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Full Schedule

  • Wednesday, July 10, 2024
  • PLENARY SESSION - 9:30 AM WEDNESDAY
  • 9:30 AM – 11:30 AM CEST
    PLENARY I: PRESIDENTIAL SYMPOSIUM

    Plenary Speaker: Magdalena Goetz, PhD (she/her/hers) – Ludwig-Maximilian University of Munich (LMU)

    Plenary Speaker: Tina Mukherjee, PhD (she/her/hers) – Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (inStem)

    Plenary Speaker: Kathrin Plath, PhD – University of California Los Angeles School of Medicine

    Plenary Speaker: Sarah Teichmann, FRS, FMedSci (she/her/hers) – Wellcome - MRC Cambridge Stem Cell Institute & Department of Medicine

    The Presidential Symposium aims to showcase cutting-edge research from global leaders in the field of tissue stem cells, pluripotent stem cells, stem cell genomics and machine learning.
  • 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM CEST
    BLUEROCK CLINICAL TRIALS WORKSHOP SPECIAL SESSION: ADVANCES IN THE TREATMENT OF PARKINSON’S DISEASE: THE POSSIBILITIES OF CELL THERAPIES

    Presenter: David Pedrosa – Universitätsklinikum Giessen und Marburg, Standort Marburg, Baldingerstraße

    Presenter: Viviane Tabar, MD – Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

    Parkinson’s disease affects more than 8.5 million people worldwide and is the second most common neurodegenerative disease, after Alzheimer’s disease. Current pharmacotherapeutic strategies for treating Parkinson’s disease motor symptoms include augmenting dopamine levels in the brain through dopamine agonists, enhancing dopamine bioavailability, or limiting levodopa degradation. However, these treatments are associated with motor complications, including the development of dyskinesias and narrowing of the therapeutic window, and adverse effects such as exacerbation of non-motor symptoms. Further, these therapies do not address the loss of dopaminergic neurons; thus, there remains a critical need for novel therapies for Parkinson’s disease. The transplantation of dopaminergic neuronal cells into the putamen is an innovative strategy for restoring dopaminergic function in the brains of people with Parkinson’s disease. In this session, we will discuss the advancements in surgical techniques involved in the delivery of cell therapies in the brain. We will also discuss emerging data from the first-in-human phase 1 trial of bemdaneprocel, an hESC derived allogenic, dopaminergic progenitor cell therapy.
  • INNOVATION SHOWCASES - 12:00 PM WEDNESDAY
  • 12:00 PM – 12:25 PM CEST
    ISSCR STANDARDS IN ACTION: ADVANCEMENTS IN CELL LINE GENERATION AND ORGANOID INNOVATION

    Showcase Presenter: Andrew Gaffney – STEMCELL Technologies Inc.

    Join us for an insightful session on our latest advancements in cell line generation, featuring the SCTi003-A and SCTi004-A healthy control iPSC lines. These cell lines represent a significant step forward in the field, aligning with and advancing beyond the established ISSCR guidelines for stem cell research. Our presentation will focus on how these lines are shaping the future of stem cell research, including their central role in various applications and contribution to setting new benchmarks in research quality and ethical standards. We will spotlight iPSCdirect™, our efficient, ready-to-use, singularized iPSC product. Additionally, we will showcase the development of various differentiated types and organoids, including the launch of live, experiment-ready midbrain organoids, designed for immediate application upon delivery to your laboratory. Explore how these cutting-edge technologies are revolutionizing disease modeling, drug discovery, and more, while upholding our commitment to advancing research quality and ethical integrity.

    Innovation Showcase

  • 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM CEST
    CuSTOMIZING ORGANOIDS FOR DRUG DEVELOPMENT AND REGENERATIVE MEDICINE

    Showcase Presenter: Magdalena Kasendra, PhD – Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, CuSTOM

    Showcase Presenter: Shuhei Wakimoto – Ajinomoto Co.

