Samuel H. Wood, CEO at Stemagen, which announced on January 17, 2008 that it has become the first in the world to create, and meticulously document, a cloned human embryo using somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT), will give a featured presentation at the 4th International Stem Cell Research & Therapeutics, Apr 17-18, 2008 in Boston, MA.
Dr. Wood will discuss the scientific, ethical, and legal challenges of human nuclear transfer stem cells. For more than a decade, attempts have been made to develop embryonic stem cell (ESC) lines following SCNT into human oocytes. But success has been elusive for a variety of scientific and practical reasons. Although Stemagen’s recent report of the first successful cloning of adult human fibroblast cells to the blastocyst stage represents an important milestone on the path to developing nuclear transfer stem cells (NTSC), significant obstacles remain. Chief among these impediments is a persistent paucity of high-quality human oocytes. Oocyte donation models described in currently promulgated ethical guidelines have not provided a practicable approach for the procurement of a significant number of oocytes for stem cell research. Stemagen’s research into the attitudes of young women towards egg donation for stem cell research indicates that recruiting donors will be extraordinarily difficult unless changes are made to these models. In approaching the scientific challenges of NTSC, events associated with the chromatin remodeling and epigenetic reprogramming of the somatic cell donor DNA following transfer are the most critical in optimizing the reinitiation of embryonic developmental pathways. The many available studies on mammalian cloning may provide additional important insights. The cloning of five blastocysts from 21 oocytes subjected to SCNT using fibroblasts obtained from two adult male skin donors, utilizing methods modified for human cells, is described, and the current status of human NTSC, as well as strategies to overcome the challenges that impede the achievement of its full potential in the field of regenerative medicine are explored.
The conference also features presentations from other leading organizations such as FDA, Genzyme, Geron, Joint Committee on Health Care Financing (by Senator Richard Moore), Merck, MIT, Novartis, Pfizer, Sangamo BioSciences, Sanofi Aventis, UCSB, University of Van Amsterdam, Whitehead Institute, and many more. The full agenda is available online at http://gtcbio.com/userAgenda.aspx?id=120.
GTCbio’s 4th Stem Cell Research & Therapeutics will take place on April 17-18, 2008 in Boston, MA and will cover Stem Cell Biology, Adult Stem Cells, Embryonic Stem Cells, Differentiation of Stem Cells, Epigenomics & Reprogramming of Stem Cells, Regenerative Medicine & Therapeutics, Stem Cell Imaging, Regulatory Aspects & Funding Opportunities, Cancer Stem Cells, and Stem Cell Applications in Drug Discovery.
For more information including a detailed agenda, exhibitor opportunities and registration information visit www.gtcbio.com.
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GTCbio organizes conferences specifically for the biomedical and biopharmaceutical industries. Our goal is to facilitate the exchange of biopharmaceutical and biomedical intelligence between industry leaders, academic and government organizations, and the financial community.
