CONCURRENT SESSIONS

Concurrent Track: Clinical Applications

Highlighting cellular therapy and tissue engineering research advancing toward the clinic; examining manufacturing challenges, upscaling processes, and providing updates on ongoing clinical trials.

Organized by: Takanori Takebe, MD, PhD, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, USA, and Osaka University and Tokyo Medical and Dental University, Japan, and Alessandro Aiuti, MD, PhD, San Raffaele Hospital, Italy

*Additional invited and abstract-selected speakers to be determined. Session descriptions and titles may change slightly.

Revolutionizing Therapies for Genetic Diseases

Michael Pepper, MBChB, MD, PhD, Institute for Cellular and Molecular Medicine, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Claire Booth, PhD, UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, UK

  • This session delves into groundbreaking advancements in gene therapies, focusing on the hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) system. Topics include gene addition and editing techniques, including CRISPR/Cas9 and prime editing, and their applications in treating genetic diseases affecting the blood, central nervous system (CNS), skeletal systems, and more. This session will also cover emerging in vivo gene therapy strategies targeting HSCs and immune cells, as well as the regulatory, accessibility, and economic challenges associated with these advanced therapies. 

Building an Enhanced Immune System to Fight Disease

Megan Levings, PhD, BC Children's Hospital Research Institute and University of British Columbia, Canada
Sonja Schrepfer, MD, PhD, Sana Biotechnology, USA

  • This session will highlight the latest advancements in immunotherapy, focusing on developing an enhanced immune system to target a range of conditions like solid tumors, metabolic dysfunction, fibrosis and autoimmune diseases. We will explore innovations in CAR T cells, pluripotent stem cell-derived-macrophages and natural killer (NK) cells, all currently in clinical trials. Additionally, the session will discuss hypoimmune cells and the immune privilege of transplanted cells. 

Clinical Translation of Bioengineered Tissue-based Therapeutics

Sponsored by Novo Nordisk
Ryuichi Okamoto, MD, PhD, Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan
Xin Cheng, PhD, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, China

  • This session will focus on the clinical translation of tissue replacement therapies, including bioengineered 3D tissues, organoids, and organs. We will discuss transplant-based and ex vivo device-based regenerative therapeutics, with applications in endocrine, digestive, urogenital, and neurological fields, as well as the emerging area of xenotransplantation. An ethics expert will also address the regulatory, accessibility, and economic aspects of these advanced therapies. 

Expanding Therapeutics Through Stem Cells and Reprogramming

Pentao Liu, PhD, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Maria Pia Cosma, PhD, Centre for Genomic Regulation, Spain

  • This session will explore the transformative potential of cellular reprogramming to restore and enhance organ function for therapeutic purposes. We will cover advancements in in vivo reprogramming-based therapeutics, mRNA-based therapies, and genome editing technologies, focusing on how these innovative approaches can revolutionize treatment options for various diseases. 

Disease Modeling and Drug Discovery

Exploring advances in using stem cells, both in vivo and in vitro, to model development and disease, with applications to drug discovery and therapeutic development.

Organized by: Kristen C. Sadler Edepli, PhD, New York University Abu Dhabi, UAE, and Joseph Wu, MD, PhD, Stanford University, USA

*Additional invited and abstract-selected speakers to be determined. Session descriptions and titles may change slightly.

Stem Cells in Drug Discovery: From Concept to Application 

Sponsored by: bit.bio

Paul D. Pang, PhD, Greenstone Biosciences, USA
Benedetta Artegiani, PhD and Delilah Hendriks, PhD, Princess Maxima Center, Netherlands

  • Stem cell-based models have advanced several drug compounds to the clinic. This session will feature investigators from academia and industry discussing approaches for screening, testing, and developing novel drugs for clinical application using stem cell-derived disease models.   

Insights into Disease Mechanisms from Stem Cell Research 

Valerie Gouon-Evans, PhD, PharmD, Boston University, CReM, USA
Thomas Eschenhagen, MD, University Medical Center Hamburg Eppendorf, Germany

  • Recent advances in stem cell research have uncovered key pathophysiological processes in solid organs. This session will showcase the use of in vitro and in vivo systems, including iPSCs, organoids, and whole animal models, to study disease mechanisms and identify potential treatment options. 