    The rapidly evolving field of stem cell biology is reshaping the medical landscape, offering new tools to enhance human health. At the Center for Stem Cell and Organoid Medicine (CuSTOM) at Cincinnati Children’s, a collaborative, cross-departmental hub of excellence, we harness breakthroughs in developmental biology and pluripotent stem cell technologies to develop three-dimensional tissue structures known as organoids. These platforms enable us to improve our understanding of human biology, model patient-specific diseases in a dish, and advance personalized medicine. However, challenges persist in realizing their full potential and practical applications. To bridge this gap, CuSTOM Accelerator (CA) was established in 2019, with a mission to translate innovations into actionable solutions, fostering synergies between academia and industry to drive the development of organoid-based drug discovery platforms and therapeutics for tissue regeneration and organ replacement. In this talk, I will elucidate our strategy for overcoming key challenges in organoid technology translation, with a keen focus on scalability, robustness, and in situ monitoring and characterization. Highlighting two pivotal organ models—the liver and intestine—I will unveil our pioneering efforts in developing fully automated AI-empowered organoid-based platforms for high-throughput drug assessment. Additionally, I will offer insights into our journey towards translating human organoids from bench to bedside, including our efforts on the establishment of cGMP-compliant scalable manufacturing of organoids in matrix-free suspension culture.

    Innovation Showcase

  • 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM CEST
    TRANSFORMING HiPSC DIFFERENTIATION BY INCREASING EFFICIENCY AND FIDELITY FOR NPCS, HSCS, AND LPCS

    Showcase Presenter: Jessica Hartman – Cell Microsystems

    Unlocking the full potential of patient-derived and genetically modified human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPSCs) for disease modeling requires precise differentiation protocols. Despite the availability of various protocols and kits, the technical intricacies of hiPSC differentiation often lead to inefficiencies and reproducibility challenges. We aim to address these hurdles by leveraging CellRaft® Technology, offering solutions for hiPSC differentiation workflows. What you will learn: - How to enhance efficiency in hiPSC differentiation - How to automate the monitoring and isolation of neural progenitor cells (NPCs), ensuring high fidelity differentiation - How to improve hematopoietic progenitor cell (HSC) differentiation, leading to enhanced colony survival and yield - How to utilize technology to streamline differentiation by accurately purifying populations, increasing differentiation accuracy Overall, our findings underscore the significance of automating manual steps in hiPSC differentiation, highlighting how image-based monitoring, phenotypic selection, and isolation can enhance efficiency and fidelity, thereby expediting the development of relevant disease models.

    Innovation Showcase

  • 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM CEST
    THE FUTURE OF CELL CULTURE: EMPOWERING RESEARCHERS TO MAKE KEY DECISIONS SOONER, ACHIEVE MILESTONES FASTER, AND GET TO CLINIC EARLIER—WITH LOWER ATTRITION RATES

    Showcase Presenter: Felix Spira – Molecular Devices

    The majority of drugs fail in the later stages of the drug development pipeline and in clinical trials because of insufficient predictivity of cell models used to screen drug candidates. Organoids show great promise as a game-changer in disease modeling and drug screening since they better resemble tissue structure and functionality, and show more predictive response to drugs. However, challenges associated with using organoids, such as assay complexity, reproducibility, and the ability to scale up have limited their widespread adoption as a primary screening method in drug discovery. To alleviate the bottlenecks that come with labor-intensive manual protocols, we developed the CellXpress.ai™ Automated Cell Culture System. This instrument automates the entire 3D organoid or 2D cell culture workflow: providing media exchange, plating, passaging, organoid monitoring, end-point assay execution, and complex image analysis. It contains functional components including an automated imager, liquid handler, and incubator, connected by AI- powered software. The development of cell cultures is monitored by periodic imaging and analysis, which can trigger automatic decisions to initiate passaging, end-point assays, or troubleshooting steps. We will present the results from the automation of several commonly used 3D organoid protocols, as well as 2D assays.

    Innovation Showcase

  • 12:00 PM – 1:00 PM CEST
    GENETIC WHACK-A-MOLE: BATTLING INSTABILITIES IN iPSCS

    Showcase Presenter: Brian Hawkins – Pluristyx, Inc.

    With the ability to differentiate into all body tissue types and the potential for commercial scale manufacture, human induced Pluripotent Stem Cells (iPSCs) are an ideal starting material for the next generation of cellular therapeutics. However, inconsistency in the culture process can predispose cells to genetic abnormalities that can influence growth rate and differentiation efficiency. Persistence of these genetic alternations in the final product can introduce a safety risk to patients receiving these life altering therapies. Detecting genetic abnormalities is difficult, as no single assay can cover all potential alterations and may be at low levels that are below the detection limit of some assays. A combination of testing modalities at frequent and predetermined intervals can cover the most common genetic alterations and limit downstream risk. Similarly, culture strategies can be implemented to minimize the rate of de novo mutations and prevent abnormal colonies from overtaking genetically normal variants. This presentation will discuss the challenges of maintaining genetic integrity during the commercial manufacture of iPSCs and propose practical approaches to ensuring that clinical iPSCs are free of mutations for product development.

