Hoxworth Blood Center, the University of Cincinnati (UC) and Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center will host the Midwest Symposium on New Concepts For Tissue-Specific Regenerative Medicine, Nov 17-18, 2012, in Rieveschl Auditorium of the Vontz Center for Molecular Studies.
The symposium, also being co-sponsored and co-funded by UC's Center for Clinical and Translational Science and Training (CCTST), will focus on research and collaboration regarding regenerative medicine-the process of regenerating human cells, tissues or organs to restore or establish normal function.
The field holds the promise of repairing damaged tissues and organs in the body by stimulating the body's own repair mechanisms or by growing replacement tissues in labs.
Jose Cancelas, MD, PhD, professor of pediatrics at the UC College of Medicine and director of the research division at Hoxworth Blood Center, is a co-organizer of the symposium and says regenerative medicine expertise is very strong in the region.
"The purpose of the symposium will be to create a forum where investigators and their groups can meet and share ideas and data," he says. "In addition, it will serve as an excellent platform for regional scientific interactions for investigators, postdocs and students that have interest in regenerative medicine and stem cell biology. Hopefully, this meeting will spark collaborations locally and regionally."
Specifically, the meeting will focus on research using stem cells in the body, or those manipulated in a petri dish, to study disease, generate therapeutic tissues and create genetic therapies.