Vision and Mission

CSCI Vision

Building a cutting edge, premier stem cell program that integrates expertise in regeneration and precision medicine and shapes a novel basic and translational understanding of stem cell in health and disease for biomedical research.

Our Mission

The Columbia Stem Cell Initiative (CSCI) studies stem cells with the intent to:

  • Model human diseases
  • Develop new diagnostics and therapies
  • Create new cells and tissues to replace damaged, aged, or diseased body parts.

Toward this end, CSCI encourages diverse experts to come together to conduct basic research in stem cell biology and tissue regeneration, and to translate discoveries into new stem cell-based therapies.

CSCI sponsors a monthly Stem Cell Seminar Series with leaders in the field, a bi-monthly Work-In-Progress (WIP) Talk from CSCI trainees, a monthly faculty meeting for CSCI members, and various specialty events, including a monthly Happy Hour, to promote scientific exchanges and foster collaborative interactions among faculty and trainees in formal and informal settings. CSCI provides technical support with its Stem Cell Core Facility for cell derivation and gene editing, and its Flow Cytometry Core Facility for single cell isolation and analyses. CSCI also supports its members with seed funds and preferential access to its core facilities.

CSCI supports teaching about stem cells and regenerative medicine, engages in ethical discussion, and promotes outreach and public education regarding the promise of the field and the potential of stem cells for human treatment. We invite you to support our work with donations.

CSCI strongly supports the use of human embryonic stem cells in research

Human embryonic stem cells are essential for our understanding of human development and disease, and are already being used in clinical trials to treat incurable conditions such as blindness link to age-related macular degeneration or Parkinson’s disease. Some members of congress would like to see a ban on federal funding of human embryonic stem cell research because they say that this will protect the sanctity of life and protect the moral standing of the USA. Unfortunately the opposite is true: the moral failure will be in preventing or delaying the development and delivery of new medical treatments, which will be the consequence of such a ban. CUIMC and CSCI are committed to advancing cures through human embryonic stem cell research.

Interested in knowing more about ongoing clinical trials using human embryonic stem cells click here https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2213671120302356