Programme (29 Nov  - 1 Dec)
(updated on 27 Nov 23)

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Day 1, 29 November 2023

9:00 – 9:10      Welcome & opening of Symposium 2023

                   Jonathan Yuin-Han LOH, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Singapore & President SCSS

Christine CHEUNG, Nanyang Technological University, LKCMedicine, Singapore & Co-chair of Organizing Committee

 

 

Session 1. Modelling development and disease

 

This session is supported by the

LEE KONG CHIAN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE, SINGAPORE

Chair: Christine CHEUNG, Nanyang Technological University, LKCMedicine, Singapore

 

9:10 – 9:35      Statins inhibit vascular overgrowth in Infantile Hemangioma

                   Joyce BISHOFF, Boston Children’s Hospital, Harvard Medical School, US

                       

9:35 – 10:00    Engineering a simple and robust EMULSION liver-chip to recapitulate full NASH functions

                   Hanry YU, National University of Singapore, Singapore

 

10:00 – 10:25  Polystyrene nanoplastics promote neurodegeneration by catalyzing Tau and TDP43 hyperphosphorylation

                   Shiyan NG, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Singapore

 

10:25 – 10:50  MORNING TEA BREAK                     

 

10:50 – 11:15  Cardiomyocyte differentiation and dedifferentiation: is going up the hill simple a reverse of going down it

                   Roger FOO, National University of Singapore, Singapore

                  

11:15 – 11:30  Selected Abstract

                   Novel molecular mechanisms in the reactivation and regeneration of Drosophila quiescent neural stem cells

                   Mahekta R GUJAR, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore

                                   

11:30 – 11:45  Industry-themed presentation by Sartorius

Solutions for the culturing, maintenance and characterization of induced pluripotent stem

Ujwal Kumar JONNALA, Sartorius India Pvt Ltd., India

 

11:45 – 12:10  Nose formation in a dish

Shifeng XUE, National University of Singapore

 

12:10 – 13:30  LUNCH BREAK              

 

Session 2. Adult stem cells and human diseases

 

This session is supported by the

DUKE-NUS MEDICAL SCHOOL, SINGAPORE

Chair: Hongyan WANG, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore

 

13:30 – 13:55  Common mechanisms underlying the expansion of brain size and complexity in gyrencephalic mammals

                   Fumio MATSUZAKI, Kyoto University, Japan

                       

13:55 – 14:20  Stem cell diversity and competition during brain development

                   Qingfeng WU, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, China

 

14:20 – 14:45  Elucidating the novel functional role of astrocytes in Alzheimer’s disease

                   Li ZENG, National Neuroscience Institute, Singapore

 

 

14:45– 15:15   AFTERNOON TEA BREAK               

 

15:15– 15:40   Uncovering novel glioblastoma dependencies for mechanism-guided therapies

Derrick ONG, National University of Singapore, Singapore

           

15:40– 15:55   Selected Abstract

                   FOXO-regulated Deaf1 controls muscle regeneration through autophagy

                   Kah Yong GOH, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore

                       

15:55– 16:20   Deciphering stem cell roles in driving onset and progression of gastric cancer

                   Nick BARKER, Institute of Molecular & Cell Biology, Singapore

 

16:20 – 18:30  POSTER SESSION WITH WINE & CHEESE

 

END OF DAY 1

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Day 2, 30 November 2023

9:00 – 10:00    PRESIDENTIAL KEYNOTE LECTURE

Chair: Jonathan Yuin-Han LOH, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Singapore

 

Recent progress in iPSC research and application

Shinya YAMANAKA, CIRA, Kyoto University, Japan

 

 

                        Session 3. Totipotency & pluripotency

 

This session is supported by the

INSTITUTE OF MOLECULAR AND CELL BIOLOGY, SINGAPORE

Chairs: Pentao LIU, University of Hongkong, Hongkong &

Jonathan Yuin-Han LOH, IMCB, Singapore

 

10:00 – 10:25  Recapitulating early mammalian development with totipotent-like stem cells

Yichang WANG, Sun Yat-Sen University, China

10:25 – 10:50  Expanded potential stem cells: A new tool for basic and translational research

                   Pentao LIU, The University of Hong Kong, Hongkong

 

10:50 – 11:20  MORNING TEA BREAK                     

 

11:20 – 11:45  Exploring molecular pathways associated with autism using cell-based models and genomics approaches

                   Larry STANTON, Qatar Biomedical Research Institute, Qatar

 

11:45 – 12:10  Investigating the role of NELFA in the induction of totipotency

Wee-Wei TEE, Institute of Molecular & Cell Biology, Singapore

 

12:10 – 12:25  Selected Abstract

Identification of novel transcription factor HOX regulating MSC stemness as an upstream factor of Twist1

Tong Ming LIU, Institute of Molecular & Cell Biology, Singapore

 

12:25 – 12:40  Industry-themed presentation by MGI

From decay to renewal: Harnessing the potential of human totipotent and pluripotent cells for rejuvenation

Md. Abdul MAZID, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China

                       

12:40 – 13:05  Ribosomal proteins regulate 2-cell-stage transcriptome in mouse embryonic stem cells

Jonathan Yuin-Han LOH, Institute of Molecular & Cell Biology, Singapore

 

13:05 – 14:30  LUNCH BREAK                  

 

 

                       

                        Session 4. Maintaining cell quality of gene edited human pluripotent stem cells

                   Chair: Kimberly A. SNYDER, STEMCELL Technologies Inc, Canada

 

