Miami, FL - January 30, 2018 - The international regenerative medicine community concluded a week sharing breakthroughs, facing challenges and developing collaborations at the 13th World Stem Cell Summit (WSCS) at the Hyatt Regency Miami, January 22-26, 2018. The cure and treatment-focused meeting featured presentations on miraculous innovations in identifying the causes of disease, growing mini-brains, engineering body tissues and organs, reversing the aging process, accelerating wound healing and more.
Organized by the Regenerative Medicine Foundation (RMF), the conference hosted 1500 attendees from 35 countries, representing more than 210 organizations, and 150+ speakers. The event garnered extensive media coverage, promoting the discoveries that are revolutionizing the practice of medicine.
“This year’s World Stem Cell Summit moved us closer toward finding cures,” said Bernard Siegel, Founder of the WSCS and Executive Director of the RMF. “The brilliant men and women working in this field are so focused on their research and their patients: it is remarkable how invigorating and inspiring this week of collaboration can be. We all share the mandate to improve health and deliver cures; that is what ‘stem cell’ week was all about.”
Regenerative Medicine and cell-based therapies are profoundly impacting our world. This biomedical revolution will have as great a societal impact as the development of the Internet and human flight. The World Stem Cell Summit accelerates this revolution by convening scientists, philanthropists, government leaders, bioethicists, regulators and companies from around the world to share their incredible breakthroughs and forge super-additive collaborations.
The 2018 World Stem Cell Summit was organized by the Regenerative Medicine Foundation in partnership with Weill Cornell Medicine, Maryland Stem Cell Research Fund/TEDCO, Mayo Clinic, The New York Stem Cell Foundation, Nova Southeastern University and the NSU Cell Therapy Institute, Karolinska Institute, The Cure Alliance, Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute at University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, and University of Florida Center for Regenerative Medicine — with major sponsorships from ViVex Biomedical, Avalon GloboCare, Stem Cells Translational Medicine journal, and IQVIA.
This year the World Stem Cell Summit was co-located with the industry's premier partnering event, Phacilitate Leaders Forum, incorporating Cell & Gene Therapy World, Immuno-Oncology Frontiers World, and our shared Cord Blood & Perinatal Stem Cells track.
Recognizing Global Leaders
The 2018 Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Action Award honorees were recognized at a gala reception and dinner on January 23rd at the James L. Knight Center. Greg Simon, CEO of the Biden Cancer Initiative accepted the Advocacy Award on behalf of Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden for their Cancer Moonshot effort and the passing of the 21st Century Cures Act, which will allocate $1.8 billion to work conducted through the Biden Cancer Initiative. Dr. W. E. “Ed” Bosarge, chairman and founder of Black Beret Life Sciences, reflected on his life’s work in remarks to accept a Leadership Award in recognition for his world-leadership in regenerative medicine.
Three-time Emmy Award winner, Shelley Ross, and the non-profit she is president of, The Cure Alliance, were honored with an Advocacy Award for their efforts to end suffering by developing cures for chronic, debilitating and fatal diseases. The Inspiration Award was awarded to Adrienne Bell-Cors Shapiro, a sickle cell and stem cell advocate, the founder of Axis Advocacy. Her stirring speech about her journey from mother of a child with sickle cell disease to a warrior for a cure prompted tears for many in the room. The founding Director of the Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS) at Kyoto University, Norio Nakatsuji, was recognized as the International Leadership Award recipient for his work in several Japanese government-supported stem cell R&D collaboration projects. In his introduction, Bernard Siegel emphasized Professor Nakatsuji’s role in Japan’s extraordinary achievements in the field.
A Platform for New Research
The winners of the World Stem Cell Summit Poster Forum were announced Thursday morning at an award presentation. The Poster Forum was overseen by Tina Belle of AlphaMed Press; Joshua Hunsberger, PhD, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine; and Alan L. Jakimo, RMF Senior Public Policy Research Fellow.
Posters were assessed based on creativity, scientific method, contribution to science and/or medicine and communicative power. Three posters were recognized. First place was awarded to "Intravenous Administration of Mesenchymal Stem Cells to Enhance Bone Allograft Incorporation in Mice," from Zijun Zhang, PhD/MD, Senior Investigator, Medstar Union Memorial Hospital. First Runner Up is "Novel hiPSCs derived system for hematopoietic toxicity identifies compounds promoting and inhibiting endothelium to hematopoietic transition in vitro," from Irina Elcheva, Assistant Professor, Pennsylvania State University College of Medicine. Second Runner Up is "Perinatal Stem Cells as an Anti-Inflammatory Therapy for Lung Disease," lead author, Oula Khoury, PhD student, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine.
About the Regenerative Medicine Foundation (RMF)
The nonprofit Regenerative Medicine Foundation fosters strategic collaborations to accelerate the development of regenerative medicine to improve health and deliver cures. RMF pursues its mission by producing its flagship World Stem Cell Summit, honoring leaders through the Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Action Awards, publishing in collaboration with our official Platinum media and journal partner Stem Cells Translational Medicine, and promoting educational initiatives.
For further information about RMF please visit: http://regmedfoundation.org/
About the World Stem Cell Summit
Produced by the 501(c)(3) non-profit Regenerative Medicine Foundation (RMF), and in its 13th year, the World Stem Cell Summit 2018 is co-located with the Phacilitate Leadership Forum, Cell & Gene Therapy World and Immuno-Oncology Frontiers World conferences. It is the most inclusive and expansive interdisciplinary, networking, and partnering meeting in the stem cell science and regenerative medicine field. With the overarching purpose of fostering biomedical research, funding, and investments targeting cures, the Summit is the single conference serving the diverse ecosystem of stakeholders.
For further information about World Stem Cell Summit please visit: http://www.worldstemcellsummit.com
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