As a timely response to the rapidly expanding field of stem cells, and to the escalating involvement of engineers in this field, American Institute of Chemical Engineers (AIChE) Society of Biological Engineering is organizing the Second International Conference on Stem Cell Engineering (ICSCE). This meeting, held every two years, covers the breadth of Stem Cell Engineering and serves to promote, shape, and refine the definition of the field as a whole. The theme of this second meeting will be "Engineering Cell Fate"; the conference aims are to provide a venue:
1. For scientific presentations from a diverse group of leading biology and engineering researchers who cover the breadth of Stem Cell Engineering. 2. For interactions between academic and industry researchers, who bring different approaches and perspectives to the field. 3. For active participation by Ph.D. students and postdoctoral researchers, who represent the future of stem cell biology and engineering. 4. For bringing biologists and engineers together can help to provide an atmosphere and venue for both to discuss their disciplines and approaches, which will lead to a better understanding of the field by all.
The scope, theme, and aims of the meeting are committed to integrating the physical and engineering sciences with the life sciences, encouraging research and development in multidisciplinary areas, and supporting molecular and cellular research across multiple scales. This project will partially support the support the travel of 60 graduate students and three postdocs to attend the Second Annual International Conference on Stem Cell Engineering to be held in Boston, Massachusetts on May 2-5, 2010. Women, underrepresented minorities, and persons with disabilities will be actively encouraged to participate.
In May 2-5, 2010, the Society for Biological Engineering (SBE) held its Second International Conference on Stem Cell Engineering (ICSCE) at the Hyatt Harborside Hotel in Boston, MA. Biologists and engineers came together to combine basic and translational research in fields that will impact health care in the coming years, particularly the promising field of stem cells. The Gordon-style conference emphasized how basic and applied efforts in stem cell biology and engineering can combine to aid in the development of stem cell therapeutics and bioprocesses. By bringing together the bioengineering and stem cell biology communities we were able to open communication to be able to accelerate progress towards innovative solutions to basic and translation problems in regenerative medicine. Topics emphasized how quantitative approaches can yield an increased understanding of the biological mechanisms that underlie these stem cell fate choices, cancer stem cells, iPS cells, technologies to study stem cell function, and the development of bioprocesses to culture stem cells for commercial applications. This meeting was organized in collaboration with the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), which serves as a reflection of the interdisciplinary approach that is central to this meeting. The conference was chaired by Dr. George Daley from the Children's Hospital, Harvard Medical School and Dr. Peter Zandstra from the University of Toronto. The conference brought together 272 attendees which included students as well as researchers from academia, industry and government. The conference sponsored 18 guest lecturers including: Dr. Daniel Anderson (Massachusetts Institute of Technology), Dr. Kristi Anseth (University of Colorado), Dr. James Collins (Boston University), Dr. Dennis Discher (University of Pennsylvania), Dr. Connie Eaves (BC Cancer Agency), Dr. Paul Frenette (Mount Sinai School of Medicine), Dr. Wei-Shou Hu (University of Minnesota), Dr. Gordon Keller (University Health Network), Dr. Hang Lu (Georgia Institute of Technology), Dr. Doug Melton (Harvard University), Dr. David Mooney (Harvard University), Dr. Charles Murry (University of Washington), Dr. Ingo Roeder (Leipzig University), Dr. Lee Rubin (Harvard University), Dr. David Schaffer (University of California, Berkeley), Dr. Austin Smith (Cambridge University), Dr. Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic (Columbia University) and Dr. Amy Wagers (Harvard University). Additionally, the conference was able to sponsor the attendance of 18 students with the support of NSF, providing them with an opportunity to collaborate with leading researchers and thought leaders in the field, to present their work, and to network with peers. Broader Impact: The Second ICSCE was the second in a series of ICSCE meetings, held every two years, designed to bring together researchers from academia and industry that are using quantitative approaches and novel technology development to advance the understanding and application of stem cell biology and engineering. The ICSCE meeting series serves to promote, shape, and refine the definition of the Stem Cell Engineering field via an interdisciplinary approach. At the conclusion of the Second ICSCE we distributed survey forms and followed up with the Scientific Advisory Board as a means of assessing the success of the conference and for the benefit of the Third ICSCE organizers. The results are listed below: 99% of respondents evaluated the conference as being Excellent/Good overall. 93% of respondents said that they would attend the conference again. 85% of respondents evaluated the networking opportunities at the conference as Excellent or Good.
