iCeMS lead Japan Delegation at World Stem Cell Summit in San Antonio, Texas
January 14, 2015
For the third year, Kyoto University's Institute for Integrated Cell Material Sciences (iCeMS) co-organized the 2014 World Stem Cell Summit, held at the Marriott Rivercenter in San Antonio, Texas on December 3-5. The event, produced by Genetics Policy Institute (GPI), attracted over 1200 policy makers, academics, industry leaders and patient advocates from over 40 countries. The goal of the summit is to advance cell therapies by establishing a foundation for global stakeholders to accelerate lifesaving therapies and regenerative medicine.
iCeMS Professor and Founding Director Norio Nakatsuji greeted attendees as one of seven co-chairs of the event. "There is an increasing need for industry academia collaboration to realize application of stem cell research," said Nakatsuji. "This summit is the most prominent forum in the field in that it facilitates meeting, connecting, and developing collaboration among stakeholders from across the globe. I hope all of you from various sectors engage in active interaction with each other, especially the Japanese delegation for future business and research collaborations."
A Japanese delegation represented by academic researchers and industry leaders in the biomedical and stem cell field was highly visible throughout the three-day event. At the iCeMS' led symposium titled "Mass Culture System, QC, 3D Construction, Freezing System & Delivery System," the Japanese panel highlighted recent key scientific findings as well as new products and technologies being developed to further advance the stem cell field. The speakers included Norio Nakatsuji, iCeMS founding director; Tomomi , NEDO; Kouichi Hasegawa, iCeMS; Tomoki Aoyama, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine; Taito Nishino, Nissan Chemical Industries; Masanari Kitagawa, Takara Bio Inc.; Koji Kuchiishi, Cyfuse Biomedical; Chikafumi Yokoyama, ReproCELL; and Mikiyoshi Nakamichi, Tamai-kasei. Over fifty participants attended the session.
At the awards gala dinner also attended by the mayor of San Antonio, Japanese researchers were honored this year's Stem Cell Action Award on behalf of the Japanese Society for Regenerative Medicine (JSRM), for developing regenerative technology to advance medical research and contribute to human health. Hiro Nakauchi, a Professor at University of Tokyo and Stanford University, who received the award at the podium stated, "earlier this year, the the first human clinical trial of iPS cells was conducted in Japan. We could not have done this without the international collaboration and support, and will continue to be a crucial element in the coming years to advance stem cell research."
Yoshimi Yashiro at Kyoto University's Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) also gave a session on the use of iPS cell disease models for drug development.
iCeMS Professor Takashi Asada served as an organizer and moderator of the Japan symposium, as well as a poster judge for the stem cell summit. He also engaged in meetings with many individuals at iCeMS' booth to build potential business partnerships and forge academic collaborations.
Bernard Siegel, Director of GPI, was grateful for iCeMS' participation as a co-organizer at the summit. "As Japan emerged, it got its act together. They are surely one of the leaders in this field". He went on to add, "Dr. Nakatsuji has been a wonderful partner. We have a robust delegation from them of over 40 people, the biggest outside of the United States. We are honored to have a large presence from them."
The next World Stem Cell Summit is scheduled for December 10-12, 2015 in Atlanta, Georgia.
Photos
San Antonio Marriott Rivercenter, venue for the summit
From left: Alan Fernandez (Associate Director of the Genetics Policy Institute), Prof. Norio Nakatsuji, and Prof. Takashi Asada
Nakatsuji delivering opening remarks
Nakatsuji giving a talk at the Japan Symposium
 |
 |
|
| Tomomi Yamazaki, NEDO (left) and Chikafumi Yokoyama, ReproCell | ||
 |
 |
|
| Masanari Kitagawa, Takara Bio Inc. (left) and Koji Kuchiishi, Cyfuse Biomedical | ||
 |
 |
| Mikiyoshi Nakamichi, Tamai-kasei (left) and Kouichi Hasegawa, iCeMS |
 |
 |
|
| Tomoki Aoyama, Kyoto University Graduate School of Medicine (left) and Taito Nishino, Nissan Chemical Industries | ||
 |
||
| Takashi Asada, iCeMS | ||
Asada interacting with participants at the iCeMS booth
Nakatsuji (left) and Asada (right) having a business meeting with an American private company
Nakatsuji and Asada having a business meeting with a Saudi Arabian research center
Nakatsuji exchanging views with participants
From left: Profs. Nakauchi, Nakatsuji, and Asada at the Stem Cell Action Awards Gala
From left: Bernard Seigel (Director of GPI) and Nakauchi posing with the JSRM Award trophy
Nakatsuji (right) being interviewed by GPI
 |
 |
|
| Tomomi Yashiro, Kyoto University Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (left) and Takuya Yokokawa, Fujifilm | ||
