concurrent track: clinical applications

Highlighting integrated gene and cell therapies, tissue niche modulation, advances in modeling cellular complexity for disease treatment, and translating regenerative insights into clinical applications.

Organized by:

Catherine Priest, PhD, Neurona Therapeutics, USA
Stuart Forbes, PhD, FRCP, Institute for Stem Cell Research - University of Edinburgh, UK

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

modeling cellular complexity for tissue therapies

sponsored by: Morphocell Therapeutics

Faranak Fattahi, PhD, University of California, San Francisco, USA; ISSCR 2026 Early Career Impact Award Honorable Mention recipient
Jean Y. Tang, MD, PhD, Stanford University School of Medicine, USA
Dong-Wook Kim, PhD, Yonsei University College of Medicine, Korea
Katja Weinacht, MD, PhD, Stanford University, USA
Brigitte Arduini, PhD, Neural Stem Cell Institute, USA
Robert Zweigerdt, PhD, Hannover Medical School, Germany

This session explores how diseases impact multiple cell types at the organ level and highlight therapies that utilize 3D tissue models to maximize therapeutic potential.

integrating gene and cell approaches for transformative therapies

sponsored by: Aspen Neuroscience

Brian Bigger, PhD, The University of Edinburgh, UK
Michael G. Fehlings, MD, PhD, University of Toronto & Toronto Western Hospital, Canada
Anne Julie Bernier, Laval University, Canada
Yiwen Han, State Key Laboratory of Experimental Hematology, National Clinical Research Center for Blood Diseases, Haihe Laboratory of Cell Ecosystem, Institute of Hematology and Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Tianjin, China
Charles Kerr, PhD, Boston University, USA
Christopher Rohde, PhD, Factor Bioscience, USA

This session highlights cutting-edge strategies that combine gene and cell therapies to treat diseases once considered untreatable. Topics include gene-modified cell therapies and novel delivery of therapeutic agents to repair or replace damaged tissues.

modulating the tissue niche for therapeutic success

Nobukatsu Sawamoto, MD, PhD, Kyoto University, Japan
Guy Sauvageau, PhD, Institute for Research in Immunology & Cancer, Université de Montréal, Canada
Rossella Avagliano Trezza, PhD, Maastricht University, Netherlands
Bo Li, PhD, Macau University of Science and Technology, Macao, China
Mayuho Miki, Kyoto University, Japan
Hideyuki Okano, Keio University, Japan

This session examines how engineering the host environment, including overcoming fibrosis, targeting ectopic sites, remodeling native niches, and using encapsulation, can improve cell survival, integration, and cell therapy outcomes.

tissue repair and regeneration in common diseases

sponsored by: Kenai Therapeutics

Michael A. Laflamme, MD, PhD, McEwen Stem Cell Institute, University Health Network, Canada
Andrew Laskary, QIMR Berghofer/Ibnova Therapeutics, Australia
Christian Kramme, PhD, Gameto Inc., USA
Anestis Tsakiridis, PhD, University of Sheffield, UK
Young-Sup Yoon, MD, PhD, Emory University, USA
Sonja Schrepfer, MD, PhD, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, USA

This session explores recent advances in cell and gene therapies for common diseases, where success could benefit millions. Topics include overcoming regenerative barriers and developing scalable, accessible therapeutic solutions.