Share Submit an Abstact Stem cell engineering is a distinct field at the intersection of stem cell biology, engineering and regenerative medicine. The understanding of how biophysical and biochemical cues in the cells’ surrounding regulate cell fate and differentiation can be harnessed for the development of novel approaches to modulate stem cell behaviors and leading eventually to their clinical utilization. As stem cell knowledge matures, its appropriate translation to the clinical setting is crucial for success. Thus, in addition to fundamental studies, approaches to monitor stem cell responses, enhance regeneration through material properties, uncover the immunological response during regeneration and the accurate design of clinical trials are all required to unlock the therapeutic potential of stem cells. Stem Cell Flyer Keynote Speakers Alan Agulnick, Viacyte, Inc. Juergen Knoblich, Institute of Molecular Biotechnology (IMBA) Brenda Ogle, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities Invited Speakers Randolph S. Ashton, University of Wisconsin-Madison Mo Ebrahimkhani, Arizona State University/Mayo Clinic Adam J. Engler, University of California, San Diego Adam W. Feinberg, Carnegie Mellon University Kevin Healy, University of California, Berkeley Jen Ma, University of Toronto Alison Schroer, Stanford University Shyni Varghese, Duke University Stephanie Willerth, University of Victoria Session Topics Disease modeling Organoid engineering Endogenous repair and immune engineering 3D printing Computational stem cell biology Clinical applications and challenges Differentiation and morphogenesis Towards regenerative therapies Conference Chairs Nicola Elvassore, University of Padova Stephanie Willerth, University of Victoria Organizing Committee Karen Christman, University of California, San Diego Mo Ebrahimkhani, Arizona State University/Mayo Clinic Adam J. Engler, University of California, San Diego Sharon Gerecht, Johns Hopkins University Sanjay Kumar, University of California, Berkeley Song Li, University of California, Los Angeles Matthias Lutolf, Ecole Polytechnique Federale de Lausanne (EPFL) Todd McDevitt, University of California, San Francisco Milica Radisic, University of Toronto Peter Zandstra, The University of British Columbia Featured Speakers Alan Agulnick Alan is the Director of Cell Engineering at ViaCyte, Inc. and has 25 years of experience in stem cell and developmental biology. At ViaCyte, Alan has derived human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines for clinical use, optimized protocols for differentiation of hESC into pancreatic cell types and developed methods for producing pancreatic cells from hESC in bioreactors. Currently he is working to apply gene editing technologies for use in future ViaCyte product candidates. Alan obtained a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Pennsylvania, pursued postdoctoral work in Developmental...Read more Randolph S. Ashton Randolph S. Ashton received his B.S. from Hampton University (Hampton, Virginia, 2002) and Ph.D. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, NY, 2007) in Chemical Engineering. During graduate studies under Prof. Ravi Kane, he researched how engineering biomaterials at the nanoscale could regulate the fate of adult neural stem cells. He continued to pursue his interest in stems cells and tissue engineering as a California Institute for Regenerative Medicine and a NIH postdoctoral fellow at the University of California Berkeley’s Stem Cell Center in the lab of Prof. David Schaffer. In 2011, he was appointed to a faculty position in the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery at the University of Wisconsin–Madison as an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering.Read more Adam J. Engler Adam is an Associate Professor of Bioengineering at UC San Diego, where he has been on the faculty since 2008. He also is a resident scientist at the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine. Dr. Engler previously trained with Dr. Dennis Discher at the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned his PhD studying how ECM stiffness regulated stem cell fate. He also did a postdoc with Dr. Jean Schwarzbauer at Princeton University's Department of Molecular Biology. His current research focuses on how physical and chemical properties of the niche influence stem cell function and misregulate...Read more Juergen Knoblich Juergen Knoblich is the vice director of IMBA, the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology in Vienna, Austria. He obtained his PhD from the Max Planck Institute in Tübingen. After a postdoctoral period in the laboratory of Yuh Nung Jan at UCSF, San Francisco, he joined the Institute of Molecular Pathology (Vienna) as a group leader in 1997. In 2004, he moved to the newly founded IMBA where he became deputy director in 2005. Juergen Knoblich is a member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the Academia Europea and has been awarded two advanced grants of the European Research Council.Read more Jen Ma Jennifer Ma is a PhD candidate at the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto (UofT). She completed her BASc in Engineering Science at UofT, where she investigated the temporal effect of transgene expression on mouse embryonic fibroblasts reprogramming in her undergraduate thesis. Her current research at the Stem Cell Bioengineering