    Innovation Showcase

  • 12:25 PM – 1:00 PM CEST
    IMPROVING THE GENETIC STABILITY OF SINGLE-CELL-PASSAGED HUMAN PLURIPOTENT STEM CELL CULTURES USING eTeSR™

    Showcase Presenter: Adam Hirst – STEMCELL Technologies Inc.

    In this talk, we’ll discuss new genetic stability data on cultures maintained in eTeSR™, a novel human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) maintenance medium, specifically developed to support routine single-cell passaging. The study comprises over 250 SNP microarray samples collected from clones derived using three hPSC lines and maintained for 20 weeks in four media conditions. The study shows that clones maintained in eTeSR™ acquire fewer de novo cytogenetic changes compared to two alternative, commercially available maintenance media. This improvement in genetic stability can be attributed to the absence of 20q11 gains in eTeSR™-maintained cultures, a recurrent abnormality that has been well-documented in hPSC cultures. This study provides a better understanding of culture-acquired genetic aberrations in hPSCs and demonstrates that innovative media formulations such as eTeSR™ can address major challenges in the hPSC field.

    Innovation Showcase

  • PLENARY SESSION - 1:30 PM WEDNESDAY
  • 1:30 PM – 3:35 PM CEST
    PLENARY II: NEW TECHNOLOGIES TO ENGINEER AND PHENOTYPE STEM CELL SYSTEMS

    Plenary Speaker: Jonathan Weissman, PhD – Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, HHMI, MIT

    Plenary Speaker: Fabian Theis, PhD (he/him/his) – Helmholtz Zentrum München

    Plenary Speaker: Susanne Rafelski, PhD (she/her/hers) – Allen Institute for Cell Science

    Plenary Speaker: Matthias P. Lutolf, PhD – Institute of Human Biology (IHB) F. Hoffmann-La Roche

    Award Winner: Jun Wu, PhD (he/him/his) – University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center

    Recent technological and analytical advances have made it possible to characterize stem cell systems at an unprecedented resolution. This session highlights emerging single cell and imaging technologies to phenotype stem cells as well as to program or perturb cell fate.

    ISSCR Outstanding Young Investigator Award
    Jun Wu, PhD, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, USA

    New Technologies

  • SCIENCE SPOTLIGHTS - 4:00 PM WEDNESDAY
  • 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM CEST
    TRANSLATION OF ACADEMIC RESEARCH: FROM NICE TO HAVE TO CLINICAL IMPERATIVE

    Science Spotlight Moderator: Ana Hidalgo-Simon, MD, PhD – Leiden University Medical Center

    Science Spotlight Speaker: Stefan Irion, MD – BlueRock Therapeutics

    Science Spotlight Speaker: Lisa Ott de Bruin, MD, PhD – Leiden University Medical Centre

    Science Spotlight Speaker: Melanio Unas Mauricio, III – Leiden University Medical Center

    Science Spotlight Speaker: Megan Munsie, PhD (she/her/hers) – University of Melbourne

    Science Spotlight Speaker: Chantal van Litsenbrug – Leiden University Medical Center

    The dynamic field of translational medicine, particularly in the context of cutting-edge cell and gene therapies, is reshaping the role of academic research centers. This session will discuss optimizing the academic research framework for clinical relevance, focusing on regulatory science, accessibility, stakeholder engagement, and organizational optimization.
    Academic institutions are increasingly pressurized to drive the progression from pre-clinical stages to clinical trials, with the potential to achieve market authorization. With the rising interest in academic drug development and the backdrop of healthcare sustainability challenges, there's a growing shift of public funding towards research collaborations focused on clinical applications. However, institutions often lack the specific capacity, knowledge and focus, which are essential for successfully navigating the entire development pathway to market authorization.
    The session will explore pivotal areas for researchers in translational medicine, stressing the importance of translatable approaches for research impact. Accessibility, including regulatory navigation and Health Technology Assessment, is vital for successful translation and influences funding and EU legislation debates. Engaging stakeholders strategically is crucial for aligning therapies with clinical goals and patient expectations. Finally, the need for organizational innovation is discussed, highlighting strategies for cross-disciplinary collaboration and rethinking structures to support research's transformation into clinically impactful therapies.