Stem Cells and Infectious Disease 

Sina Bartfeld, PhD, Technische Universität Berlin, Germany
Kazuo Takayama, PhD, Kyoto University, Japan

  • The COVID-19 pandemic highlighted the role of stem cells in the clinical manifestations of infectious diseases. Stem cell therapy is a promising approach for treating a range of infectious diseases. This session will explore advances in using stem cell-based models to study infection and immune responses, paving the way for drug discovery and treatment design and development for infectious diseases.   

Stem Cell Models of Tissue Injury and Repair

Sumru Bayin, PhD, The Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, UK
Patrick C. H. Hsieh, MD, PhD, Institute of Biomedical Sciences, Academia Sinica, Taiwan

  • This session will focus on using stem cells to study disease processes, a powerful tool for translating research from bench to bedside. We will highlight stem cell-derived models that provide insight into injury responses, regeneration, and tissue repair, enhancing our understanding of the molecular and cellular mechanisms behind these processes and helping in the development of potential treatment options. 

Global Stakeholder Initiatives

Exploring emerging issues in stem cell research and regenerative medicine by engaging stakeholders such as the scientific community, policymakers, and the public; addressing public policy, ethics, regulatory topics, and ISSCR Guidelines and Standards presented by members leading these initiatives.

Emerging Ethical Issues with Neural Organoids

Organized by the ISSCR Ethics Committee

Sergiu Pasca, MD, Stanford University, USA
Julian Savulescu, PhD, National University of Singapore, Singapore
Paola Arlotta, PhD, Harvard University, USA
Kazuto Kato, PhD, Osaka University Medical School, Japan 

  • This session explores emerging ethical challenges of neural organoid researching, including issues related to their moral status, sourcing, and the use of in vitro models, such as assembloids, and in vivo models. Leading multidisciplinary experts will discuss strategies for addressing these issues and developing ethical guidelines for responsible research and clinical applications.  

ISSCR Clinical Best Practices

Sponsored by WiCell

  • This session will introduce the ISSCR's Best Practices for the Development of PSC-Derived Cellular Therapies, a guide to accelerate the responsible development of PSC-derived therapies. Developed by over fifty international experts, the document provides a jurisdictionally neutral, visual, process-based translational roadmap covering starting materials; banking; raw/ancillary materials, devices, and equipment; regulatory considerations; drug substance / drug product; preclinical development; and clinical research. 

Manufacturing with Commercialization in Mind

  • This session will explore key considerations in developing stem cell-derived therapies for commercial use, focusing on critical factors such as starting material selection, genetic integrity, manufacturing scale, bioprocess complexity, and the assessment of final product comparability and analytical assays.  

Regulatory Fragmentation and Unproven Stem Cell Therapies: Beyond Harmonization

  • This session will address the global regulatory challenges of unproven stem cell therapies, including the impact of inconsistent national regulations and public demand for innovative treatments. Experts will discuss the origins of regulatory fragmentation and strategies for achieving global alignment to ensure patient safety. 

Organ Generation and Regeneration

Exploring research advances in stem cells and tissue biology relevant to normal organ formation, including experimental strategies for ex vivo organ engineering and in vivo replacement, and organ regeneration following injury or damage.

Organized by: Angela Wu, PhD, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong, and Lygia de Veiga Pereira, PhD, University of Sao Paulo, Brazil

*Additional invited and abstract-selected speakers to be determined. Session descriptions and titles may change slightly.

Animal Models of Regeneration 

Mayssa H. Mokalled, PhD, Washington University School of Medicine, USA
Tatiana Sandoval-Guzmán, PhD, Technische Universität Dresden, Germany

  • This session will explore our understanding of organ regeneration through animal models and discuss the potential for translating these insights into human organ regeneration. 

In Vivo and In Vitro Organ Generation 

Hiromitsu Nakauchi, MD, PhD, Stanford University, USA and Institute of Science Tokyo, Japan
Liangxue Lai, PhD, Guangzhou Institute of Biomedicine and Health, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

  • This session will explore advances in organ generation, both in chimeras (in vivo) and in vitro, using a combination of cells, biomaterials, bioprinting, and other bioengineering technologies. 

