Hundreds attend Third Annual HSCI Symposium

On Oct. 27, HSCI hosted the Third Annual Tony and Shelly Malkin Stem Cell Symposium at the Harvard Club of Boston. The event was made possible by a generous gift from the Malkins, strong supporters of HSCI’s educational mission.

This year’s symposium, “Reprogramming and Pluripotency,” drew nearly 500 participants, who gathered to interact with colleagues and hear presentations about recent advances in stem cell research by leaders in the field (see below). The day also included a poster session and, new this year, a roundtable discussion. The next issue of Stem Cell Lines will feature symposium highlights.

Sir John Gurdon, a member of HSCI’s Scientific Advisory Board, began the discussion on the theme of reprogramming—a hot topic in the stem cell field. Following the day’s program and a reception, HSCI donors, faculty, and symposium presenters enjoyed a dinner, at which David Gergen, Professor of Public Service and Director of the Center for Public Leadership at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government, spoke on building public support for stem cell research.

Tony and Shelly Malkin Stem Cell Symposium Speakers

Keynote address:
Professor Sir John Gurdon, DPhil, DSc
Wellcome Trust/Cancer Research UK Gurdon Institute, University of Cambridge, UK

Rudolf Jaenisch, MD
Whitehead Institute for Biomedical Research

Jeannie Lee, MD, PhD
Massachusetts General Hospital

Guy Sauvageau, MD, PhD
Université de Montréal, Canada

Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz, PhD
University of Cambridge, UK

Leonard I. Zon, MD
Children’s Hospital Boston