1. Dr Alan Colman, Executive Director of the Singapore Stem Cell Consortium (SSCC) and a renowned scientist who helped clone Dolly the sheep, will deliver the welcome address and a talk at the first Singapore-Germany Stem Cell Symposium, held at the Biopolis today. He will speak on one of the hottest fields in recent stem cell research – induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) , and how they may be used to study the early pathology of several human diseases. iPSCs have gained much attention in recent years as an alternative source of pluripotent stem cells to human embryos, for use in research and potential therapeutics.
2. Twenty-three other outstanding scientists from leading research institutes, universities and hospitals in Germany and Singapore will also speak at the two-day symposium. The topics include iPSCs, stem cell behaviour, function, differentiation, reprogramming, and the use of stem cells to treat a host of conditions such as diabetes, neurodegenerative disease and cardiovascular disease. The detailed programme is attached at the Annex.
3. Other prominent experts who will speak at the symposium include:
a. Hans Schöler from the Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine. Prof Schöler will discuss new approaches on reprogramming various types of cells to the pluripotent state, which will circumvent problems of immunological incompatibility. With this, he aims to develop cell-based therapeutics for conditions such as cardiovascular and Parkinson’s disease.
b. Thomas Skutella from the University of Tübingen. Prof Skutella managed to harvest cells from male testes and turned them, with the use of chemicals, into other cell types like skin, neurons, structures of the gut, cartilage, bone and muscle. He will discuss the methods that led him to the successful publication of his research paper in the prestigious journal Nature last year, as well as his recent research progress.
c. Steve Oh from A*STAR’s Bioprocessing Technology Institute. Dr Oh is developing the third generation (3G) method for the scaleable production of pluripotent stem cells on microcarriers. This will allow large quantities of stem cells to be produced in controlled bioreactors to meet the anticipated need for such therapies in the biopharmaceutical industry.
4. Said Dr Alan Colman, Executive Director of SSCC, “Some of the best stem cell scientists from Germany and Singapore will be meeting at this Stem Cell Symposium. We look forward to an exciting scientific discourse and exchange of ideas, which we hope will lead to new collaborations. This is also one of the SSCC’s objectives – to connect people from the basic science and clinical research groups, and by doing so, catalyze the translation of basic stem cell research into clinically viable therapies for chronic and debilitating diseases.”
5. The Director for Southeast Asia, International Affairs Division, Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG), Dr Harald Leisch said, “This symposium is a timely one, given the rapid developments in stem cell research and technology taking place in both Germany and Singapore. We are delighted to partner the SSCC in supporting this first joint Stem Cell Symposium, and hope that our researchers find new opportunities for collaboration in the high-tech labs of Singapore. We also welcome Singapore researchers to visit our labs in Germany.”
6. Mr Klaus Herzog, Counsellor for Science and Technology, German Embassy, added, “I would like to commend Dr Gerald Udolph, a principal investigator at A*STAR’s Institute of Medical Biology, and his colleagues for organising this symposium. This event will lay the important groundwork for such future meetings, which will lead to important scientific outcomes that will contribute to the progress of stem cell research in both countries.”
7. The symposium, which will be attended by 100 researchers from Singapore and Germany, is jointly supported by A*STAR’s Singapore Stem Cell Consortium and the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft, a prominent research funding organisation in Germany.
AGENCY FOR SCIENCE, TECHNOLOGY AND RESEARCH (A*STAR)
For queries and further clarification, please contact:
Wang Yunshi (Ms)
Corporate Communications
Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
Tel: (65) 6826 6443
Email: wang_yunshi@a-star.edu.sg
Information Sheet
About the Singapore Stem Cell Consortium (SSCC)
The Singapore Stem Cell Consortium (SSCC) is an initiative of the A*STAR Biomedical Research Council (BMRC). Its objective is to establish a coordinated and focused translational research and development programme in stem cells. It comprises both intramural and extramural components. The SSCC seeks to catalyze the translation of basic stem cell research into clinically viable stem cell therapies for chronic and debilitating diseases, by building strong linkages between basic science and clinical research groups. It also has an interest in using stem cells to create models of mammalian development and disease states, as well as providing cellular assays for the identification of novel signaling molecules, pathways, and the development of new drugs. In addition to supporting intramural stem cell research within the A*STAR Institute of Medical Biology (IMB), SSCC also coordinates the diverse stem cell research activities in Singapore by funding collaborative grant calls and developing key resources needed by the stem cell research community. SSCC has announced several grant calls and awarded several grants every year since 2006.
For more information about SSCC, please visit www.sscc.a-star.edu.sg.
About the Agency for Science, Technology and Research (A*STAR)
A*STAR is Singapore's lead agency for fostering world-class scientific research and talent for a vibrant knowledge-based Singapore. A*STAR actively nurtures public sector research and development in Biomedical Sciences, Physical Sciences and Engineering, with a particular focus on fields essential to Singapore's manufacturing industry and new growth industries. It oversees 22 research institutes, consortia and centres, and supports extramural research with the universities, hospital research centres and other local and international partners. At the heart of this knowledge intensive work is human capital. Top local and international scientific talent drive knowledge creation at A*STAR research institutes. The Agency also sends scholars for undergraduate, graduate and post-doctoral training in the best universities, a reflection of the high priority A*STAR places on nurturing the next generation of scientific talent.
For more information about A*STAR, please visit www.a-star.edu.sg.
