Organizing Committee

Gordon Keller (Chair), PhD
McEwen Center for Regenerative Medicine, UNH, University of Toronto, Canada

Nissim Benvenisty, MD, PhD 
Hebrew University, Israel

Bob Deans, PhD
BlueRock Therapeutics, Canada

Michael Laflamme, MD, PhD
UHN, University of Toronto, Canada

Jane Lebkowski, PhD
Regenerative Patch Technologies, USA

Lorenz Studer, MD
Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, USA

Sally Temple, PhD
Neural Stem Cell Institute, USA

As our understanding of stem cell biology surges forward, new investigational therapies are rapidly advancing towards and through clinical trials. From 6-8 November, 2019, From Stem Cell Biology to New Therapies will highlight current clinical applications of stem cell therapies. The program features world-renowned leaders in translational research from academia and industry, and will include an interactive panel that will discuss the regulatory challenges of translational stem cell research.

Program Highlights

"From Germline Editing to Clinical Trial Design – the Ethical Issues and Practical Considerations of Moving Cell Therapies to the Clinic"

On Wednesday morning, join leading scientists and ethicists, including George Daley, MD, PhD, Alta Charo, JD, and Charles Murry, MD, PhD, for a discussion on how the stem cell field can address ethical and practical challenges to setting up clinical trials for cell and gene therapies. This pre-meeting forum will feature two sessions: the first will focus on germline genome editing and include talks on the ethical, regulatory, scientific, and societal considerations of this technology; the second session will focus on the ethics and regulatory issues of designing cell-based clinical trials.

Speakers & Topics

Cardiovascular Disease
Mauro Giacca, MD, PhD, ICGEB, Italy
Michael Laflamme, MD, PhD, UHN, University of Toronto, Canada
Charles Murry, MD, PhD, University of Washington, USA

Immunotherapy
Harry Atkins, MD, FRCPC, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Canada
Dan Shoemaker, PhD, Fate Therapeutics, USA
Sjoukje van der Stegen, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, USA

Escaping the Immune System
David Russell, MD, PhD, University of Washington & Universal Cells Inc., USA
Sonja Schrepfer, MD, PhD, University of California San Francisco, USA

Regulatory Challenges Panel
Joy Cavagnaro, PhD, Access BIO, USA
Erin Kimbrel, PhD, Astellas Pharma, USA
Doug Sipp, BA, Riken, Japan

What to Expect

The ISSCR has created our International Symposia to delve into current stem cell topics through exciting scientific programs in an engaging, intimate atmosphere.

Learn about the latest science from a slate of global speakers
Present your research in a poster presentation
Connect with colleagues through numerous networking opportunities

Who Should Attend?

Academic, industry and clinical researchers interested in stem cell biology and its therapeutic applications are encouraged to attend and share your latest research and finding. Attendees will hear from leaders in the field and benefit from the convivial atmosphere and open exchange of ideas found at this symposium.

What Sets the International Symposia Apart?

ISSCR International Symposia are where the world's leading minds are building the future of stem cell science. They are focused meetings that bring together approximately 400 attendees,100 poster presentations, and exhibitors with innovative technologies. The goal is to expand ISSCR's educational reach, making it more accessible for stem cell scientists in regions around the world.