    Science Spotlight

  • 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM CEST
    HARVESTING STEM CELL INNOVATION: THE SYMBIOTIC RELATIONASHIP BETWEEN ACADEMIA AND INDUSTRY IN CULTIVATED MEAT DEVELOPMENT

    Science Spotlight Moderator: Neta Lavon, PhD – Aleph Farms

    Science Spotlight Speaker: Shulamit Levenberg, PhD – Technion Israel Institute of Technology

    Science Spotlight Speaker: Shigeki Sugii, PhD – A*STAR, Duke-NUS Medical School

    Science Spotlight Speaker: Christine Ling Li Trautmann – ETH Zürich

    Science Spotlight Speaker: Daan Luining, PhD – Meatable

    Science Spotlight Speaker: Malkiel A. Cohen, PhD – Wanda Fish

    Science Spotlight Speaker: Annisa Chand, PhD – Nature Food

    Science Spotlight Speaker: Petra Hanga, PhD – UCL PI / Quest Meat

    Science Spotlight Speaker: Niraimathi Govindasamy, PhD – Bluu Seafood

    Science Spotlight Speaker: Vanessa Haley-Benjamin – Newcastle University

    Science Spotlight Speaker: Michelle Hauser – TAU

    Organized by: Neta Lavon, Aleph Farms, Israel Malkiel Cohen, Wanda Fish, Israel Christine Trautmann, ETH Zurich, Switzerland Michelle Hauser, Tel Aviv University, Israel Cultivated meat, an innovative cellular agriculture method, addresses climate change, resource scarcity, and a growing population. It transforms animal stem cells into a sustainable nutrition source, countering challenges in traditional livestock farming. With the global population surpassing 8 billion, conventional methods are insufficient. Cultivated meat offers a solution, ensuring a diverse and secure supply of high-quality animal products while minimizing the environmental impact. Despite the advances of this new chapter of animal agriculture, the field encounters multi-faceted challenges. These encompass fundamental research areas such as comprehensive stem cell characterization, improving differentiation processes, growth media and bioprocessing optimization, and improved tissue engineering methods. Moreover, scalability and cost-effectiveness pose significant hurdles in achieving widespread adoption and commercial viability. Therefore, ongoing research is vital to drive innovations to enhance the prospects of cultivated meat for future advancements. This session explores the science of cultivated meat and cellular agriculture, presenting diverse research from academic labs and the cultivated meat industry. Hear insights from academic leaders, trainees, industry experts, and non-profit organizations, fostering a dynamic exchange of knowledge and expertise on grant funding, career opportunities, and collaborative research translations between academia and industry for transformative advancements. 4:00 - 4:05 Neta Lavon, Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Aleph Farms, Israel GREETING TO SCIENCE SPOTLIGHT PARTICIPANTS 4:05 - 4:20 Shulamit Levenberg, Technion Israel Institute of Technology, Aleph Farms, Israel RAISING THE STEAKS: DISCOVERING NOVEL CELL SOURCES AND ADVANCING 3D BIOPRINTING IN CULTIVATED MEAT 4:20 - 4:35 Shigeki Sugii, A*STAR, Duke-NUS Medical School / Impact Fat, Singapore CULTIVATED FISH FAT AS NOVEL FOOD AND NUTRITIONAL SOURCES 4:35 - 4:45 Christine Trautmann, ETH Zurich, Switzerland OPTIMIZED BOVINE MYOGENESIS IN VITRO THROUGH MODULATION OF SIGNALING PATHWAYS FOR CULTIVATED MEAT APPLICATIONS 4:45 - 5:00 Daan Luining, Meatable, Netherlands FORWARD PROGRAMMING OF PLURIPOTENT PIG STEM CELLS FOR HIGH QUALITY MUSCLE AND FAT 5:00 - 5:30 PANEL DISCUSSION: CULTURED MEAT: FUNDING, BASIC AND TRANSLATIONAL RESEARCH, AND CAREER OPPORTUNITIES Moderator: Malkiel Cohen, Wanda Fish, Israel Panelists: Annisa Chand, Nature Food, Germany Petra Hanga, University College London / Quest Meat, UK Niraimathi Govindasamy, Bluu Seafood, Germany Vanessa Haley-Benjamin, Newcastle University / New Harvest Fellow, UK Michelle Hauser, Tel Aviv University / Consultant at GFI, Israel

