Provisional Programme (12 - 14 Nov)
(updated on 9 Nov 25)
(updated on 9 Nov 25)
Day 1, 12 November 2025
12:30 – 17:30 Registration
13:30 – 13:35 Welcome & opening of Symposium 2025
Jonathan Yuin-Han LOH, Institute of Molecular & Cell Biology, Singapore & President
SCSS
Session 1. Cell therapeutics & clinical translation
This session is supported by the
DUKE-NUS MEDICAL SCHOOL, SINGAPORE
Chair: Hwee Goon TAY, Duke-NUS
Medical School, Singapore
13:35 – 14:05 Peripheral hematopoietic intervention to rescue
neurodegeneration in the brain
Helen GOODRIDGE, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center, Singapore
14:05 – 14:35 Functional genomics of diabetes using hPSC-derived
islet-like cells
Adrian TEO, Institute of Molecular & Cell Biology, USA
14:35 – 15:05 AASCRM LECTURE – Chinese Society for Stem Cell Research
In Utero
stem cell transplantation: from functional characterization to disease
modelling and therapeutic exploration
Fanyi ZENG, Shanghai
Jiao Tong University School of Medicine, China
15:05–
15:30 AFTERNOON TEA BREAK
15:30–
15:45 Selected Abstract
Induced
macrophage-kidney organoids unravel context-dependent immune modulation in
kidney development and disease
Huaming WANG, LKCM, Nanyang
Technological University, Singapore
15:45–
16:00 Selected Abstract
Hypoimmunogenic
retinal pigment epithelial cells promote immune tolerance for off-the-shelf
retinal regenerative therapy
Asfa ALLI-SHAIK, Institute
of Molecular and Cell Biology, Singapore
16:00– 16:30 Corneal
endothelial cell therapy: Current practise
Dr Jodhbir Singh MEHTA, Singapore Eye Research Institute
Session 2. Thermo Fisher Scientific Mini-Symposium “Harnessing
iPSC technology for drug discovery, disease models, and beyond”
Chair: Poh Loong SOONG, Thermo Fisher Scientific,
Singapore
16:30 – 17:00 Effective targeted transgene knock-in &
expression in hPSCs
Matias AUTIO, Genome
Institute of Singapore
17:00 –17:15 Microphysiological systems: Development of vascularized tumor models for
immunotherapy
Geetika SAHNI, AIM
Biotech, Singapore
17:15 –17:30 iPSC-iNK workflow solutions for scalable cell
therapy manufacturing
Ryan
LIM, Thermo Fisher Scientific, Singapore
17:30
– 19:00 POSTER SESSION WITH WINE &
CHEESE
END OF DAY 1
Day 2, 13 November 2025
9:00
– 09:30 NHCS AGILENT MOU SIGNING CEREMONY
Session 3. Epigenetic
dynamics of early embryonic fate
This
session is supported by the
INSTITUTE
OF MOLECULAR AND CELL BIOLOGY (IMCB), SINGAPORE
Chair: Jonathan Yuin-Han LOH, IMCB, Singapore
9:30 – 10:15 KEYNOTE LECTURE
Sall4
dependent chromocenter remodeling and cell fate
control
Duanqing
PEI, Westlake University, China
10:15 – 10:45 Indispensable role of ERK signal in the self-renewal and differentiation
of embryonic stem cells
Lingyi
CHEN, Nankai University, China
10:45
– 11:15 MORNING TEA BREAK
11:15 – 11:30 Selected Abstract
Single-cell m6A atlas decodes
dynamic epitranscriptomic programs that orchestrate
cell fates throughout development
Kiyofumi
HAMASHIMA, Institute of Molecular and Cell Biology, Singapore
11:30 – 11:45 Selected Abstract
Decoding
the genetic landscape of human evolution\
Richard
SHE, School of Biological Sciences, Nanyang Technological University,
Singapore
11:45 – 12:15 Long-term expandable
mouse and human chondroprogenitor cells achieve functional cartilage repair in
vivo
Ronghui
LI, National University of Singapore
12:15
– 13:30 LUNCH BREAK
Session 4. Stemcell
Technologies Mini-Symposium
Chair: Robert Neil JUDSON, STEMCELL Technologies
Inc, Canada
13:30 – 13:50 A novel mRNA-lipid nanoparticle platform to
rapidly generate functional forebrain neurons from human pluripotent stem cells
using NGN2
Robert Neil JUDSON, STEMCELL Technologies Inc, Canada
13:50 –14:10 Single-cell multiomics identifies
chromosome 21 regulators of intellectual disability genes in Down Syndrome
Vincenzo DE PAOLA, Duke-NUS Medical School, Singapore
14:10 –14:30 Decoding human neurodegeneration using stem cells
Rickie
PATANI, National University of Singapore
Session 5. Stem cells in vascular biology and metabolism
Chair: Shigeki SUGII, Singapore
Institute of Food and Biotechnology Innovation, Singapore, Singapore
14:30 – 15:00 Harnessing endothelial cell plasticity to restore tissue homeostasis
