Cell-Based Therapeutics of Brain Diseases

June 16-20, 2024

Director:

Steve Goldman, University of Rochester Medical Center USA & University of Copenhagen, Denmark

Faculty:

Marius Wernig, Stanford University, USA 

Vivianne Tabar, Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA

Valentina Fossati, New York Stem Cell Foundation, USA 

Anne Rosser, Cardiff University, UK  

Lorenz Studer, Memorial-Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA 

Clive Svendsen, Cedars-Sinai Regenerative Medicine Institute, Los Angeles, USA

With the development of pluripotential stem cells and the means of generating cell types of interest from them, the potential for cell replacement therapy in the brain and spinal cord has become clear. This Challenge Workshop will discuss both current and future opportunities for the cell-based treatment of diseases of the central nervous system. Its speakers span a range of expertise in glial, microglial, and neural stem cell biology, their shared focus being on the use of cellular therapeutics for treating neurological disease. This will be a small, intense Workshop intended to spur in-depth discussions between basic and clinical scientists on future opportunities for treating brain and spinal cord diseases with cellular therapeutics. The speakers include a mix of basic and translationally-oriented scientists and clinician-scientists alike, with leading representatives from the fields of neural stem cell, neuronal, glial and oligodendrocyte progenitor and microglial-based cell therapeutics, with disease interests ranging from Parkinson’s, Huntington’s and Alzheimer’s disease to the myelin disorders and childhood leukodystrophies. This highly focused Challenge Workshop will lead not only to the development of new avenues of investigation and ideas for treatment but also to close and productive future collaboration among its participants.