Lab, led by Dr. Peter Zandstra, focuses on the development of a novel microfluidic-based, single-cell platform for rapid and direct enumeration of rare hematopoietic stem cells. Jennifer is also an avid science...Read more Brenda Ogle Brenda M. Ogle, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. The primary goal of the Ogle Laboratory is to research mechanisms by which stem cells contribute to tissues during development and use these insights together with engineering principles to replace damaged systems, especially the cardiovascular system.Read more Shyni Varghese Shyni Varghese, Ph.D., is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science, and Orthopaedics Surgery at Duke University. She is the inaugural MEDx Investigator at Duke University. Prior to moving to Duke, she was a Professor of Bioengineering at University of California, San Diego. Dr. Varghese’s research covers a broad range of topics including stem cells, biomaterials, biologically inspired systems, and regenerative medicine. Examples of ongoing research activities in her laboratory involve developing functional biomaterials such as self-healing...Read more
Alan Agulnick Alan is the Director of Cell Engineering at ViaCyte, Inc. and has 25 years of experience in stem cell and developmental biology. At ViaCyte, Alan has derived human embryonic stem cell (hESC) lines for clinical use, optimized protocols for differentiation of hESC into pancreatic cell types and developed methods for producing pancreatic cells from hESC in bioreactors. Currently he is working to apply gene editing technologies for use in future ViaCyte product candidates. Alan obtained a Ph.D. in Molecular Biology from the University of Pennsylvania, pursued postdoctoral work in Developmental...Read more
Randolph S. Ashton Randolph S. Ashton received his B.S. from Hampton University (Hampton, Virginia, 2002) and Ph.D. from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (Troy, NY, 2007) in Chemical Engineering. During graduate studies under Prof. Ravi Kane, he researched how engineering biomaterials at the nanoscale could regulate the fate of adult neural stem cells. He continued to pursue his interest in stems cells and tissue engineering as a California Institute for Regenerative Medicine and a NIH postdoctoral fellow at the University of California Berkeley’s Stem Cell Center in the lab of Prof. David Schaffer. In 2011, he was appointed to a faculty position in the Wisconsin Institute for Discovery at the University of Wisconsin–Madison as an Assistant Professor of Biomedical Engineering.Read more
Adam J. Engler Adam is an Associate Professor of Bioengineering at UC San Diego, where he has been on the faculty since 2008. He also is a resident scientist at the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine. Dr. Engler previously trained with Dr. Dennis Discher at the University of Pennsylvania, where he earned his PhD studying how ECM stiffness regulated stem cell fate. He also did a postdoc with Dr. Jean Schwarzbauer at Princeton University's Department of Molecular Biology. His current research focuses on how physical and chemical properties of the niche influence stem cell function and misregulate...Read more
Juergen Knoblich Juergen Knoblich is the vice director of IMBA, the Institute of Molecular Biotechnology in Vienna, Austria. He obtained his PhD from the Max Planck Institute in Tübingen. After a postdoctoral period in the laboratory of Yuh Nung Jan at UCSF, San Francisco, he joined the Institute of Molecular Pathology (Vienna) as a group leader in 1997. In 2004, he moved to the newly founded IMBA where he became deputy director in 2005. Juergen Knoblich is a member of the Austrian Academy of Sciences and the Academia Europea and has been awarded two advanced grants of the European Research Council.Read more
Jen Ma Jennifer Ma is a PhD candidate at the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto (UofT). She completed her BASc in Engineering Science at UofT, where she investigated the temporal effect of transgene expression on mouse embryonic fibroblasts reprogramming in her undergraduate thesis. Her current research at the Stem Cell Bioengineering Lab, led by Dr. Peter Zandstra, focuses on the development of a novel microfluidic-based, single-cell platform for rapid and direct enumeration of rare hematopoietic stem cells. Jennifer is also an avid science...Read more
Brenda Ogle Brenda M. Ogle, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, University of Minnesota-Twin Cities. The primary goal of the Ogle Laboratory is to research mechanisms by which stem cells contribute to tissues during development and use these insights together with engineering principles to replace damaged systems, especially the cardiovascular system.Read more
Shyni Varghese Shyni Varghese, Ph.D., is a Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Mechanical Engineering & Materials Science, and Orthopaedics Surgery at Duke University. She is the inaugural MEDx Investigator at Duke University. Prior to moving to Duke, she was a Professor of Bioengineering at University of California, San Diego. Dr. Varghese’s research covers a broad range of topics including stem cells, biomaterials, biologically inspired systems, and regenerative medicine. Examples of ongoing research activities in her laboratory involve developing functional biomaterials such as self-healing...Read more