About the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (DFG)
The Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft (German Research Foundation) is the central, self-governing research funding organisation that promotes research at universities and other publicly financed research institutions in Germany. The DFG serves all branches of science and the humanities by funding research projects and facilitating cooperation among researchers.
For more information about DFG, please visit www.dfg.de/en/.
ANNEX
SINGAPORE-GERMANY STEM CELL SYMPOSIUM
PROGRAMME
Breakthrough @ Level 4, Matrix Building
Day 1: Monday, 6 April 2009
Time Sessions
09:00 – 09:15 Welcome Address by Alan Colman, ED, Singapore Stem Cell Consortium
Dr. Leisch, DFG Representative
Mr. Herzog, Counsellor Science and Technology, German Embassy
Prof. Jürgen Hescheler, Dr. Gerald Udolph
Session 1: iPS, Control of Self renewal, Spying on Stem Cells
(Chair : Lim Sai Kiang, Institute of Medical Biology)
09:15 – 10:45 Disease-specific induced pluripotent stem cells and their uses
Alan COLMAN, Institute of Medical Biology
Tracking stem cell behavior at the single cell level: New
tools for old questions
Timm SCHROEDER, Helmholtz Zentrum München
Unique actions of REST in embryonic and neural stem cells
Larry STANTON, Genome Institute of Singapore
10:45 – 11:15 Morning Tea Break
Session 2: New Kids on The Block
(Chair : Jürgen Hescheler, University of Cologne)
11:15 – 12:45 Generation of pluripotent stem cells from adult human testis
Thomas SKUTELLA, University of Tübingen
Fetomaternal microchimerism in a murine animal model: stem cell
transplantation naturally?
Gerald UDOLPH, Institute of Medical Biology
Tumour initiating cells in neuroectodermal tumors: at the interface
between stem cell and tumor cell biology
Christian BELTINGER, University Children’s Hospital
12:45 – 13:30 Lunch
Session 3: Niches, ECM, and Stem Cell Connections
(Chair : Larry Stanton, Genome Institute of Singapore)
13:30 to 15:00 The Creation of Artificial Stem Cell Niches
Victor NURCOMBE, Institute of Medical Biology
Role of the extracellular matrix and matrix-metalloproteinases in the
human hematopoietic stem cell niche
Gerd KLEIN, University of Tübingen
The importance of being connected: junctional complexes between
human HSCs, leukemic cells and mesenchymal stromal cells
Patrick WUCHTER, University Heidelberg
15:00 – 15:30 Afternoon Tea Break
Session 4: Neural Differentiation of Stem Cells
(Chair : Gerald Udolph, Institute of Medical Biology)
15:30 – 17:00 Genes and activity in the regulation of neural precursors cells in the
adult brain
Gerd KEMPERMANN, CRTD – Center for Regenerative Therapies
Dresden
Survival and Proliferation Factors for Neural Stem Cells
Sohail AHMED, Institute of Medical Biology
In vitro assay for neural stem cell asymmetric division
Xiaohang YANG, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology
18:30 Conference Reception, German Ambassador’s Residence
(For Speakers and Invited Guests only)
~ End of Day 1~
Day 2: Tuesday, 7 April 2009
Time Topic
Session 5: Stem Cell Markers and Directed Differentiation
(Chair : Peter Droege, Nanyang Technological University)
09:00 – 10:30 Time-resolved analysis of Oct4/Pou5fl – dependent state changes in
the transcriptomes of zebrafish early embryos
Wolfgang DRIEVER, University Freiburg
Differentiation of serotonergic neurons from embryonic stem cells
Michael BADER, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine
Steering embryonic stem cell fate: insights into regulatory decisions
based on basic cellular metabolism and the Wnt signaling pathway
Nicole zur NIEDEN, Fraunhofer Institute
10:30 – 11:00 Morning Tea Break
Session 6: Moving Towards Applications
(Chair : Thomas Skutella, University of Tübingen)
11:00 – 12:30 Deciphering the surface molecules on human embryonic stem
cells Andre CHOO, Bioprocessing Technological Institute
Embryonic and induced pluripotent Stem Cells for Basic research and
Regenerative Medicine
Jürgen HESCHELER, University Cologne
Deriving clinical applications from embryonic stem cells through
lineage-restricted progenitor cell lines
Sai Kiang LIM, Institute of Medical Biology
12:30 – 14:00 Lunch
Session 7: Stem Cells in Drug Discovery and Disease
(Chair : Andre Choo, Bioprocessing Technology Institute)
14:00 to 15:30 TAG1-APP signalling in neural stem cells
Gavin S. DAWE, National University of Singapore
Stem Cell Bioprocessing : Going 3G via 3D
Steve OH, Bioprocessing Technology Institute
Characterization of ESC-derived in vitro systems to assay
neurotoxicity and developmental neurotoxicity
Suzanne KADEREIT, University Konstanz
15:30 to 16:00 Afternoon tea break
Session 8: Reprogramming and iPS
(Chair : Alan Colman, Institute of Medical Biology)
16:00 to 17:30 Approaching natural reprogramming
Barbara KNOWLES, Institute of Medical Biology
Single cell expression analysis from zygote to
blastocyst
Paul ROBSON, Genome Institute of Singapore
Induction of pluripotency in somatic and germline cells
Hans SCHOELER, Max Planck Institute for Molecular Biomedicine
Closing and End Of Symposium
18:30 Conference Dinner (Hosted by SSCC, for Speakers and Invited
Guests only)