concurrent track: somatic stem cells

Purple outline illustration of a microscope with the letters 'SSC' below it.

Exploring somatic stem cell homeostasis, aging, regeneration, stem cell–niche interactions, and the role of stem cells in cancer across tissue types.

Organized by:

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

transcriptional regulation of somatic stem cells

sponsored by: Stem Cell Reports

Yan Song, PhD, Peking University, China
Musa M. Mhlanga, PhD, Radboud Institute for Molecular Lifesciences (RiMLS), Netherlands
Jonathan Chin Cheong, Columbia University, USA
Hanae Omiya, PhD, UNIVERSITAT BASEL, Switzerland
Tudorita Tumbar, PhD, Cornell University, USA

  • This session focuses on cell-intrinsic genome regulation in somatic stem cells, including transcriptional control, epigenetic mechanisms, and gene regulatory networks. 

aging and rejuvenation

Longhua Guo, PhD, University of Michigan, USA
Pura Muñoz-Cánoves, PhD, Altos Labs San Diego Institute of Science, USA
Anna Eastman, PhD, Stanford University, USA
Maria Carolina Florian, PhD, IDIBELL, Spain
Yulia Shwartz, PhD, University of Southern California (USC), USA
Ryosuke Tsuji, PhD, FRS, FMedSCI, University of Tsukuba, Japan

Ernest McCulloch Memorial Lecture

  • This session explores the aging process, particularly the decline in regenerative capacity of stem cells with aging and strategies to restore cellular and tissue function. 

cell fate and identity across scales

sponsored by: Stem Cell Reports

Sandra Scharaw, PhD, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Cell Biology and Genetics, Germany
Jacques Drouin, DSc, FRSC, Institut de Recherches Cliniques de Montréal (IRCM), Canada 
Wilson Gomarga, PhD, Boston Children's Hospital/Harvard Medical School, USA
Nuray Gunduz, PhD, Beatson Institute for Cancer Research, UK
Lachlan Harris, PhD, Queensland Institute of Medical Research, Australia
Andrea Brand, PhD, New York University School of Medicine, USA

  • This session highlights cutting-edge approaches for visualizing cell state, lineage, and function across molecular, cellular, and tissue scales to dissect cell fate decision and understand how cellular identity are regulated. 

organ function and cross-organ communication

Julia Cordero, PhD, University of Glasgow & the CRUK Institute, UK
Isabel Farinas, PhD, University of Valencia, Spain
Tianchi Xin, PhD, Yale School of Medicine, USA
Sarah McClymont, PhD, Mount Sinai Hospital, Canada
Nikhil Jaligam, Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine (inStem), India
William Billy Johnston, PhD, Ottawa Hospital Research Institute, Canada

  • This session explores the emerging roles of whole-body context and inter-organ communication in maintaining tissue homeostasis and organismal health.