Investigators from across the globe came together virtually July 12-15, 2021 for the University of Vermont-hosted ninth biennial "Stem Cells, Cell Therapies, and Bioengineering in Lung Biology" conference to share the latest research in the field and set priorities for their work in the future.
Despite the complexities of the past 16 months of the pandemic, investigators from across the globe came together for the ninth biennial "Stem Cells, Cell Therapies, and Bioengineering in Lung Biology" conference to share the latest research in the field and set priorities for their work in the future. The invite-only event, hosted by the University of Vermont, took place virtually this year July 12-15.
First held in 2005 and called the "Adult Stem Cells & Lung Biology" conference, this year's event has attendance from researchers from five continents and 13 countries. Participants, which include both top researchers and trainees, are provides an opportunity to discuss recent study findings, explore opportunities for new collaborations, and identify the most important needs and priorities for future programs in stem cell, cell therapy, and bioengineering approaches to explore lung biology and/or prevent and treat lung diseases.
UVM President Suresh Garimella welcomed attendees on Day 1, July 12. UVM Larner College of Medicine Dean Richard L. Page, M.D., welcomed attendees on Day 2, July 13, and on Thursday, July 14, UVM Vice President for Research Kirk Dombrowski provided a welcome to conference participants.
Daniel Weiss, M.D., Ph.D., professor of medicine and emeritus conference chair, co-developed the first conference and served as co-chair of several past conferences. This year's conference chair was Amy Ryan, Ph.D., assistant professor of medicine at the Keck School of Medicine at the University of Southern California. In addition to Ryan and Weiss, Senior Planning Committee members for the conference included Laertis Ikonomou, Ph.D., conference vice chair, of the State University of New York at Buffalo; Kostas Alysandratos, M.D., P.hD., of Boston University; Chelsea Magin, Ph.D., of the University of Colorado Anschutz School of Medicine; Mattias Magnusson, Ph.D., of Lund University in Sweden; Kalpaj Parekh, MBBS, of the University of Iowa; Steven Skolasinski, M.D., of the University of Minnesota School of Medicine; and Darcy Wagner, Ph.D., emeritus conference chair, of Lund University.
Find more information about the 2021 Stem Cells conference.