Christine CHEUNG, Nanyang Technological
University, LKCM, Singapore
15:00 – 15:30 AASCRM LECTURE – Japanese Society for Regenerative Medicine
Strategic development of next-generation
artificial platelets informed by reverse translational research
Koji ETO, CiRA, Japan
15:30
– 16:00 AFTERNOON TEA BREAK
16:00 – 16:30 Metabolic programming of muscle stem cells and muscle organoids
Shyh
Chang NG, Institute of Zoology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, China
16:30 – 16:45 Selected
Abstract
Making
platelets from human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal cells and the effect on
a GVHD model using NOG mice
Yumiko MATSUBARA, Keio University, Japan
16:45 – 17:00 Selected
Abstract
VHL deficient human kidney organoid to model clear cell
renal cell carcinoma
Yixuan WANG, Nanyang Technological University,
LKCM, Singapore
17:00 – 17:30 Vascular
niches of the bone marrow: Regulators of stem cell ageing and regeneration
Anjali KUSUMBE,
Nanyang Technological University, LKCM, Singapore
17:30
– 18:15 SCSS-Dr Susan Lim Award for Outstanding Young Investigator Presentation
Chair: Jonathan
Yuin-Han LOH, Institute of Molecular & Cell Biology, Singapore
Biomaterials to engineer human immune cells and
tissues
Andy TAY, National
University of Singapore
18:15 END
OF DAY 2
Day 3, 14 November 2025
Session 6.
Organoid disease modeling
Chair: Yun XIA, Nanyang Technological University, LKCM, Singapore
LEE KONG
CHIAN SCHOOL OF MEDICINE (LKCM), SINGAPORE
9:00 – 9:30 A
decade of human midbrain-like organoids: Advances, discoveries, and future
directions in Parkinson’s Disease modeling and therapy
Shawn JE, Duke-NUS,
Singapore
9:30 – 10:00 Novel
roles of the epigenetic repressor SMCHD1 in regulating spermatogonial
stem cell maintenance
Shifeng XUE, National
University of Singapore
10:00 – 10:30 Refining human brain organoid models to
capture human-specific features
Hongyan WANG, Duke-NUS,
Singapore
10:30
– 11:00 MORNING TEA BREAK
11:00 – 11:15 Epithelial WNT
secretion drives niche escape of developing gastric cancer
Ji-Hyun
LEE, Institute for Basic Science, Republic of Korea
11:15 – 11:30 Selected
Abstract
Investigating
thymic involution through thymic organoids
Jia
Ming Nickolas TEO, Institute
of Molecular and Cell Biology, Singapore
11:30 – 12:00 AASCRM LECTURE – Korean Society for Stem
Cell Research
Organoids
Zoo - a new platform for animal science
Bon-Kyoung KOO, Institute for Basic Science,
Republic of Korea
12:00 – 12:15 SCSS – ASSCR MOU SIGNING CEREMONY
Jonathan Yuin-Han LOH, Institute of Molecular
& Cell Biology, Singapore & President SCSS
Lincon STAMP, University of Melbourne,
Australia & President ASSCR, Australia
12:15
– 13:30 LUNCH BREAK
13:30 –14:15 KEYNOTE LECTURE
Chair: Matias AUTIO, Genome
Institute of Singapore
Age-Related Macular Degeneration: What goes wrong, how to
fix it
Martin PERA, The Jackson Laboratory, USA
Session 7. Stem cell-based models
for cardiac disease
Chair: Matias AUTIO, Genome Institute of Singapore
14:15 – 14:45 Modelling
cardiovascular-metabolic biology with iPS cells
Roger FOO, National
University of Singapore
14:45 – 15:15 Matrix
matters: Laminin-guided differentiation of cardiovascular progenitors from
pluripotent stem cells
Lynn YAP, Nanyang Technological University, LKCM, Singapore
15:15
– 15:45 AFTERNOON TEA BREAK
15:45 – 16:15 Modelling acquired cardiac diseases with iPSCs: Insights from
diabetic heart failure
Chrishan RAMACHANDRA, National Heart Research
Institute, Singapore
16:15 – 16:30 Selected
Abstract
Mapping
stress response-QTLs using iPSC-cardiomyocytes for heart failure
Brandon
TAN, National University of Singapore
16:30 – 17:00 Mitochondrial
transplantation as a novel therapeutic strategy for cardiometabolic disorders
Boon Seng SOH, Institute of Molecular & Cell
Biology, Singapore
17:00 – 17:30 AASCRM
LECTURE – Australasian Society for Stem Cell Research
Using iPSCs to model enteric nervous system
development and for cell therapy
Lincon STAMP, University of Melbourne, Australia
& President ASSCR, Australia
17:30
– 17:45 AWARD PRESENTATION & CLOSING REMARKS
Chair: Yun XIA, Nanyang
Technological University, LKCM, Singapore
Organized by:
