School of Graduate Studies (SGS) - Newark Health Science Campus
Concentration in Stem Cell Biology

All students must complete the required course (MSBS 5130Q) and take any two of the four offered elective courses. This will be a total of 7 credits to earn the Stem Cell Biology concentration. If you were not able to take MSBS 5130 Stem Cell Biology and Applications in Molecular Medicine in fall 2023, please contact the concentration coordinator, Dr. Doreen Badheka (doreen.badheka@rutgers.edu) for updated concentration requirements. 

REQUIRED COURSE

MSBS 5130    Stem Cell Biology and Applications in Molecular Medicine. 3 cr. Fall Semesters

This goal of this didactic course is to provide a broad overview of all stem cells and to discuss how the stem cells could be influenced by the tissue microenvironment. The course will cover stem cell development from blastocyst to the somatic stages. Also included, is the development of hematopoietic stem cells beginning at the embryonic to the adult stage. The different types of bone marrow-derived stem cells will also be discussed. The course will cover the science involved in tissue protection and regeneration. Clinical scenarios will be used to explain the scientific points of each topic. For example, the course will take lessons learnt from the field of bone marrow transplantation and then use the information as a framework to discuss today's application of stem cells.

ELECTIVE COURSES

MSBS 520A   Advanced Stem Cell Seminar.  2cr. (Taught concurrently with the Stem Cell Biology Course – Fall semesters) 

This course allows the students and instructor to interact. The goal is to provide students with information on the translational landscape of all types of stem cells. The class will be provided with recent publications that represents all fields in which stem cells are applied. These fields include but are not limited to hematopoiesis, tissue engineer, drug delivery and cancer. It is expected that the discourse will emphasize the implications to current and future treatment for all clinical disciplines.

MSBS N5134 Hematopoietic Stem Cell Biology and Dysfunction.  2cr. Spring
The purpose of this course is to provide students with an understanding of how dysfunctions in the bone marrow microenvironment, including hematopoietic cells and all types of resident stem cells. Students will learn about all types of hematological diseases such as leukemia, lymphoma and myeloproliferative disorders. They will also learn how bench research can lead to solving hematological problems. All students will benefit from this course: those applying to dental and medical school need the clinical background information and graduate students will begin to appreciate translational science.

MSBS N512   Topics in Cancer Stem Cell Biology, 2 cr. Spring Semester (June)

The goal is to provide students with an understanding of the field of cancer stem cells and for them to appreciate howr basic research can unravel the field towards new treatments for cancer. The students will gain insights on translational science, while developing an understanding of the strength of interdisciplinary science. In addition, the students will gain insights into how the general field of stem cell biology can be extrapolated to understand how cancer behave and how these cells might transition to stem cells. By the end of the course the students will learn how to integrate different fields, such as basic biology: biochemistry, cellular and molecular biology with stem cell biology.

CBMM 5020  Developmental & Stem Cell Biology.  2 cr. SpringThe goal of this course is to provide students with an introduction to a wide range of concepts in the field of developmental biology and stem cells. Topics will be covered on a weekly basis and each session will be taught by an expert in that specific area. The course will begin with basic concepts of human development. The course will then move into animal models, key transcription factors and morphogens, which are required for proper development. Congenital disease and abnormal development induced by teratogens will be an important topic of the course. Finally, an introduction to embryonic, adult and cancer stem cells will be taught, with emphasis on the state-of-the-art induced pluripotent stem cells.

Concentration Coordinator:
Doreen Badheka, Ph.D. 
Assistant Dean, Rutgers School of Graduate Studies
Assistant Professor, Rutgers New Jersey Medical School
Rutgers, The State University of New Jersey
185 South Orange Avenue,
Newark, NJ 07103
973-972-0908
doreen.badheka@rutgers.edu