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2021 Sanford Stem Cell Symposium Agenda

Thursday, October 14, 2021

 Name  Time  Affiliation
 Alysson Muotri, PhD  1:00 - 1:05pm  University of California San Diego
 David Brenner, MD  1:05 - 1:10pm  University of California San Diego
     
 Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, PhD - *KEYNOTE*  1:10 - 2:00 pm  Columbia University
     
 Session 1: Bioengineering Stem Cells - Chaired by Adam Engler, PhD    
 Sharon Gerecht, PhD  2:00 - 2:20pm  Johns Hopkins University
 Laura Niklason, MD, PhD  2:20 - 2:40pm  Yale University
 Jordan Miller, PhD  2:40 - 3:00pm  Rice University
 Panel  3:00 - 3:30pm  
 Session 2: Organoids & Robotics - Chaired by Alysson Muotri, PhD    
 Gabriel Silva, MSc, PhD  3:30 - 3:50pm  University of California San Diego
 Sujeeth Bharadwaj, PhD  3:50 - 4:10pm  Microsoft
 Weiwei Yang  4:10 - 4:30pm  Microsoft
 Panel  4:30 - 5:00pm  
 Poster Presentations and Q&A  5:00 - 6:15pm  10 Posters 
     

Friday, October 15, 2021

   
 Name  Time  Affiliation
 Catriona Jamieson, MD, PhD  8:00 - 8:05am  University of California San Diego
 Pradeep Khosla, MSEE / Zea Borok, MD / Patty Maysent, MPH, MBA  8:05 - 8:20am  University of California San Diego
 Session 1: Regenerative Medicine - Chaired by Leslie Crews, PhD    
 Andreas Trumpp, PhD - *KEYNOTE*  8:20 - 9:05am  German Cancer Research Center
 Jeremy Mao, MD, PhD  9:05 - 9:30am  Columbia University
 Agnieszka Czechowicz, MD, PhD  9:30 - 9:55am  Stanford University
 COFFEE BREAK  9:55 - 10:15am  
 Session 2: Stem Cells and Cancer - Chaired by Thomas Kipps, MD, PhD    
 Elaine Fuchs, PhD - *KEYNOTE*  10:15 - 11:00am  The Rockefeller University
 Don Cleveland, PhD  11:00 - 11:30am  University of California San Diego
 Session 3: Part 1 - Stem Cells and Space - Moderated by Erik Viirre, MD, PhD    
 Christopher Mason, PhD  11:30am - 12:00pm  Weill Cornell Medicine
 Jana Stoudemire  11:30am - 12:00pm  Axiom Space
 Brinda Rana, PhD  11:30am - 12:00pm  University of California San Diego
 Data Mining in EPIC    
 Judy Faulkner, MS, PhD  12:00 - 12:15pm  Epic 
 Poster Presentations and Q&A  12:15 - 1:00pm  5 Posters
 Session 3: Part 2 - Alpha Clinic Director's Panel - Chaired by Ben Heyman, MD    
 Catriona Jamieson, MD, PhD  1:00 - 1:50pm  University of California San Diego
 Daniela Bota, MD, PhD  1:00 - 1:50pm  University of California Irvine
 John Adams, MD  1:00 - 1:50pm  University of California Los Angeles
 Mehrdad Abedi, MD  1:00 - 1:50pm  University of California Davis
 Mark Walters, MD  1:00 - 1:50pm  University of California San Francisco
 Eugene Brandon, PhD  1:00 - 1:50pm  IQVIA
 Patient Stories/ Patient Navigators  1:50 - 2:00pm  
 Fellow Awards - Chaired by Qingfei Jiang, PhD    
 Outstanding Graduate Student - Simone Jetha, BS  2:00 - 2:10pm  
 Outstanding Post Doc - Sampada Kallol, PhD  2:10 - 2:20pm  
 Runner Up Graduate Student - Ila Dwivedi, MS  2:20 - 2:25pm  
 Runner Up Post Doc - Chengsheng Wu, PhD  2:25 - 2:30pm  
 COFFEE BREAK  2:30 - 2:50pm  
 Session 4: Genomics - Chaired by Dan Kaufman, MD, PhD    
 David Traver, PhD  2:50 - 3:35pm  University of California San Diego
 Gene Yeo, PhD, MBA  3:35 - 4:05pm  University of California San Diego
 Session 5: Stem Cell Aging - Chaired by Rob Signer, PhD    
 Amy Wagers, PhD  4:05 - 4:35pm  Harvard University
 Jennifer Trowbridge, PhD  4:35 - 5:05pm  The Jackson Laboratory
 Poster Presentation Winner - Announced by Michelle Ghani, MBA  5:05 - 5:10pm  University of California San Diego
 Closing Remarks  5:10 - 5:15pm  

