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ISSCR 2013 Show Preview:
From stem to stern
May 2013
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![]() BOSTON—As the annual meeting of the International Society
for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) hovers on the brink of its 12th
anniversary next year, this year's event may already be heralding a kind of
tipping ![]() One sign of how far and how fast stem cell research is
coming along, Daley says, can be seen in some changes to the event this
year,
both intentional and organic, such as what he refers to as "a lot of new names
on the program" instead of just familiar faces of the past.
There is also, he
notes, a stronger technology element in the program this year, adding, "we have
also worked closely with our Industry Committee to
represent what is happening
in industry and to encourage industry participation in the meeting."
Why more technological attention this year than in the past?
"The big breakthrough over
about the past six years has been
reprogramming—taking adult somatic cells and turning them back into pluripotent
cells. Building on top of that is the
notion that you can change an adult cell
into another cell," Daley tells ddn
by way of explaining the shift. "A big challenge of drug
development has been
testing drugs in human models of disease. Drugs tend to be tested in animal
models and don't get exposed to human tests until
clinical trials, when many of
them then fail. But we're seeing increasing use of reprogrammed iPS cells to
model human disease. So there is a whole
interface of drug screening and human
disease modeling that people are going to hear a lot about at the annual
meeting."
"Plus, there is just a lot of new technology for
manipulating cells now," he says. "People are using light to change the
orientation of cells, there is new nuclease technology for changing genes in
target cells and so much more—we also have a whole session on gene
transfer and
gene therapy, which is an area that is really coming of age."
Another sign of stem
cell research's coming of age is seen
in the poster presentations for the annual meeting. In February, the ISSCR had
already highlighted the fact on
its website that more than 2,000 abstracts had
been received for the poster sessions, marking a new record for submissions for
the meeting.
![]() Each concurrent session will include three very brief
presentations that highlight exceptional abstracts, sparking
conversation to be
continued in the evening poster sessions.
"This has really become a very
broad meeting, and we had
over 2,000 poster submissions and something like 30 or more invited speakers,"
Daley says. "We ended up choosing almost a
hundred speakers from the abstract
submissions so that they could take the stage. We want to keep featuring more junior
researchers and have more
diversity, too, in terms of both the scientific
coverage and international representation. We're increasing the use of poster
teasers, and presenters
will have a couple minutes on the stage. It's a great
way for people to raise interest in the posters by having a chance to briefly
present them to
the broader audience of attendees."
Related to that program addition, which benefits many
younger researchers, is a general increase of focus on scientists who are in
the early stages of their career.
"Another new thing for the annual meeting, which is a
response to requests from members and meeting attendees, is more
mentoring of
junior scientists," Daley says of this shift in focus. "We have a whole session
to bring in junior scientists so they can have a
provocative Q&A session
with senior scientists."
The ISSCR's annual meeting is reportedly
the largest
international interdisciplinary forum dedicated to stem cell science. The
meeting brings typically together more than 3,500 of the world's
stem cell
researchers each year—though Daley thinks it could end up exceeding that mark
this year—to discuss emerging science in what has become a
fast-paced field.
"This started out a small event—almost a workshop, really—of
a couple hundred
people meeting in Washington, D.C., and now it's a huge
convention with probably over 4,000 people who will be attending and a huge
diversity of areas
covered," Daley says.
Looking toward subsequent annual meetings, he adds, "What I
see happening in the future for what is covered is the
technology base becoming
more relevant to pharma. I'm already seeing a trend of pharmas starting
internal research programs as they realize that the
interface of stem cell
technology and drug development is powerful. We'll be seeing more and more drug
development and cell therapy programs
highlighted at the meeting, because I
think that's where the field is going—more toward therapeutic applications."
New Concepts and
Tools for Advancing Stem Cell Research and
Therapeutic Approach
Industry Wednesday Symposium June 12 from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Boston Convention
and Exhibition Center The ISSCR provides the opportunity for symposia on this day,
as part of the exhibition
portion of the annual meeting, to be sponsored by
companies and present "topical scientific issues in the field of stem cell
science as framed by
industry leaders."
As of late April, only one such symposium was listed on the
ISSCR website,
titled "New Concepts and Tools for Advancing Stem Cell Research
and Therapeutic Approach" and to be presented by Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.
As noted by Thermo Fisher Scientific, "stem cell research
has emerged as one of the most promising
areas of medical science, attracting
unprecedented public support and interest. In line with our company's
commitment to advancing stem cell research,
scientists from Thermo Fisher
Scientific will present its newest culture systems for generating, expanding,
characterizing and preserving stem cells.
"
The significant savings in labor and cost, coupled with what
is reportedly "above-industry-standard
performance of the systems," will result
in meaningful outcomes in the core of daily research, according to the company.
In addition, speakers from industry and academia will use
the event as a chance to exchange ideas about their recent
discoveries.
Agenda
8:30 a.m. to 9:15
a.m.
Reagents for microRNA
functional
analysis in stem cells
Emily Anderson, Ph.D., senior scientist, Gene Modulation,
Thermo Fisher Scientific
9:15 a.m. to 9:45
a.m.
