medicine institute.

“The Blood Program is vital to our ongoing efforts to develop next-generation cellular and immune effector therapies for patients with blood diseases, cancers and immunologic diseases,” Chute said. “We’re interested in expanding the boundaries of CAR T-cell therapy, in which a patient’s own immune cells are trained to attack cancer cells. CAR T-cells are currently used to treat blood diseases, and we are developing novel CAR T-cells to eradicate solid cancers as well as targeting neurologic, immune and pulmonary diseases. With the clinical expertise we have in the Cedars-Sinai Division of Hematology and Cellular Therapy and the resources of the regenerative medicine institute, we are rapidly accelerating translational research and product development in this area. We aim to launch clinical trials of our novel cellular therapies within the next two years.”

Sareen, founding executive director of the Cedars-Sinai Biomanufacturing Center, is being promoted to chief biomanufacturing officer, a move Svendsen said reflects the leadership he has shown in building the center from the ground up.

“As the regenerative medicine institute grew, we established the biomanufacturing center to accelerate internal pipelines for translational medicine, using innovative cell therapy and cell manufacturing platforms we have developed,” Sareen said.

“Our goal is to get some of these advanced therapies into clinical trials for patients with intractable diseases such as gastrointestinal cancers, autoimmune diseases and neurological diseases like ALS.”

Going forward, Sareen said he plans to work to deepen ties across academia, industry and government agencies to build a robust ecosystem to provide cell and gene therapies to the Los Angeles community and beyond.

“Over the past 15 years, Dr. Svendsen has developed a leading-edge institute that has attracted clinicians and scientists across all departments to Cedars-Sinai and created a unique environment for the growth of innovative stem cell treatments for our patient community,” said , executive vice president of Medicine and Health Sciences and dean of the Medical Faculty at Cedars-Sinai. “We anticipate great things during the institute’s next 15 years.”

Svendsen is also looking toward the future.

“Regenerative medicine is an emerging field and the future possibilities for using stem cells to both model and treat human disease here at Cedars-Sinai are endless,” he said. “I will devote my efforts to moving all this exciting research into clinical trials that we hope will bring new treatments to patients within our community and beyond and help fulfill the founding mission of Cedars-Sinai.”

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