Contact: Gary Polakovic c-(323) 527-7770 or polakovi@usc.edu
Participating USC stem cell experts include:
Nils Lindstrom
Nils Lindstrom is a postdoctoral researcher at the USC Stem Cell Center at the Keck School of Medicine. Lindstrom will discuss how the workhorse component of the human kidney — the nephron filters — are supposed to develop. The research serves as a blueprint for how to build better nephrons in the lab and develop strategies to prevent kidney disease. About one in seven adults in the United States — or 30 million people — suffer from chronic kidney disease, according to the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
Talk title: “A Spatial, TranscrLiptomic, Molecular and Gene Network Blueprint for the Human Nephronogenic Program.”
Thursday, June 27
9:55 – 10:06 a.m.
Plenary III, “Mechanisms and Applications of Mesodermal Tissues I”
West hall B, level 1
Contact: Nils.Lindstrom@med.usc.edu or c-(310) 621-7948
Leonardo Morsut
Leonardo Morsut is an assistant professor of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine at the Keck School of Medicine of USC and at the USC Viterbi School of Engineering, where he is director of the Center for Integrated Electronics and Biological Organisms. He builds genetic circuits that act like traffic cops to direct cells to organize into tissues. It’s research into building complex tissue, from nerve junctions to muscle, in the lab to study diseases and treatments.
Talk title: “Synthetic Genetic Circuits to Control Stem Cell Programs in Tissue Assembly.”
Thursday, June 27
2:24 – 2:46 p.m.
Concurrent IA: Engineering Tissues and Organs
Concourse E, level 1
Contact: morsut@usc.edu or c-(415) 713-7101
D’Juan Farmer
D’Juan Farmer, a postdoctoral researcher at the USC Stem Cell Center, will explain how studying fish helps scientists solve a human birth defect, craniosynostosis. If a baby’s skull prematurely fuses, it restricts brain growth, which is harmful. Studying zebrafish mutations shows how genes regulate stem cells that affect skeletal development.
Talk title: “Deciphering the Embryonic Origins and the Genetic Regulation of Skeletal Stem Cells in the Zebrafish Skull.”
Thursday, June 27
2:35-2:46 p.m.
Concurrent IE: Non-mammalian Model Organisms for Stem Cell Biology
Room 408B, level 2
Contact: djuanfar@usc.edu or c-(310) 714-8015
Joanna Smeeton
Joanna Smeeton, postdoctoral researcher at the USC Stem Cell Center, studies how zebrafish regenerate their cartilage and joints in ways humans cannot. Studying how fish stem cells regenerate joints can help find new ways to heal arthritis in people. Arthritis affects 54 million Americans — about one in four people — a leading cause of work disability.
Talk title: “Robust Regeneration of Ligaments and Articular Cartilage in the Adult Zebrafish Jaw Joint.”
Thursday, June 27
5:20 – 5:31 p.m.
Concurrent IID: Tissue Regeneration and Homeostasis
Room 408A, level 2
Contact: jsmeeton@usc.edu or c-(310) 621-7948
Laura Mosqueda
Dr. Laura Mosqueda, dean of the Keck School of Medicine of USC, will be a panelist during the women’s luncheon. She’ll talk about paths to success in a male-dominated field, communication tactics and her personal experiences in the profession. Mosqueda is an expert in geriatric medicine and founder of the nation’s first Elder Abuse Forensic Center. She is the first female dean of the Keck School of Medicine. The luncheon panel is ISSCR’s first to focus on women in science.
Talk title: “A Seat at the Table: Women at the Leading Edge of Science.”
Women’s luncheon
Friday, June 28
11:30 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Contacts: lauraamo@usc.edu or Cynthia Smith c-(917) 405-0060 or cynthia.smith@med.usc.edu
Mark Humayun
Dr. Mark Humayun, professor of ophthalmology, biomedical engineering and integrative anatomical sciences and co-director of the Roski Eye Institute at USC. He developed the first U.S. Food and Drug Administration-approved bioelectronic artificial retina to restore sight to the blind. His work is one of six clinical trials worldwide to treat macular degeneration, or age-related blindness. He is recipient of the 2015 National Medal of Technology and Innovation, the nation’s highest award for technical achievement.
Talk title: “Bio-engineered HESC-derived Retinal Pigment Epithelial Cell Implant for Age-related Macular Degeneration.”
Saturday, June 29
2:46 – 3:06 p.m.
Concurrent IVA: Road to the Clinic
Concourse E, level 1
Contact: humayun@usc.edu or (323) 865-3092
