A Graduate-Level Interdisciplinary Curriculum in CAR-T Cell Therapy

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the impact of a novel interdisciplinary graduate-level course in chimeric antigenic receptor-T cell therapy on students’ knowledge and interests in translational science. MATERIALS/PARTICIPANTS AND METHODS: The course ran November 12 to 16, 2018. Students were surveyed before and after the course. The survey included questions regarding background, self-perceived knowledge/confidence in skills, and interests/predicted behaviors. Students were assigned to work in collaborative interdisciplinary teams to develop a research proposal. RESULTS: A total of 25 students taking the course for graduate-level credit were surveyed. Of these, all 25 (100%) completed the surveys. Students came from variable backgrounds and were at different stages of graduate training. After completion of the course, there was a statistically significant increase in self-perceived knowledge of immunotherapy (mean score of 3.6 postcourse vs 2.6 precourse, on a 5-point Likert scale; P<.001), knowledge of the bench to clinic translational process (3.7 postcourse vs 3.0 precourse; P<.001), confidence in critical reading skills (4.3 postcourse vs 4.0 precourse; P=.008), confidence in immunotherapy-focused grant writing skills (3.6 postcourse vs 2.8 precourse; P<.001), and interest in working in interdisciplinary teams (4.8 postcourse vs 4.6 precourse; P=.02). CONCLUSION: The structure of this innovative and comprehensive course serves as a platform for educational courses in interdisciplinary translational research and helps trainees build knowledge and interest in the fields of chimeric antigenic receptor-T cells, regenerative sciences, and immunotherapy.