I have a chance to participate with a poster at an upcoming conference on Stem Cells in Tissue Engineering – 
Isolation, Culture, Characterisation and Applications in Sant Feliu de Guixols, Spain, 28.10-02.11. Here are some lectures from the programme, which I’d like to visit by all means (my comments in italics):
29.10. Sunday 11.45-12.35 J. Itskovitz-Eldor Technion, Haifa, IL – Scientific Promises in Embryonic Stem Cells
Hopefully a good and comprehensive overview of the much debated field.
12.35-12.50 Guido Stadler Ludwig Boltzmann Institute for Experimental & Clinical Traumatology, Linz, AT
– In Vitro Characterisation of Immunomodulatory Properties of Human Stem Cells Derived from Amnion and Adipose Tissue
Stem cells from the placenta are hot, I can tell ya.
13.05-13.20 Jon Alderson University of Birmingham, UK – The Role of Mitochondrial Polymerase Gamma (POLG) in the Differentiation of Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells into Beating Cardiomyocytes
17.15-17.30 Joao Facucho-Oliveira National Institute of Agrobiological Sciences, Tsukuba, JP – The Effects of Retinoic Acid S
timulation on Mitochondrial DNA Replication During Murine Embryonic Stem Cell Differentiation
Mitochondrial involvement in the stem cell machinery.
30.10. Monday 10.40-11.30 Jeffrey M. Gimble Louisiana State University System, Baton Rouge, US – Bone from Fat Cells
18.10-18.25 Caire Vinatier University of Nantes, FR – Chondrogenic Differentiation of Human Adipose-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells
Adipose-derived adult stem cells for bone and cartilage repair can easily become one of the earliest success of human tissue engineering.
01.11. Wednesday 09.50-10.40 Evan Y. Snyder Harvard Medical School/Children’s Hospital Boston, US – Neural Stem Cells for Therapies
Brain regeneration is the most crucial part of every overall and continuous regeneration treatment of the adult human body. The Snyder lab is a radiant centre of neural stem cell research.
16.30-17.20 James Kirkpatrick Johannes Gutenberg University, Mainz, DE – The Role of Vascularisation in Tissue Engineering
Good vascularization of the tissue graft means good oxygen and food supply, and proper waste removal. Hard problem: how can the vessels of the donor tissue construct anastomize (i.e. coalesce) with the arteries of the recipient organ, so the end result is a functional and integrated circulatory system.
01.12. Thursday 10.55-11.55 Anthony Atala Wake Forest University Health Sciences, NC, US – Stem and Progenitor Cells in Clinical Applications
Atala – originally a surgeon – is one of the most powerful engine behind bladder tissue engineering.
I hope I can blog the events, make photos and little videos, and if you are a participant too, please do not hesitate to contact me.
