Wednesday 8 July 8:30 AM - 10:00 AM & 2:15 PM - 3:45 PM

HARNESSING BIOPHYSICAL CUES TO IMPROVE THE FIDELITY OF iPSC-DERIVED MODELS

Organized By:

Dana Brinson, University of Toronto, Canada
Golnaz Karoubi, PhD, University Health Network, Canada

Speakers:

Sayaka Deguchi, PhD, Kyoto University, Japan
Kaitlin McCreery, PhD, University of Vermont, USA
Quinton Smith, PhD, University of California, Irvine, USA
Abigail Nagle, PhD, University of Washington, USA
Elias Cuartas-Gómez, Laval University, Canada
Eden Spargo, University of New South Wales, Australia

  • This session explores how physical cues and mechanotransduction guide stem cell fate. Integrating stem cell biology and bioengineering, speakers highlight strategies to improve maturation, function, and translational relevance of iPSC-derived cells.

BRIDGING CARDIAC AND NEURAL MITOCHONDRIAL METABOLISM VIA iPSCS

Organized By:

Mie Yamanaka, MD, Gladstone Institutes, USA
Lyandysha Zholudeva, PhD, Gladstone Institutes, USA

Speakers:

Mie Yamanaka, MD, Gladstone Institutes, USA
Shugo Tohyama, MD, PhD, Fujita Health University, Japan
Luca Peruzzotti-Jametti, MD, PhD, University of Cambridge, UK
Gentaro Ikeda, MD, PhD, Stanford University, USA

  • Heart and brain cells depend on mitochondrial metabolism. Using iPSC differentiation as a shared framework, this session explores mitochondrial metabolic remodeling, disease mechanisms, and their relevance to transplantation across both cardiac and neural systems.

BRIDGING THE GAP: CONNECTING SCIENTISTS AND CLINICIANS ACROSS SILOS

Sponsored by: THÉCELL : Réseau de thérapie cellulaire, tissulaire et génique du Québec

Organized By:

Pegah Ghavidel, Institut National de la Recherche Scientifique (INRS), Canada
Karel Ferland, Centre de recherche en organogénèse expérimentale de l’Université Laval (LOEX), Hôpital Enfant-Jésus, Canada
Bettina Cattier, LOEX, Hôpital Enfant-Jésus, Canada
Marie-Claude Sincennes, PhD, INRS, Canada
Mélissa Simard, PhD, LOEX, Regenerative Medicine Axis, CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Canada
Luciana Melo Garcia, PhD, The CHU de Québec-Université Laval Research Centre, Canada
Kim Santerre, Réseau ThéCell, Canada

Speakers:

Sofiane Y. Mersaoui, PhD, CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Canada
Bernard Thébaud, PhD, University of Ottawa and Ottawa Hospital Research Institute (OHRI) & CHEO Research Institute, Canada
Mélissa Simard, PhD, Centre de recherche en organogenèse expérimentale (LOEX) and CHU de Québec-Université Laval, Canada
Roger A. Barker, PhD, MRCP, University of Cambridge, UK
Brian Bigger, PhD, The University of Edinburgh, UK 

  • Translational progress depends on synergy between clinicians and fundamental scientists. This session highlights their complementary strengths and offers practical strategies to build collaborations that accelerate real-world patient impact.

DIVERSITY IN PLURIPOTENT STEM CELLS: GENETIC AND TRANSLATIONAL INSIGHTS

Organized By:

Assa Sherman, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
Dagmara Szmaglinska, University of Sheffield, UK

Speakers:

Ivana Barbaric, PhD, University of Sheffield, UK
Dagmara Szmaglinska, University of Sheffield, UK
Jonathan Jung, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
Atilgan Yilmaz, PhD, KU Leuven, Belgium
Shay Kinreich, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Israel
Peter Zandstra, PhD, University of British Columbia, Canada
Tenneille E. Ludwig, PhD, WiCell, USA
Melissa K. Carpenter, PhD, Carpenter Consulting Corporation, USA

  • Exploring hidden diversity in human pluripotent stem cells is critical for their biomedical use. This session uncovers diversity through genetic, epigenetic and ancestral lenses, and their relevance for cell banking and therapeutic applications.

GLIA: FROM BASIC SCIENCE TO TRANSLATIONAL APPLICATIONS

Organized By:

Emily Pallack, Tufts University, USA
Nicole Teaney, Tufts University, USA

Speakers:

Stefan Semrau, PhD, JAX-NYSCF Collaborative, USA
Nisha Iyer, PhD, Tufts University, USA
Irene Llorente, PhD, Stanford Medicine, USA
Clive Svendsen, PhD, Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute, USA
Hideyuki Okano, MD, PhD, Keio University, Japan

  • Glia drive neural development, function, and disease, yet stem cell models remain neurocentric. This session unites basic and translational advances to show how incorporating glia improves model fidelity, reveals therapeutic targets, and redefines our understanding of neural systems.

ENGINEERING STEM CELL FATE FOR NEXT-GENERATION IMMUNOTHERAPY

Organized By:

Hank Hsieh, University of Oxford, UK & The University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong, China

Speakers:

Andras Nagy, PhD, FRSC, University of Toronto, Canada
Ivana Barbaric, DPhil, University of Sheffield, UK
Edwin Emilio Valdivia Malqui, PhD, Hannover Medical School, Germany
Katie Galloway, PhD, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA

  • Master the design of synthetic immunity. Experts present novel approaches in RNA regulation, lineage tracking, and hypoimmunogenic engineering to create safe and efficacious iPSC-derived immune therapies.