CELL TRANSPLANT SOCIETY HOLDS 6TH INTERNATIONAL CONGRESS IN ATLANTA
MARCH 2-5
Leading Scientists Will Present Advances in Stem Cells, Islet Transplants
for Diabetes, Gene Therapy and Tissue Engineering
ATLANTA— Leading international scientists in stem cell research and
transplantation will present their most recent discoveries at the 2003
Cell Transplant Society 6th International Congress in Atlanta, March
2-5. The meeting is sponsored by the Emory University Center for Transplantation
and the Georgia Tech/Emory Center for the Engineering of Living Tissues.
It will take place at the Grand Hyatt Hotel in Atlanta. The scientific
program is available online at http://www.celltx.org/seminar/
The Cell Transplant Society
is a section of the Transplantation Society the principal international
forum for the advancement of basic and clinical transplantation science
throughout the world. Scientific experts attending the meeting will
report on the latest research findings in adult and embryonic stem cell
biology; islet transplantation for diabetes; the potential for organ
regeneration using adult stem cells; stem cells for treatment of Parkinson’s
disease and other neurodegenerative diseases, stroke and heart disease;
gene therapy and stem cells in orthopaedics and cardiology; xenotransplantation;
immune tolerance strategies for improving transplantation; regulatory
issues; and clinical trials.
The meeting’s organizing
committee includes representatives from nine countries. The scientific
program includes eleven plenary sessions, nine oral abstract sessions,
a poster session, and a tribute to Paul E. Lacy, MD, PhD, retired chair
of pathology at Washington University School of Medicine, who is recognized
for developing the first experimental model for transplanting islet
cells.
Collin Weber, MD, professor
of surgery at Emory University School of Medicine and president of the
Cell Transplant Society; William Wood, MD, Joseph B. Whitehead professor
and chair of the Emory Department of Surgery; and Thomas Lawley, MD,
dean of Emory School of Medicine, will open the conference presentations
on Monday, March 3.
"These are extremely exciting
times in the field of cell transplantation," Dr. Weber says, "not only
because of the great progress being made in pancreatic islet transplantation,
but also because of innovations in stem cell and cloning studies and
advances in cell transplants in many different organ systems. This broad-based
program will bring recent major research achievements to the forefront."
Scientific speakers will
include James Shapiro, MD, leader of the renowned Edmonton protocol
for clinical islet transplantation in diabetes; Catherine Verfaillie,
MD, University of Minnesota scientist recognized for her research in
adult stem cells; Steven Stice, PhD, University of Georgia scientist
and leader in cloning of agricultural animals; Christian Larsen, MD,
DPhil and Thomas Pearson, MD, PhD, Emory research leaders in developing
strategies for immune tolerance in organ transplantation; and a host
of other internationally respected scientific leaders in cell transplantation.
Registration and lodging
information is available by accessing the Emory University Continuing
Medical Education website at http://www.emory.edu/CME.
For additional information please call 404-727-0468. |