For the millions of people around the world who suffer from incurable diseases and injuries, Stem Cell Awareness Day is a time for hope. In honor of the occasion, USC Stem Cell, in partnership with the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM), is hosting a series of public events to celebrate and raise awareness of this promising field of medicine.
Throughout the month of October, USC Stem Cell will hold a series of informative noon seminars on the first floor of the Eli and Edythe Broad Center for Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research. The lineup of distinguished speakers includes: Philipp Kaldis from the Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology in Singapore on Oct. 1; Andrew Brack from the Massachusetts General Hospital-Harvard University on Oct. 15; Su Guo from the University of California, San Francisco, on Oct. 22; and Richard Harland from the University of California, Berkeley, on Oct. 29.
On Oct. 2, Victoria Fox of the Keck School of Medicine of USC and colleagues will appeal to a younger audience when they give presentations about stem cell research at several local high schools, including Ánimo Leadership Charter, Ánimo Inglewood Charter, YouthBuild Boyle Heights and La Serna.
USC is also joining forces with the University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA), the California Institute of Technology, City of Hope and Cedars-Sinai Medical Center to present “Nanotechnology Innovations in Cancer, Infectious Diseases and Regenerative Medicine.” Held Oct. 17-18 at the UCLA California NanoSystems Institute Auditorium, the meeting will feature keynote presentations and short talks, as well as an afternoon of poster sessions on the second day. Topics include nanomaterials and devices, nanoparticles and therapy, imaging and sensing, nanosystems biology, and tissue engineering. For more information or to RSVP, email nanoscience2013@em.ucla.edu.
Ending the month on a festive note, all are invited to attend the first monthly USC Stem Cell Social, where guests can view research posters and mingle with researchers and affiliated faculty. The event will be held Oct. 25 from 3:30 to 5 p.m. in the first floor lobby of the Broad Center.
“We hope that many from USC and beyond will attend our events to make new friends and learn new things in the process,” said Andrew McMahon, who spearheads the USC Stem Cell initiative and holds a joint appointment at the Keck School and the USC Dornsife College of Letters, Arts and Sciences.
“Our goal is to foster the close and creative collaboration of scientists, clinicians, innovators from multiple disciplines, and our patient and philanthropic communities to shape the future of stem cell research and regenerative medicine.”