    Science Spotlight

  • 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM CEST
    FRONTIERS IN EPIGENETIC CONTROL FOR ENHANCED STEM CELL THERAPIES

    Science Spotlight Moderator: Isaac Gabriel – University College London

    Science Spotlight Speaker: Gregory Block, PhD – Histone Therapeutics

    Science Spotlight Speaker: Debattama Sen – Harvard University / Massachusetts General Hospital Center for Cancer Research

    Science Spotlight Speaker: Sara Che, PhD – Tune Therapeutics

    Science Spotlight Speaker: Hannele Ruohola-Baker, PhD – University of Washington

    Science Spotlight Speaker: Lise Munsie, PhD – CCRM

    Science Spotlight Speaker: Rowan Flynn, PhD – RoslinCT

    Our Science Spotlight, Frontiers in Epigenetic Gene Editing of Stem Cells, will explore the latest advancements and methodologies in the field. It will delve into the successes and challenges of manipulating the epigenome to direct stem cell fate and function. The session will highlight the progress being made engineering therapeutically relevant cells as wells, discussing the utility of epigenetic programming to understand basic development mechanisms.

    Science Spotlight

  • 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM CEST
    EXPLORING BIOPHYSICAL CUES: UNRAVELING MECHANOTRANSDUCTION IN PLURIPOTENT STEM CELL DIRECTED DIFFERENTIATION

    Science Spotlight Moderator: Dana Brinson – University of Toronto

    Science Spotlight Speaker: Golnaz Karoubi – University Health Network

    Science Spotlight Speaker: Sara Wickström, MD, PhD – Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine

    Science Spotlight Speaker: Claudia Loebel, MD, PhD – University of Michigan

    Science Spotlight Speaker: Dylan Mostert, PhD – Eindhoven University of Technology

    This session will explore the interplay between biophysical cues and pluripotent stem cell differentiation. Participants will hear about current progress in leveraging the mechanical microenvironment to improve the fidelity of stem cell-derived tissues. Recent advancements in our understanding of how Mechan transduction directs cell fate via epigenomic changes will be discussed, providing a comprehensive update on the current state of knowledge in this emerging subject.

    Science Spotlight

  • 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM CEST
    CELL POLARITY IN ORGANOID-DERIVED MODELS OF HEALTH AND DISEASE

    Science Spotlight Moderator: Georg Csukovich, PhD – University of Veterinary Medicine, Vienna

    Science Spotlight Speaker: Sina Bartfeld, PhD – Technische Universität Berlin

    Science Spotlight Speaker: Lena Schorr, MSc – German Cancer Research Center Heidelberg

    Science Spotlight Speaker: Merve Ceylan, MSc – Uppsala University

    This Science Spotlight Session highlights the importance of cell polarity in organoid-based models. Cell polarity is not only crucial in the developing human body, but also for homeostasis and pathophysiological processes in the adult human body (maintenance of the stem cell niche, viral/bacterial infection of cells, etc.). Methods like reversing organoid cell polarity or generation of organoid-derived monolayers give researchers experimental control and access to polarized surfaces but can modify the stem and differentiated cell niches. Thus, newly established organoid-based models need to be carefully evaluated beforehand to ensure meaningful outcomes. We want to discuss the different models available to probe the basolateral and apical cell surfaces and opportunities and trade-offs of controlling cell polarity in 3D models.

    Science Spotlight

  • FOCUS SESSION, EDI & CAREER PANEL - 4:00 PM WEDNESDAY
  • 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM CEST
    TOOLS FOR BASIC AND APPLIED STEM CELL BIOLOGY

    Focus Session Speaker: Tenneille Ludwig, PhD – WiCell Research Institute

    Focus Session Speaker: Laurent David, PhD – Universite de Nantes

    Focus Session Speaker: Camille Tempier Lemey, PhD – STEMCELL Technologies

    Focus Session Speaker: Dmitry A. Ovchinnikov, PhD – The Florey / University of Melbourne

    Focus Session Speaker: Grazia Iannello, PhD – Columbia University

    Focus Session Speaker: Sebastian Diecke, PhD – Max Delbruck Center for Molecular Medicine

