Athens, Ga. – Several of the stem cell field’s top scientists working in academia and industry will attend a symposium at the University of Georgia aimed at improving research efforts on both adult and embryonic stem cells in the state on May 22.
The Georgia Stem Cell Initiative Symposium will take place from 2-7 p.m. in Masters Hall at the Georgia Center for Continuing Education Conference Center and Hotel.
This symposium is part of series of quarterly meetings by the Georgia Stem Cell Initiative, a group organized in 2007 by scientists from Georgia’s leading research institutions to advance stem cell research and educate the public.
“This is an opportunity to discuss and promote research in all kinds of stem cells throughout the state of Georgia,” said Steve Stice, GRA Eminent Scholar and director of the UGA Regenerative Bioscience Center. “We have commitments from researchers at Georgia Institute of Technology, Emory University, UGA, Morehouse School of Medicine, Mercer University and the Medical College of Georgia to attend and present posters on their research.”
Keynote speakers are Harry Moore, professor of molecular biology and biotechnology, University of Sheffield, United Kingdom; and John McNeish, senior director in Pfizer Global Research and Development. Guest lecturers include Shelley Hooks, assistant professor of pharmaceutical and biomedical sciences, UGA; Todd McDevitt, assistant professor in the Wallace H. Coulter Department of Biomedical Engineering, Georgia Institute of Technology; and Stephen Dalton, GRA Eminent Scholar for Molecular Biology, UGA.
The symposium is hosted by UGA’s Regenerative Bioscience Center, Biomedical and Health Sciences Institute, Center for Drug Discovery and the Office of the Vice President for Research.
“The topics covered will not only allow Georgia scientists to learn more about stem cell research throughout the state, but to examine advances happening in the United Kingdom as well,” Stice said. “This allows participants to get a broader view of how scientists overseas obtain stem cells for use in clinics for treatment and in the pharmaceutical industry for drug discovery in all areas of illness, including Alzheimer’s and other major diseases.”
Corporate sponsors for the event include Millipore, Applied Biosystems, Invitrogen, Aruna Biomedical and ThermoFisher Scientific.
The conference is open to the public, but registration is required. For more information about how to participate in this event, contact Steve Stice at sstice@uga.edu or Meg McDevitt at mcdevitt@ibb.gatech.edu.