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TUESDAY, MARCH 25
7:00am Registration (Open until 5:30pm)
8:00 - 9:45 PLENARY KEYNOTE SESSION
Diagnosing the Disease: Disruptive Innovation in Healthcare
Clayton M. Christensen, DBA, Robert and Jane Cizik Professor of Business
Administration, Harvard Business School
9:45 Coffee Break
10:15am 1:15pm Pre-Conference Short Course*
| (SC4) THE EPIGENETIC STEM CELL SIGNATURE |
Sponsored by |
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Speakers:
Mark E. Levenstein, Ph.D., Research Scientist, WiCell Research Institute
Identification of key pathways
and biomarkers involved in human stem cell differentiation by decoding
promoter methylation patterns in human ES cells
Jeffrey Falk, PhD, Director of Technology & Business
Applications, Aviva Systems Biology
Key pathways and biomarkers involved in human stem cell
differentiation (hES) were identified using a novel promoter array
technology, ChIP-DSL (Chromatin Immunoprecipitation DNA
Selection and Ligation), to map hES cell promoter methylation
patterns in native hES cells and in hES cells at various stages of
differentiation.
Kitch
Wilson, M.D., Stanford University School of Medicine
Yue Xiong, Ph.D., Professor, Biochemistry, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill
Key Learning Points:
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General Mechanisms of Epigenetic Regulation
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Identification of Key Pathways and Biomarkers Involved in Human Stem Cell Differentiation by Decoding Promoter Methylation Patterns in Human ES Cells
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Effects of Epigenetic Modulation on Reporter Gene Expression: Implications for Stem Cell Imaging
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Control of Lung and Mammary Stem and Progenitor Cell Cycle
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1:15 Lunch on Your Own
2:30 - 5:30 Pre-Conference Short Course*
(SC7) CANCER STEM CELLS
Chairperson:
Craig T. Jordan, Ph.D., Director, Hematologic Malignancies
Translational Research Program, James P. Wilmot Cancer Center and
Associate Professor of Medicine, University of Rochester School of
Medicine
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Techniques
for isolating cancer stem cells
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Methods
to characterize cancer stem cells
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Approaches
for developing anti-cancer stem cells compounds
2:30
Characterization and Targeting of Leukemia Stem Cells
Craig T. Jordan
Malignant stem cells have recently emerged as a major factor in
the genesis and perpetuation of several types of cancer. This
phenomenon is particularly well characterized for the blood cancer
leukemia. This presentation will provide a general overview of
leukemia stem cell biology with a particular emphasis on features
relevant to therapy. Strategies for selective targeting of
leukemia stem cells will be discussed and future
objectives/directions will be proposed.
3:05
Cancer Stem Cells in solid epithelial tumors: working
definition and implications for patient prognosis
Piero Dalerba, Ph.D., Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology
and Regenerative Medicine, Stanford University
A growing body of evidence is increasingly lending support to the
concept that cancer can be studied and modeled as a stem-cell
disease. This hypothesis is supported by the observation that only
a phenotypic subset of cancer cells, usually termed cancer stem
cells (CSC), is capable of initiating tumor growth when
transplanted into immunodeficient mice. Research in our laboratory
focuses on the study of human CSC in solid epithelial tumors and
recently led to two major advancements: 1) we were able to extend
the CSC model to the study of human colorectal cancer, developing
a very robust protocol for isolation of human colorectal CSC (Co-CSC),
based on a novel set of three independent surface markers (EpCAM/CD44/CD166);
2) by analysis of the gene-expression profile of human breast
cancer stem cells (Br-CSC), we were able to identify a
gene-expression signature that could be used to stratify breast
cancer patients into different prognostic categories, thus
providing the first evidence of the potential clinical
implications of human CSC isolation.
3:40
Break
3:55
Identification of Stem Like Cells in Bone Sarcomas
Dr. C. Parker Gibbs, Associate Professor, Orthopaedics,
University of Florida
Cancer stem cells have been implicated in the pathogenesis of
several malignancies including leukemia and epithelial cancers.
However, their role in mesenchymal solid tumors is much less
understood. This presentation will focus on the identification and
role of cells in bone sarcomas that appear to utilize the
machinery of mesenchymal and embryonic stem cells to facilitate
their malignant potential. Possible therapeutic intervention
relative to this concept will be discussed.
4:30
Characterizing Brain Tumor Stem Cells in Man and Mouse
Peter B. Dirks, Ph.D., Scientist & Principal Investigator,
Neurosurgery, Hospital for Sick Children
Brain tumors, in humans and in some mouse models, are organized as
a functional hierarchy with growth dependent on relatively rare
cells that have stem cell properties. These brain tumor stem cells
can be prospectively enriched by sorting for cell surface markers.
Recently, we have used chemical biological screens to identify
agents that suppress normal and brain tumor stem cell
proliferation. These agents reveal
possible new drugs for human brain tumors and also suggest
additional pathways that may regulate neural stem cells.
5:00
Panel Discussion: Is there Proof of Cancer Stem Cells in all
Cancers?
*Separate Registration
Required
Scientific Advisory Committee
Lee Buckler, LLB, Business Development, Progenitor Cell Therapy
Robert J. Deans, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Regenerative Medicine, Athersys, Inc.
Rosemarie Hunziker, Ph.D., Program Director, Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, National Institute of Biomedical Imaging and Bioengineering, National Institutes of Health
Mark E. Levenstein, Ph.D., Research Scientist, WiCell Research Institute
Deepak Srivastava, M.D., Professor and Director Gladstone Institute of Cardiovascular Disease, Wilma and Adeline Pirag Distinguished Chair, Department of Pediatrics, University of California San Francisco
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