    Focus Session Speaker: Sarah Perez Munoz, PhD – Thermo Fisher Scientific

    Organized by COREdinates

    Supported by STEMCELL Technologies and Thermo Fisher Scientific

    Stem Cell COREdinates (www.COREdinates.org) is an international consortium of human pluripotent stem cell-focused core facilities that share expertise with protocols, reagents, and technological advancements to establish “best practices" in the maintenance, derivation, differentiation and genetic manipulation of human pluripotent stem cells. Each of our member cores plays an important role in the research and educational missions of their respective institutions. The Focus Session will have selected presentations from Stem Cell COREdinate members and our sponsors. These presentations will cover a number of different areas of expertise including stem cell characterization, gene editing and disease modeling.This session will benefit stem cell researchers who are just starting to use pluripotent stem cell tools in their own laboratories and experienced researchers who are seeking to expand their toolbox. These presentations from the COREdinate members will cover a variety of topics that will have direct impact on improving workflow, establishing new technology and advancing existing methodology.

    Focus Session

  • 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM CEST
    EQUITY, DIVERSITY, AND INCLUSION IN THE DISH

    Panelist: Brian Aguado, PhD – University of California San Diego

    Panelist: Ralda Nehme, PhD – Broad Institute of Harvard and MIT and Harvard University

    Panelist: Raeka Aiyar, PhD – The New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF) Research Institute

    Panelist: Magdalena Kasendra, PhD – Center for Stem Cell & Organoid Medicine (CuSTOM) at Cincinnati Children's

    Stem cells offer significant potential to unravel disease mechanisms, inform novel medicines, and develop innovative cell therapies for challenging medical conditions. However, there is a growing appreciation that a “one size fits all” approach to research and therapies is not applicable to all individuals. Biases in stem cell sourcing have exacerbated disparities in our understanding of how genetic ancestry impacts stem cell phenotypes. Specifically, genetic background is rarely considered as a biological variable for in vitro disease models, despite the significant influence that biological variables such as sex or ancestry have on overall cell phenotypes, including maintenance of pluripotency, differentiation tendencies, and responses to developmental signals. The primary objective of this session is to highlight current practices for diversifying biological samples in the lab and leveraging diversity in stem cell research. This session will also define plans to improve the accessibility of stem cell therapies through financial considerations, global access, and policy/ethics considerations.

    Ethics, Policy and Standards

  • 4:00 PM – 5:30 PM CEST
    CAREER PLURIPOTENCY: PIONEERING PATHS IN ACADEMIC AND NON-ACADEMIC SECTORS

    Moderator: Thomas Hutschalik, MSc (he/him/his) – Ncardia Services B.V.

    Panelist: Marie Engelene J. Obien, PhD – MaxWell Biosystems

    Panelist: Melissa Carpenter, PhD – Carpenter Consulting Corporation

    Panelist: Giuliana Gagliardi, PhD – European Research Council Executive Agency

    Panelist: Tina Mukherjee, PhD (she/her/hers) – Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (inStem)

    Career Panel If you find yourself caught up in the excitement yet daunted by the rapid evolution in stem cell research, join our career panel this year. In this session, we will bring together a diverse group of experts to explore the dynamic landscape of stem cell scientists and to discuss the evolving career opportunities in this field. Our panelists will share their professional trajectories, discuss both academic and non-academic paths in stem cell science, and provide insights for young scientists on how to navigate their own journey. Join us for an exciting session that aims to empower you to thrive in the face of career uncertainty.

    Panel

  • POSTER SESSIONS & EXHIBIT HALL EVENTS - 5:45 PM WEDNESDAY
  • 5:45 PM – 7:45 PM CEST
    POSTER SESSIONS and EXHIBIT HALL EVENTS
    Join us for these events in the Poster and Exhibit Hall:

    5:45 PM – 7:30 PM OPENING RECEPTION
    Supported by AMSBIO, bit.bio, Qkine, Science Advances/AAAS, and WiCell

    5:45 PM- 6:45PM POSTER SESSION I: ODD

    6:45 PM – 7:45 PM POSTER SESSION I: EVEN

    EXHIBIT HALL THEATER TALKS
    Bite-sized, 15-minute sessions on specialized topics. Pop in and out of the Exhibit Hall Theater to catch these brief presentations from scientific and industry leaders.
    .

