Each year, HSCI invites a group of renowned stem cell scientists to the Stem Cell Symposium to share presentations on an annually defined topic, this year’s being “Stem Cell Research in Diabetes and Metabolism.” The event, held at the Harvard Club of Boston, brings together hundreds of HSCI community members to both hear the talks and participate in a scientific poster session.
This year’s speakers included Kenneth S. Zaret, PhD, of the University of Pennsylvania Medical School, E. Edward Baetge, PhD, of Novocell, Inc., Jacob Hanna MD, PhD, of the Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research, Armand Keating, MD, FRCPC, of the Toronto General Research Institute, Jonathan M. Graff, MD, PhD, University of Texas Southwestern Medical Center, and HSCI Co-Director, Douglas A. Melton, PhD.
The presentations discussed a variety of topics including the role of chromatin in beta cell progenitor regulation, making stem cell-generated islets, using stem cells to help understand the autoimmune response in Type 1 diabetes, and treating obesity and diabetes using stem cell-based approaches. After the talks, the presenters participated in a roundtable discussion about the topics presented. Rounding out the day was a poster session that allowed researchers to present and discuss their data in an informal setting.