14:30 – 14:50 Enhanced genetic stability of human pluripotent stem cells maintained as single cells under optimized culture conditions

                   Kimberly A. SNYDER, STEMCELL Technologies Inc, Canada

 

14:50 –15:10   PAX4 loss of function increases diabetes risk by altering human pancreatic endocrine cell development

                   Hwee Hui LAU, Institute of Molecular & Cell Biology, Singapore

 

15:10 –15:30   Genome-wide CRISPR screen and gene-editing for early regulators of cardiac lineage

Mick LEE, Genome Institute of Singapore

 

 

15:30 – 18:35 Session 5. Advanced Organoids

                   Chair: Alfred SUN, Duke-NUS, Singapore

 

15:30 – 15:55  Development and application of human neural organoids

                   Yangfei XIANG, ShanghaiTech University, China

                       

15:55 – 16:10  Industry-themed presentation by Thermo Fischer Scientific

Case studies for rapid scale up and directed differentiation of pluripotent stem cells in 3D culture

Wei Ching LOW, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Singapore

 

16:10 – 16:40  AFTERNOON TEA BREAK               

 

16:40 – 17:05  Morphing bioelectronics for developing organoids and animals

                   Yuxin LIU, National University of Singapore, Singapore

 

17:05 – 17:30  Advancing therapeutic modalities discovery for multi-organ regeneration with tissue-derived organoid platform

                   Winston CHAN, Guangzhou National Laboratory, China

           

17:30 – 17:55  Interrogating kidney diseases using hPSC-derived kidney organoids

Yun XIA, Nanyang Technological University, LKCM, Singapore

 

17:55 – 18:10  Selected Abstract

Uncovering the complexities of alveolar capillary development with organoid models

Nicole PEK, Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center, USA

 

18:10 – 18:35  Shaping neuronal networks by FEZ1-mediated trafficking

                   John CHUA, National University of Singapore, Singapore

           

18:35               END OF DAY 2

 

 

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Day 3, 1 December 2023

9:00 – 10:00    KEYNOTE LECTURE

Chair: Hongyan WANG, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore

 

Translating stem cell technology to therapeutics

Suchun ZHANG, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore

 

 

                   Session 6. Innovations in cell therapy development and assessment

Chair: Wei Xiang SIN, SMART-CAMP, Singapore

 

10:00 – 10:25  Decoding and rewiring Immunity

Michael BIRNBAUM, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, US

 

10:25 – 10:50  Integrative single cell transcriptomics and functional profiling with TRAPS-seq and PAINTKiller-seq

                   Lih Feng CHEOW, National University of Singapore

 

10:50 – 11:15  Challenges in manufacturing Natural Killer (NK) cells as allogeneic therapies targeting solid tumors

                   Andy TAN, Bioprocessing Technology Institute, Singapore

 

11:15 – 11:45  MORNING TEA BREAK                     

 

11:45 – 12:10  3-dimensional human pancreatic microtumors to advance Immunotherapy

                   Giulia ADRIANI, Singapore Immunology Network

                       

12:10 – 12:25  Selected Abstract

COVID-19 antigenic peptides show immune response activity in allogeneic dendritic cells for possible surveillance-based vaccine

Francisco M. HERALDE III, University of the Philippines Manila, Philippines

                       

12:25 – 12:40  Industry-themed presentation by Miltenyi

Advancing pluripotent stem cell research and manufacturing with Miltenyi Biotec

Parivash NOURI & Michaela DIAKATOU, Miltenyi Biotec, Germany

 

12:40 – 13:05  A platform technology for rational reprogramming of cellular state

                   Yen CHOO, Nanyang Technological University, Singapore

 

13:05 – 14:30  LUNCH BREAK                  

 

 

                        Session 7. Innovations in cellular agriculture

                   Chair: Shigeki SUGII, IMCB, Singapore

 

14:30 – 14:55  Construction of structured Wagyu meat by 3D stem cell printing

                   Michiya MATSUSAKI, Osaka University, Japan

 

14:55 – 15:20  Surveillance of allergens in cultivated meat with AllerCatPro 2.0

                   Sebastian MAURER-STROH, Bioinformatics Institute, Singapore

 

15:20 – 15:45  The state of global cultivated meat research and development of edible plant-based scaffolds

                   Deepak CHOUDHURY, Bioprocessing Technology Institute, Singapore

 

15:45 – 16:15  AFTERNOON TEA BREAK               

 

16:15 – 16:40  Cultivated meat as a climate solution: State of the science and the road ahead

Maanasa RAVIKUMAR, Good Food Institute - Asia Pacific, Singapore

 

16:40 – 16:55  Selected Abstract

Accelerating cell therapy safety: rapid and accurate absolute quantification of adventitious agents using digital CRISPR approaches and beyond

Xiaolin WU, Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology Centre, Singapore

 

16:55 – 17:20  Continuous flow cellular processing to scale complementary proteins

XL LIN, ESCO ASTER, Singapore

                                   

 

17:20 – 17:55  SCSS-Dr Susan Lim Award for Outstanding Young Investigator Presentation

                   Chair: Xinyi SU, Institute of Molecular & Cell Biology, Singapore

 

Using human midbrain organoids to understand human dopamine neuron formation                                                      

Alfred SUN, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore

 

17:55 – 18:05  POSTER & TRAVEL AWARD PRESENTATION

                    CLOSING REMARKS

                   Chair: Shigeki SUGII, IMCB, Singapore

 

END OF DAY 3 - FAREWELL

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Organized by:
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