Outstanding Scientists in Training

Outstanding Graduate Student: Simone Jetha, BS 

Talk title: “Effective Rescue of Lysosomal Dysfunction in GBA iPSC-Derived Neurons with KM819”

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Simone Jetha is currently perusing her Master of Science in Biology with a focus in Neuroscience while conducting concentrated research on ‘Effective Rescue of Lysosomal Dysfunction in GBA iPSC-derived neurons with KM819’. She holds a Bachelor of Science with a Biology major and Psychology minor also from the University of California, San Diego. Jetha also worked on and co-authored “Mitochondria Dysfunction in Charcot Marie Tooth 2B Peripheral Sensory Neuropathy” which was published in July 2021. Additionally, she has held various volunteer positions that include volunteering at The Jacobs Medical Center, being a Student Health Advocate at UCSD Health, and more. Passionate about medicine and the field, Jetha is looking forward to advancing her career in medicine.

 

Outstanding Post Doc: Sampada Kallol, PhD 

Talk title: “Potential Risk of SARS-CoV-2 Infection in First-Trimester Pregnancy and Placental Inflammatory Response”

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Sampada completed her PhD at the University of Bern, Switzerland in July, 2019. Her PhD research topic was on “Role of the placenta in materno-fetal nutrient transport and steroid release”. She joined Dr. Soncin and Dr. Parast lab, as a post-doctoral researcher in Feb, 2020. She is currently working on understanding the early placental development and effects of maternal infections during pregnancy. To study the placental development, they are using trophoblast stem cells derived from first-trimester placentas and various other stem cell models. These studies will allow them to understand the molecular mechanisms involved in the complicated pregnancies such as miscarriages, pre-eclampsia, pre-term labor and intrauterine growth retardation.

 

Runner-Up Graduate Student: Ila Dwivedi, MS

Talk title: “Methadone Disrupts Early Cortical Development Modeled in Organoids”

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Ila Dwivedi is a Biomedical Sciences Ph.D. student in the lab of Dr. Gabriel Haddad at the University of California, San Diego. She received her Bachelor of Science in Neurobiology, Physiology, and Behavior with Regents Honors from UC Davis and a Master’s in Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine from Dr. Michael Bonaguidi’s lab at the USC Keck School of Medicine’s Broad CIRM Center. Her research focuses on applying stem cell technology for the study of human brain development in health and disease. Specifically, Ila uses cortical organoids to model and explore the cellular and molecular mechanisms underlying the fetal brain’s response to methadone, a synthetic opioid analgesic used for the treatment of opioid addiction. The aim of her current research is to help improve interventions for maternal opioid use disorder.

 

Runner-Up Post Doc: Chengsheng Wu, PhD

Talk title: “Pancreatic Cancer Upregulation of LPAR4 in Response to Cellular Stress Facilitates Tumor Initiation”

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Chengsheng Wu, graduated from the University of Alberta, Canada, with a Ph.D. degree in 2017. He has joined David Cheresh’s lab as a post-doctoral fellow since 2018. He is currently working on how pancreatic cancer cells adapt to cellular stress.

 

Outstanding Poster Presenter: Samantha Trescott

Talk title: “Investigating the role of microglia in neurodegenerative Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis”

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Samantha Trescott is a staff research associate in Dr. Nicole Coufal’s lab studying a rare pediatric neurodegenerative disorder called Langerhans Cell Histiocytosis. She joined the lab in August 2019 as an intern through the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine program at San Diego State University. Her goal is to continue focusing on translational research to uncover disease specific glial cell phenotypes and how they relate to neurodegeneration. Outside of research, Samantha enjoys hiking with her dog and watching football with friends.