Highlights of the 5th Annual Meeting of the
International Society for Stem Cell Research
June 17-20, 2007
Cairns, Australia

Read the Meeting Report

Co-sponsored by the Australian Stem Cell Centre, this year’s ISSCR annual meeting was held in Cairns, Australia. Cairns provided a unique backdrop to this year’s conference, nestled between the tropical rain forest and the Great Barrier Reef. We hope that you were able to extend your stay and explore the area.

Attendance was excellent, with more than 1900 registrants and a record number of poster presentations. We were delighted to see strong representation from the Asia/Pacific region, a trend we hope will continue. An unprecedented number of travel fellowships was awarded to assist with travel costs associated with attending the meeting. View the list of awardees.

We would like to thank the members of the 2007 Annual Meeting Program Committee, chaired by Dr. Andrew Elefanty, for developing another exciting program. The rich history of stem cell science in Australia contributed greatly to this year’s conference.

A full program, including six plenary sessions, five concurrent sessions and three poster sessions kept attendees busy. The strength of the program is in the quality of the presentations and we thank all of you for your participation. A special mention to the 2006 Junior Investigator Poster Award winners, listed below.

A panel discussion was included, where we heard from Cindy Bell (Genome Canada), Robert Klein (CIRM), and Ben Sykes (UKSCN), on funding paradigms for stem cell research. Junior Investigators made the most of their opportunities to mingle with each other as well as discuss science, projects and careers at the Junior Investigator Social Event and Meet the Experts lunches.

The Hon Dr Kay Patterson, Senator of Victoria, welcomed delegates to Australia. Dr Patterson is an advocate of stem cell research and was a key player in the development of legislation to allow somatic cell nuclear transfer in Australia. Dr Patterson reminded us of the interdependence of research and media and the need to balance the message of hope with caution.

The Keynote address was given by Professor David de Kretser, Governor of Victoria, Australia, well known for his work in the IVF field and as foundation director of the Monash Institute of Medical Research. He reiterated the importance of cultivating a greater level of understanding in the public arena of issues surrounding stem cell research. Professor de Kretser suggested that part of the scientific training should include learning how to effectively communicate scientific concepts to a wide audience and that each of us has a part to play.

To close the meeting we heard from Dr Donald Metcalf of the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute, Melbourne, Australia, whose discovery of key cytokines that direct hematopoietic differentiation and successful translation of these studies into the clinic provide a powerful example of the potential of our research.

Dr Metcalf encouraged us as scientists to challenge current dogma as we move forward, reminding us that static models cannot completely capture dynamic, complex biological systems. He noted that ex vivo findings can contradict a model and while not necessarily physiologically relevant under normal conditions, we may be able to manipulate such properties for therapeutic purpose. Dr Metcalf finished with the thought that while we have come so far, there is still a great deal more to learn.

The end of the meeting was celebrated Australian-style at the all attendee mixer with a BBQ meal and dancing to the local band “On Q”. We thank all of you who attended this year’s ISSCR meeting and gave the event its energy and special flavor.

We look forward to next year’s meeting in Philadelphia, PA, USA. The 2008 Meeting Program Committee will be chaired by Dr Ihor Lemischka, and will now begin the preparations for yet another notable schedule.

Save the date:

Awards and honors:
2007 Junior Investigator Poster Awards. Each year awards are given for outstanding posters presented by junior investigators. This year’s winners received $250 USD courtesy of Invitrogen, a 1-year subscription to Cell Stem Cell from Cell Press, and are offered complimentary registration to the 6th ISSCR Annual Meeting in 2008 in Philadelphia, PA, USA. Congratulations to the winners of the 2007 Awards:

Matthew G. Guenther, Whitehead Institute, USA, A CHROMATIN LANDMARK AND TRANSCRIPTION INITIATION AT MOST PROMOTERS IN HUMAN EMBRYONIC STEM CELLS

Daniel Kirouac, University of Toronto, Canada, A SYSTEMS LEVEL ANALYSIS OF INTERCELLULAR SIGNALLING NETWORKS REGULATING HEMATOPOIETIC STEM CELL EXPANSION CULTURES

Isabelle M.A. Lombaert, University Medical Center Groningen, The Netherlands, MOUSE SALIVARY GLAND FUNCTION RESCUE AFTER STEM CELL TRANSPLANTATION IN IRRADIATED GLANDS

Daniel M. Messerschmidt, Max-Planck Institute of Immunobiology, Germany, FUNCTIONAL ANALYSIS OF NANOG AND ITS TARGETS DURING MOUSE EMBRYONIC DEVELOPMENT

Jonathan C. Niclis, Monash University, Australia, CHARACTERISATION OF TWO HUMAN EMBRYONIC STEM CELL LINES CARRYING THE HUNTINGTON’S DISEASE MUTATION

Fumitaka Osakada, RIKEN CDB, Japan, WNT SIGNALING-MEDIATED REGENERATION IN THE ADULT MAMMALIAN RETINA

Updated March 18, 2008