The NYSCF Conference, 2017
The 2017 NYSCF Conference was held on October 24 – 25 at The Rockefeller University in Manhattan. This meeting served as a forum for leaders in stem cell research to share their work and discuss ideas for the future of the field.
The conference featured presentations on groundbreaking translational research in areas such as eye disease, cancer, and neurodegenerative disease, among many others.
Highlights from the first day of presentations included a talk from Google’s Philip Nelson on how Google’s deep learning technology is analyzing cellular information and assisting in the virtual testing of novel drug treatments, a presentation from Case Western University’s NYSCF –Robertson Stem Cell Prize Recipient Paul J. Tesar, DPhil, on how his lab is using stem cell technology to investigate the pathology of diseases like multiple sclerosis, and a report from Harvard University’s Douglas A. Melton, PhD, on how his lab has created functional pancreatic cells that can be used to treat diabetes.
The day ended with a poster session where labs from around the world were invited to speak about their work and engage in discussions with other top researchers.
The second day of the conference included presentations from University College London and University of California, Santa Barbara’s Pete J. Coffey, DPhil, on his work using implantable patches containing eye stem cells to treat age-related macular degeneration, as well as University of California, San Francisco’s Tippi MacKenzie, MD, on her work treating congenital diseases such as sickle cell disease by delivering maternal stem cells to fetuses in utero.
Day two also featured a keynote address from Stanford’s Irving Weissman, MD, on his work in regenerative medicine, looking at how blood and brain stem cells can be used to analyze and treat disease, as well as a patient advocate keynote from actress, screenwriter, and activist Lauren Miller Rogen on her family’s battle with Alzheimer’s disease and how her non-profit, Hilarity for Charity, is working to raise money for Alzheimer’s research and care.
A panel discussion on cancer research and therapy featuring journalist and author Laura Landro, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center’s José Baselga, MD, PhD, SEngine Precision Medicine’s Carla Grandori, MD, PhD, NYSCF’s Susan L. Solomon, JD, and Stanford’s Irving Weissman, MD examined topics such as personalized medicine, drug development, and the process of running clinical trials. The panel also discussed the importance of maintaining a positive mindset when searching for cures and interacting with patients.
For a full list of all presentations and speakers, please view the 2017 NYSCF Conference Agenda.