SYMPOSIUM AGENDA

 

ABSTRACT BOOKLET

 

WATCH THE WEBCASTS

For more information, please contact:
Ashley Lau | ashley.lau@uhn.ca
585 University Ave
Toronto, ON
Tel: 416 340 4800 ext 6315

Since the first culturing of human embryonic stem cells in the late 1990s, researchers in regenerative medicine have made tremendous progress in understanding and developing the potential of stem cell therapies, a field no less complicated than it is promising. The promise is of the promotion of tissue healing and organ re-growth, the engineering and growth of new tissue and organs for implantation coupled with the use of biomaterials to support the human body's natural ability to regenerative tissue.

The CIHR Training Program in Regenerative Medicine invites you to join us at the 5th Annual Regenerative Medicine Symposium (ARMS) where health researchers will be sharing their latest insights and discoveries in the rapidly progressing field of regenerative medicine. This 2 day symposium is structured to allow ample opportunity for participants to interact with each other as well as with leading experts, professors, clinician scientists, regulation and industry officials, both within the formal sessions and informally at other times. We encourage any active researchers who are interested in keeping pace with the latest developments in regenerative medicine to participate.

REGISTRATION IS NOW CLOSED

SYMPOSIUM HIGHLIGHTS:

I) Keynote Speakers

On the first day of the symposium, an opening Keynote Lecture: “Regenerating” ELSI? - will be given by Professor Bartha Maria Knoppers, PhD, who holds the Canada Research Chair in Law and Medicine (Tier 1: 2001 - ). She is Director of the Centre of Genomics and Policy, Faculty of Medicine, Department of Human Genetics, McGill University. She held the Chair d’excellence Pierre Fermat (France: 2006-2008), was named Distinguished Visiting Scientist (Netherlands Genomics Initiative) (2009 - ) and received the ACFAS prize for multidisciplinarity (2011). She is Chair of the Ethics Working Party of the International Stem Cell Forum (2006 - ), Co-Chair of the Sampling/ELSI Committee of the 1000 Genomes Project (2008 - ) and a member of the Scientific Steering Committee of the International Cancer Genome Consortium (ICGC) (2009- ). Professor Knoppers has received four Doctorates Honoris Causa, is Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science, of The Hastings Center (Bioethics) and the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences (CAHS). She is an Officer of the Order of Canada.

On the second day of the symposium, the program will open with a Keynote Lecture on stem cell transplantation in India, given by Dr. Samuel J.K. Abraham, Director of the Indo-Japan joint institute, the Nichi-In Centre for Regenerative Medicine in Chennai, India. Dr. Abraham completed his primary medical education in Tirunelveli Medical College in 1992, India. After a year of Pediatric surgery training in India, he joined Yamanashi Medical University, Japan in 1993, finished post-graduate training in cardiac surgery at Yamanashi University Hospital in 1999 and from then with Division of Cardiac Surgery, Yamanashi University Hospital, Japan. Dr. Abraham started his research work in stem cells and regenerative medicine with private and public institutes in Japan in 2000 under the Nichi-In consortium, which started the Nichi-In Centre for Regenerative Medicine (NCRM) in India (2005) and established centres in Malaysia (Niscell 2008, & Visiontec 2009) through technological collaboration. Over the last two years, the NCRM has collaborated with the TPRM. As well, Dr. Abraham leads a PhD program in regenerative medicine with Acharya Nagarjuna University, India. He is a Visiting professor, Tamilnadu Dr MGR Medical University, Chennai, India. He is a member of (i) ISCT, (ii) Asian Cell Therapy Organization, (iii) ISSCR (iv) Japanese Thoracic Surgeons Association & Fellow of (i) Indian Association of Cardiothoracic Surgeons (IACTS). He also has one patent on corneal limbal stem cell tissue engineering and is an applicant to two patents in scaffolds-based stem cell in vitro culture methodology and nanomaterials.

II) Presentations in Regenerative Medicine
The first step in many of the results highlighted in major science publications comes from a student's curiosity and their willingness to ask the question "why does this work this way?". These presentations, which will run on both days of the symposium, will highlight key research being done by graduate students in a University of Toronto regenerative medicine course and its application to future regenerative medicine therapy.

III) Debate - "Stem cells will never get to the clinic for treating organ failure."
For the first time, the TPRM is introducing a new exciting and stimulating component to its annual symposium, a debate! Join us for coffee and refreshments and then decide on what you think the future holds for stem cell therapies after you hear debates and arguments from our leading expert teams. This debate will take place on Wednesday April 4, 2012 from 4:00 to 5:30 pm.

About the STIHR CIHR Training Program in Regenerative Medicine
Training programs are intended to improve the mentoring and training environment for health researchers in Canada, foster collaborative team research across disciplines, knowledge translation and professional skills. The CIHR Training Program in Regenerative Medicine is supported by the Canadian Institutes of Health Research and program sponsors: Novartis, Astellas, Roche, the Stem Cell Network, Nichi-In Centre for Regenerative Medicine.