Faculty researchers and clinicians from the Keck School of Medicine of USC are among more than 170 speakers who will discuss their efforts to zero in on disease cures at an international conference organized to highlight the progress of stem cell research.
The World Stem Cell Summit 2011 takes place Oct. 3–5 at the Pasadena Convention Center in Pasadena, Calif. The summit, in its seventh year, is organized by the nonprofit Genetics Policy Institute. For this year’s summit, co-organizers include the Keck School and Keck School-affiliated Children’s Hospital Los Angeles.
More than 170 prominent scientists, business leaders, regulators, policymakers, advocates, economic development officers and experts in law and ethics will discuss the latest scientific discoveries, business models, legal and regulatory solutions, and best practices. The event is expected to attract more than 2,000 attendees from 25 nations, 60 exhibitors and more than 150 endorsing organizations and media partners. More than 150 speakers will be featured at the summit, discussing everything from progress in research for HIV/AIDS, to diseases of the eye, and regeneration of organs.
“This summit is a critical venue for networking and sharing of knowledge among the great minds in the stem cell community,” said Keck School Dean Carmen A. Puliafito. “At the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at USC, we are partnering with researchers in the state of California, the nation, and the world to find cures for debilitating disease. We are excited about the opportunity to present our approaches and progress at the Summit, and to receive expert feedback from our colleagues world-wide.”
Keck School co-chairs of the event are Elizabeth Fini, vice dean for research and professor of cell and neurobiology and director of the Institute for Genetic Medicine, and Mark Humayun, professor of ophthalmology, professor of biomedical engineering and cell and neurobiology, and associate director of research at the Doheny Retina Institute at USC.
Keck School and USC researchers who will speak or moderate sessions include:
Monday, Oct. 3
Dean Carmen A. Puliafito
Welcome Overview
8 a.m., Civic Auditorium
Paula Cannon, PhD, associate professor, Molecular Microbiology and Immunology, Pediatrics, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Stem Cell Progress Report–HIV/AIDS
2:30–3:30 p.m., Ballroom C
Henry Sucov, PhD, associate professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology, Cell and Neurobiology
Translational and Clinical Studies of Stem Cells for Heart Regeneration
4–5 p.m., Ballroom D
Tuesday, Oct. 4
Brent Polk, MD, professor of Pediatrics and chair, Department of Pediatrics at the Keck School and Children’s Hospital Los Angeles
Welcome
8:30 a.m., Civic Auditorium
Martin Pera, PhD, professor, Cell and Neurobiology
Safety Issues in Stem Cell Therapies: Immunogenicity, Tumorgenicity and Genetic Stability
12:15–1:15 p.m., Ballroom D
David Warburton, MD, professor, Surgery, Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine and The Saban Research Institute, Children’s Hospital
Tracy Grikscheit, MD, assistant professor of Surgery, Pediatrics, Keck School of Medicine and The Saban Research Institute, Children’s Hospital
Stem Cell Science–Regenerating Whole Organs
2:30–3:30 p.m., Ballroom D
Wange Lu, PhD, assistant professor, Biochemistry and Molecular Biology
Stem Cells for Modeling Neurological Disorders
3:45–4:45 p.m., Ballroom B
Wednesday, Oct. 5
Mark Humayun, MD, PhD
Stem Cell Translational Report–Diseases of the Eye
11 a.m–noon, Ballroom E
Christopher T. Moulding, USC Stevens Institute for Innovation
Tech Transfer Workshop: How to Turn Your Lab Research into Valuable Intellectual Property
1:15–2:30 p.m., Ballroom D
David Warburton, MD
Laura Perin, PhD, assistant professor of Urology, Keck School/Children’s Hospital
New Stem Cell Discoveries—Clinical Implications
1–2 p.m., Ballroom D
Roger DeFilippo, MD, FAAP, assistant professor of Urology, Keck School/Children’s Hospital of Los Angeles
Hospital and Clinician Perspectives on Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine
2–3 p.m., Ballroom C
Along with the Keck School, the summit is co-organized by several other California institutions including the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), City of Hope, Cedars Sinai Regenerative Medicine Institute and Caltech.