Optimized expansion
and characterization of human pluripotent stem cells without compromising
pluripotency
Amy Sinor-Anderson, Ph.D., senior research scientist,
Labware and Specialty Plastics, Thermo Fisher Scientific
9:45 a.m. to 10:30
a.m.
Past problems and
future
challenges of human pluripotency
Hidemasa Kato, Ph.D., Saitama Medical University, Research
Center for Genomic Medicine
10:30 a.m. to 11:15
a.m.
Support cell therapy for
CNS: Reprograming for repair
Chris Pröschel, Ph.D., University of Rochester Medical
Center, Department of Biomedical Genetics
11:15 a.m. to
11:45
a.m.
The design and
capabilities of the Upstate Stem Cell cGMP Facility
Michael
J. Fiske, executive director, Upstate Stem Cell cGMP
Facility, University of Rochester Medical Center
11:45 a.m. to 12:30
p.m.
Cold-chain and
logistical
challenges of cell-based therapies in clinical trials through
commercialization Dan O'Donnell, associate director, Cell Therapy
Logistics,
Fisher BioServices
Learning objectives and goals of the symposium
Target audience
Scientists and researchers from academia, industry and
government research whose work involves cell
biology and stem cell research.
![]() The Charles River Basin, which is almost entirely a
work of human design, essentially marks the center of Boston's metropolitan
area, encompasses 19 miles of shore and includes more 20 parks and other
natural areas. CREDIT: Greater Boston Convention & Visitors
Bureau ISSCR
Awards
Each year, the ISSCR presents several awards in recognition
of
"outstanding work and promise" in the fields of stem cells and regenerative
medicine. At the ISSCR 11th Annual Meeting in Boston, the society will
present
the McEwen Award for Innovation, the ISSCR-University of Pittsburgh Outstanding
Young Investigator Award and the ISSCR Public Service
Award. McEwen Award for Innovation
James A. Thomson,
Ph.D. This $100,000 award recognizes original thinking and
groundbreaking research pertaining to stem cells or regenerative medicine that
opens new
avenues of exploration toward the understanding or treatment of human
disease or affliction.
The
recipient of the 2013 McEwen Award for Innovation is Dr.
James A. Thomson for his work that reproducibly isolated pluripotent cell lines
from human
blastocysts, opening the door for the study of human embryonic stem
cells and revealing new possibilities for developing cell-based therapies,
disease
models and reagents for toxicity testing. The ISSCR will present
Thomson with the award during the Presidential Symposium on Wednesday, June 12.
ISSCR-University of Pittsburgh Outstanding Young Investigator Award
Marius Wernig, M.D.,
Ph.D. This award recognizes the exceptional
achievements of an
investigator in the early part of his or her independent career in stem cell
research.
The recipient of the 2013 ISSCR-University of Pittsburgh
Outstanding Young Investigator Award is Dr. Marius Wernig in recognition of his
research demonstrating the ability of previously specified cells to be
reprogrammed directly to other, distantly related cell types, which has
transformed the field of cellular reprogramming. Wernig will receive his award
and present his lecture during Plenary VI on Saturday, June 15. ISSCR Public Service Award
Hiromitsu Ogawa and
Betty Jean Crouch Ogawa
This award was launched in 2011 to recognize people for
their outstanding contributions of public service to the field of
stem cell research
and regenerative medicine during the previous year. Nominees for this award,
supported by past and present members of the ISSCR
board of directors, can come
from one of the many fields serving the stem cell research community, including
academia, government, philanthropy and
patient advocacy. The third annual ISSCR Public Service Award will be
presented to Hiromitsu Ogawa and Betty Jean Crouch Ogawa in
recognition of what
ISSCR calls "their extraordinary support of stem cell research" in Japan and the
United States, including Nobel Prize winner
Shinya Yamanaka and the Gladstone
Institute, as well as their work with the ISSCR Global Advisory Council. ISSCR
will present the award to them at the
start of Plenary II on Wednesday, June
12.
![]() With historic Faneuil Hall as its centerpiece—a
1742 gift to the city from Peter Faneuil, Boston's wealthiest
merchant at the
time—the Faneuil Hall Marketplace consists of four buildings: Faneuil Hall, Quincy
Market, North Market and South Market. The quartet
of historic buildings with
their dozens of shopping and dinging options, are all set around a cobblestone
promenade where jugglers, magicians and
musicians often entertain the
passers-by. CREDIT: Greater Boston Convention & Visitors
Bureau Distinguished
speakers
Keynote Speaker
Eric Lander of the Broad Institute
Anne McLaren Memorial Lecturer
Elaine Fuchs of Rockefeller University
Ernest McCulloch Memorial
Lecturer
George Q. Daley of Children's Hospital Boston
Presidential Symposium Speakers
James Thomson of the Morgridge Institute for Research
Edith Heard of the Institut Curie in France
Douglas A. Melton of Harvard University
Richard A. Young of the Whitehead
Institute for Biomedical
Research
Featured Sessions
Plenary Topics
Concurrent Session
Topics
![]() The historical site of the Battle of Lexington and
Concord on the first battle day in the Revolutionary War, Boston's Concord
Bridge
is shown in autumn in this photo. CREDIT: Greater Boston Convention & Visitors
Bureau To go to part two of our ISSCR 11th Annual Meeting pre-show coverage, click here. Code: E051328 Back |
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