<p>I was wondering if anyone has a list/ranking of top or leading universities for research in stem cell (might it be clinical or basic science)?</p>
<p>I couldn't find ranking for SC and was not really surprised =) I plan to pursue a PhD in programs such bio/bme/systems biology with focus on stem cells.</p>
<p>Beside getting scold/beat up by some religious-conservative-punks at random bars, is there any specific downside to stem cell research? What is your vision on the future of the funding and SC as a sub-field itself? I know that Mr. Obama would approve my intention to utilize SC...</p>
<p>If you are just starting to work on something that is the new hot trend, you’re too late. Look how many washed up professors with unimpressive labs are still working on homeoboxes, transcription machinery, response regulators etc. On the other hand, if you really like a topic, no amount of ‘boom and bust’ science should dissuade you from working with it.</p>
<p>The landscape of the stem cell world is about to change. I am sure you are aware that Univ of Wisconsin was the leader in the field followed closely by institutions that were able to obtain realistic funding eg. California. Since the limitations on research have been lifted, I imagine cell bio departments around the country will jump on the bandwagon and pick up new faculty.</p>
<p>I am a passionate stem cell research enthusiast and researched day in and out for top graduate biomedical PhD programs that had strong stem cell research opportunities. Basically, schools with tons of funding from NIH, especially large research universities with affiliated medical schools, are where you should focus your attention…the top stem cell research in the country is occurring primarily in California, specifically the UC schools–UC-Berkeley, UC-San Diego, UC-San Francisco–as well as Stanford and Scripps Research Institute. If you’re looking for midwest, UWisconsin-Madison has INCREDIBLE stem cell research (Professor James Thomson at UWisc was the first to isolate embryonic stem cells and recently developed a method for reprogramming adult skin cells into an ‘embryonic-like’ state of enhanced pluripotency) as do UMinnesota and UMichigan-Ann Arbor. On the east coast, Harvard has a new Stem Cell Institute and really top research (google Doug Melton and read about his fascinating Diabetes research!) and Duke just established a Stem Cell Certificate Program. It’s very difficult, if not impossible, to find a PhD program strictly focused on stem cells since it’s such an up-and-coming field, however many programs incorporate stem cell courses and stem cell-oriented labs into their programs (for example, you can graduate with a PhD in cell or cancer biology with a dissertation/certificate in stem cells). I truly foresee a very promising future for stem cell research and think we’re so lucky to be at the forefront of this rapidly evolving field. With Obama’s influence, the possibilities are really endless and those who disapprove are going to have a tough time thwarting such beneficent research that aims to cure a host of debilitating degenerative diseases. </p>
<p>When it comes to religious fanatics disapproving, truthfully if people took the time to dig into specifics, adult stem cell research poses relatively little ethical contention and researchers have done an amazing job finding alternatives to using embryonic SCs. We’ll have to wait and see what the future holds…but good for you and good luck!</p>
<p>The thing is what is the definition of ‘first tier’? The definition and usage of the term varies widely across different universities, different departments, and even different individuals.</p>
<p>All the California schools are way ahead (with some exceptions) because of the multi-billion dollar stem cell funding from the CA state government, a proposition passed by CA voters several years ago.</p>
<p>some further words of advice–don’t focus on “top tier” blah blah blah. Harping about rankings will just have you going around in circles. If you’re serious about pursuing stem cell research, you have to ask yourself what aspect of stem cells you’re particularly fascinated by. Claiming you want to research stem cells is like claiming you want to research cancer–far too broad when considering grad programs. Are you interested in the factors that determine cell fate/differentiation? What type of stem cells do you foresee working with? Embryonic? Hematopoietic? Other adult SC’s? Neuronal?, etc. You really need to do some thorough research before sorting out potential grad schools. Just because a particular university has “great” SC research does NOT necessarily mean that these laboratories are accessible/are open to accepting grad students. In fact, in many of the stem cell heavy universities, mostly Post Docs are accepted into the labs. This is definitely something to keep in mind since you obviously want a program where stem cell research isn’t only prevalent within the academic community but also ACCESSIBLE–e-mail the various PIs to ensure you’re not wasting your time. A Stem Cell Institute at any particular school is not necessarily affiliated with that school’s grad programs. </p>
<p>I am particularly fascinated with differential telomerase expression in stem cells undergoing self-renewal vs. cancer cells during oncogenesis. I therefore took the time to peruse each school’s lab inventory, searching for graduate research labs tailored to my particular interests and applied accordingly. If you write in your SOP that you’re into stem cells, you’ll also need to specify what aspect and why, otherwise admissions committees will roll their eyes. I was told this first hand by Ad Coms.</p>
<p>UC Irvine is the leader, with a $30M Stem Cell Research Center (dedicated 100,000 square foot building just for stem cell work), more PIs than any other institution focusing solely on stem cell work, etc. etc.</p>
<p>Star PIs are Kierstead and Donovan, among others.</p>