New Blog Series

Shinya Yamanaka

A decade has passed since Dr. Shinya Yamanaka and his colleagues discovered the Nobel Prize-winning technology called induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). These stem cells can be derived from adult tissue and can develop into any cell type in the body. They are an extremely useful tool to model disease in a dish, screen for new drug therapeutics, and have the potential to replace lost or damaged tissue in humans.

In honor of this amazing scientific discovery, we’re launching a new blog series about iPSCs and their impact on CIRM since we started funding stem cell research in 2007. It will be a four-part series over the course of September ending with a blog highlighting the 10 Years of iPSCs Cell Symposium that will be hosted in Berkeley, CA in late September.

Here are the topics:

• CIRM jumps on the iPSC bandwagon before it had wheels.
• Expanding the CIRM iPSC bank, how individuals are making a difference.
• Spotlight on CIRM-funded iPSC research, interviews with CIRM-funded scientists.
• What the experts have to say, recap of the 10 Years of iPSCs Cell Symposium.

A Conference Dedicated to 10 Years of iPSCs

Cell Press is hosting a Symposium on September 25^th dedicated to the 10^th anniversary of Yamanaka’s iPSC discovery. The symposium is featuring famous scientists in biology, medicine, and industry and is sure to be one of the best stem cell conferences this year. The speakers will cover topics from discovery research to technology development and clinical applications of iPSCs.

More details about the Symposium can be found here.

Here are a few of the talks and events we’re excited about:

• Keynote by Gladstone’s Shinya Yamanaka: Recent progress in iPSC research and application
• Panel on ethical considerations for clinical translation of iPSC research
• Organized run with Shinya Yamanaka (I can finally say that I’ve run with a Nobel Prize winner!)
• Advances in modeling ALS with iPSCs by Kevin Eggan, Harvard University
• Cellular reprogramming approaches for cardiovascular disease by Deepak Srivastava, Director of the Roddenberry (named after Star Trek’s Gene Roddenberry) Stem Cell Center at the Gladstone Institutes in San Francisco
• Keynote by MIT’s Rudolf Jaenisch: Stem cells, iPSCs and the study of human development and disease

CIRM will be attending and covering the conference through our blog and on Twitter (@CIRMnews).