Aging and Regeneration

Emi Nishimura, MD, PhD, The University of Tokyo, Japan
Anissa Widjaja, PhD, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore

  • This session will explore the mechanisms of stem cell mechanisms depletion in aging and how reversing these processes can enable reprogramming, regeneration, and rejuvenation.   

Engineering Regeneration

Tae-Eun Park, PhD, UNIST, Korea
Linna Zhou, PhD, Nuffield Department of Medicine and Department of Chemistry, University of Oxford, UK

  • This session will highlight the latest engineering technologies in stem cell research, including stem cell-derived organoid models, engineered models of the niche, single-cell/spatial omics, computational tools, and more.  

Pluripotency and Development

Understanding pluripotency and lineage commitment; exploring embryo and organ development.

Organized by: Tina Mukherjee, PhD, Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine, India, and Vivian Gama, PhD, Vanderbilt University, USA

*Additional invited and abstract-selected speakers to be determined. Session descriptions and titles may change slightly.

Metabolic Underpinnings of Stem Cells

Marlen Knobloch, PhD, University of Lausanne, Switzerland
Qiurong Ding, PhD, Shanghai Institute of Nutrition and Health, CAS, China 

  • This session will delve into the metabolic requirements essential for stemness, including the mechanisms underlying the exit from naïve pluripotency and the maintenance of lineage and cell identity.   

Evolutionary Perspective of Development and Regeneration

Ayelet Voskoboynik, PhD, Stanford University, USA
Florian Raible, PhD, University of Vienna, Austria

  • The session will adopt a comparative approach to development, using multi-model systems to highlight fundamental, unifying principals across species. 

Fate Choices in Development and Regeneration 

Jacob H. Hanna, MD, PhD, The Weizmann Institute of Science, Israel
Bhavana Muralidharan, PhD, Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine, India

  • This session will explore the molecular, systemic, and genetic factors that influence fate choices during development and regeneration. 

Technologies to Study Development and Physiology 

Nicolas Rivron, PhD. ENG. Institute of Molecular Biotechnology, Austria
Alex Gould, PhD, The Francis Crick Institute, UK

  • This session will focus on current technologies that have revolutionized our understanding of early embryo development and the maintenance of pluripotency, both in vivo and in vitro.  

Somatic Stem Cells and Cancer

Exploring somatic stem cell homeostasis and ageing, stem cell-niche interactions, and stem cells in cancer.

Organized by: Lijian Hui, PhD, Shanghai Institute of Biochemistry and Cell Biology, China, and Richard J. Gilbertson, MD, PhD, CRUK Cambridge Institute, UK

*Additional invited and abstract-selected speakers to be determined. Session descriptions and titles may change slightly.

Niche Regulation in Stem Cells and Tissue Regeneration 

Ya-Chieh Hsu, PhD, Harvard University, USA
Honglin Wang, PhD, Shanghai Jiaotong University School of Medicine, China

  • This session will explore the intricate interplay between the niche and stem cells, uncovering the mechanisms of microenvironment regulation that drive tissue regeneration and repair. 

Metabolism, Stem Cells, and Cancer

Ton Rabelink, MD, PhD, Leiden University Medical Center, Netherlands
Stephanie Ma, PhD, The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong 

  • This session will explore the connections between cellular metabolism, stem cells, and cancer, revealing the intricate relationships that hold potential for innovative therapeutic approaches. 

AI and Cancer Evolution 

Jiguang Wang, PhD, Hong Kong University of Science and Technology, Hong Kong
Nathan Palpant, PhD, The University of Queensland, Australia

  • This session will highlight how big data and deep learning are transforming cancer biology and treatment, focusing on the integration of multimodal data, virtual patients, and in silico clinical trials. 

Stem Cells and Cell Metastasis 

Eduard Batlle, PhD, Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) & ICREA, Spain
Samra Turajlic, PhD, The Francis Crick Institute, UK

  • This session will explore the evolving understanding of metastasis, which accounts for over 95% of cancer deaths, highlight how it is now seen as a hijacked normal process that also plays a role in tissue repair, rather than solely an abnormal process driven by malignant lineages.