    MEET-UP HUBS
    Connect with your colleagues and engage in conversation and networking at these common interest discussion forums.
  • MEET-UP HUBS - WEDNESDAY 5:45 PM - 7:45 PM
  • 5:45 PM – 7:45 PM CEST
    MEET-UP HUB 1: COMPUTATIONAL BIOLOGY
    Organized by Christine Wells, University of Melbourne, Australia and Owen Rackham, University of Southhampton, UK

    Computational biology is an emerging specialty within the Stem Cell Sciences. Computational stem cell biology invents and applies mathematical approaches to classifying stem cells, predicting cell behaviour, and designing reprogramming strategies or even new cell types. This forum is an opportunity to meet others working in the field, discuss opportunities and challenges for computational stem cell sciences, and highlight resources and standards that we want to work to as a discipline.
  • 5:45 PM – 7:45 PM CEST
    MEET-UP HUB 2: STUDENT AND POST DOC NETWORKING
    Organized by the ISSCR Early Career Scientist Task Force

    Come join the members of the Early Career Scientist Task Force as they discuss evolving career opportunities in stem cell research. Students and postdocs who attended the earlier Career Panel session can continue the conversation, and all students and post docs are encouraged to join in and network with your peers. Bring your questions and considerations about navigating your career journey. Come join the conversation!
  • 5:45 PM – 7:45 PM CEST
    MEET-UP HUB 3: RENEW ECR NETWORKING HUB
    Organized by Natalie Charitakis, Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Australia

    A space for Novo Nordisk Foundation Center for Stem Cell Medicine, ReNEW, Early Career Researchers from all international hubs to meet and connect with one another. Our goal is to create a vibrant atmosphere where ECRs from three international hubs can come together to collaborate, exchange ideas, and establish professional connections. Here, you'll have the opportunity to delve into stimulating discussions, explore new concepts, and draw inspiration from the projects presented at the event.

    This rare chance for our international community of stem cell medicine experts to meet face-to-face promises to strengthen ties and pave the way for future collaborations. Don't miss out on this invaluable opportunity to connect with fellow researchers, expand your network, and contribute to the advancement of stem cell research.
  • 5:45 PM – 7:45 PM CEST
    MEET-UP HUB 1: INDUSTRY SCIENTISTS NETWORKING
    Organized by the ISSCR Manufacturing, Clinical Translation, and Regulatory Committee

    The ISSCR Manufacturing, Clinical Translation, and Regulatory Committee invites interested attendees to join them to network and discuss various industry-related topics, including new developments, collaborations, and potential career paths.
  • 5:45 PM – 7:45 PM CEST
    MEET-UP HUB 2: UK STEM CELL NETWORK
    Organized by Lyn Healy, Franics Crick Institute, UK

    The UK is setting up a network to promote interaction between all stakeholders in the Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine community. As the meeting this year is in Europe, we predict that many scientists will attend from the UK therefore a meet-up-hub would enable prospective members of the network to gather and discover what the network is planning to establish and how the needs of the community can be addressed, explored and developed. It will afford the community the opportunity to come together and interact on an informal basis, exchange ideas and make new professional contacts. It will also reunite colleagues who might have lost contact over the years since we have been without a network.
  • 5:45 PM – 7:45 PM CEST
    MEET-UP HUB 3: STEM CELLS AND CANCER
    Organized by Juli Unternaehrer, Loma Linda University, USA

    Let's meet to discuss our work on the interaction of stem cells and developmental pathways with cancer biology.
  • EXHIBIT HALL THEATER - WEDNESDAY
  • 6:00 PM – 6:15 PM CEST
    STREAMLINE YOUR RESEARCH: THE ADVANTAGES OF OUR COMPREHENSIVE GENOMIC INTEGRITY TESTING, CELL AUTHENTICATION, AND MYCOPLASMA DETECTION SOLUTIONS

    Theater Speaker: Reda Zenagui – Stem Genomics

    Researchers face significant challenges when working with human stem cells, including genomic abnormalities, cell line authentication issues, and bacterial contamination. These factors not only compromise the safety and reliability of research results, but also affect the overall reputation of the field. In response to these concerns, the ISSCR has issued guidelines aimed at mitigating these risks, as outlined in the “Standards for the Use of Human Stem Cells in Research”, published in June 2023. To address these challenges, we offer a comprehensive solution. Our one-stop shop provides fast genomic integrity testing, cell line authentication, and mycoplasma detection services throughout the cell culture lifecycle. Our 3-in-1 offering includes: • The iCS-digital™ range, a digital PCR-based karyotyping assay that detects recurrent abnormalities in human stem cell lines (hPSCs, hMSCs and other stem cell types). • STR (Short Tandem Repeat) testing is used to verify the identity of your cell line. • The Myco-digital test, specifically designed to target several mycoplasma genomes. Our fast, standard service delivers results in as little as 3 days and we provide comprehensive yet simple reports that can be easily understood. In summary, our one-stop shop solution offers unparalleled convenience, quality, and support for scientists. Experience the difference today and unlock the full potential of your research.

    Exhibit Hall Theater

  • 6:20 PM – 6:35 PM CEST
    ANALYSIS, IMAGING, AND SORTING OF SPHEROIDS, ORGANOIDS, AND 3D CELL CLUSTERS ON THE COPAS VISION

    Theater Speaker: Rock Pulak – Union Biometrica, Inc

    Large particle flow cytometers from Union Biometrica provide automation for the analysis and dispensing of intact cell clusters. Cells growing in clusters communicate with each other and behave differently than cells grown as monolayers or in suspension. Many cell types will naturally form cell clusters when given the opportunity. These organoids and spheroids are believed to more closely recapitulate a normal physiological state. Research using stem cell clusters, organoids, tumor spheres and other types of 3D cultures are important biological systems for the discovery of signals responsible for normal development as well as the abnormal disease states. The COPAS Vision instrument can characterize these sample types with measurements typical of flow cytometry, like size, optical density, and fluorescence. In addition, the COPAS Vision collects brightfield images of the cell clusters during analysis. The COPAS Vision instrument provides automation for unbiased analysis, handling of large numbers of cell clusters, and dispensing of these sample types in a multiwell plate format. This approach can be used to characterize populations of organoids and organoid bodies of various types. Dispensing to wells of multiwell plates provides an approach to using these 3D cultures in large scale biological assays and screens.

    Exhibit Hall Theater

  • 6:40 PM – 6:55 PM CEST
    FROM R&D TO MANUFACTURING: THE CELL AS A PRODUCT

    Theater Speaker: Philipp Nold – Eppendorf SE

    Cell and gene therapies represent groundbreaking advancements in personalized medicine and regenerative therapies, employing "living" medications derived from genes, tissues, or cells to combat various diseases. Within this innovative domain, the progress in the development of cell therapies necessities in the need of high quantities and qualities of cells manufactured through precisely monitored and traceable bioprocesses. As the industry moves more and more in the direction of allogenic cell therapies, single-use stirred-tank bioreactors have emerged as the tool of choice for the scalable production required in the transition from autologous to allogeneic cell therapies. This paradigm shift underscores a future where the scalability and control afforded by cutting-edge bioprocessing technologies are central to harnessing the full potential of cell therapies, marking a significant milestone in the journey from laboratory research to robust manufacturing frameworks. In this talk, we will highlight the importance of process understanding and control, the implementation of automation and digital solutions significantly improve process performance.

    Exhibit Hall Theater

  • 7:00 PM – 7:15 PM CEST
    INNOVATIVE scFAST-seq TECHNOLOGY: ACCESSING ANALYSIS FROM MUTATION, REGULATION TO EXPRESSION

    Theater Speaker: Yunica Liu – Beijing SeekGene BioSciences Co.,Ltd

    Single-cell RNA sequencing (scRNA-seq) is pivotal for exploring cellular heterogeneity, but current methods have limitations. They rely on oligo-dT primers, leading to poor detection of non-polyadenylated transcripts and bias towards RNA ends. To overcome these challenges, we introduce Single Cell Full-length RNA Sequence Transcriptome-seq (scFAST-seq), an innovative, rapid, and cost-effective method. scFAST-seq combines semi-random priming, efficient reverse transcription, and rRNA removal, yielding full-length RNA libraries for up to 12,000 cells in 8 hours. It excels in detecting non-polyadenylated transcripts, covers longer transcript lengths, and identifies more splice junctions. scFAST-seq also shines in non-coding transcript discovery. When coupled with targeted region enrichment, it can detect somatic mutations and tumor cell status. In summary, scFAST-seq outperforms 3’ scRNA-seq, offering sensitivity, affordability, and enhanced capabilities crucial for studying cellular heterogeneity and advancing precision medicine.

    Exhibit Hall Theater