Location: Sweetgrass Pavilion (unless otherwise notated)

DAY 1 – WEDNESDAY, MARCH 20, 2019

SESSION I 
5:00 p.m. – Welcome and Opening Remarks – Andrés García, Ph.D. – Georgia Institute of Technology; Susan Thomas, Ph.D. – Georgia Institute of Technology 

5:05 p.m. – Keynote Presentation – Young Investigator Faculty Award Winner – Jamal Lewis, Ph.D. – University of California, Davis - Sponsored by
Engineering Biomaterial-based Approaches to Curb Autoimmunity

5:35 p.m. – Nerem Lecture – Deepak Srivastava, Ph.D. – President, Gladstone Institutes
Engineering Cell Fate for Human Disease: Lessons from Embryogenesis

6:35 - 8:00 p.m. – Welcome Reception – Boardwalk Inn Poolside (inclement weather location: Sweetgrass Pavilion)

8:00 - 9:30 p.m. – Trainee Networking and Social Event with Sarah Stabenfeldt, Ph.D. – Arizona State University – Palmetto Hall (adjacent to Sweetgrass Pavilion)


Day 2 – THURSDAY, MARCH 21, 2019 

7:30 a.m. – Continental Breakfast

SESSION II
Session Chair – Edmund Waller, M.D., Ph.D. – Emory University 

8:00 a.m. – Keynote Presentation – Arshed Quyyumi, M.D. – Emory University School of Medicine
Circulating Progenitor Cells – Markers of Regenerative Capacity

8:30 a.m. – Jianhua Zhang, Ph.D. – University of Wisconsin-Madison
Functional Cardiac Fibroblasts Derived from Human Pluripotent Stem Cells via Second Heart Field Progenitors

8:50 a.m. – Cassady Rupert, Doctoral Candidate; Kareen Coulombe, Ph.D., Advisor – Brown University
Modulation of Adult Cardiac Fibroblasts for Engineering Healthy and Vulnerable Human Cardiac Tissue 

9:10 a.m. – Laura Hansen, Ph.D. – Emory University 
Satellite Cells are a Novel Cell Type for Peripheral Artery Disease

9:30 a.m. – Petr Baranov, M.D., Ph.D. – The Schepens Eye Research Institute of Massachusetts Eye and Ear
Towards the Cure for Glaucoma: Transplantation of Functional Retinal Ganglion Cells

9:50 a.m. – Myron Tucker, D.D.S. – Osteo Science Foundation, Partner Sponsor
Funding Opportunities from the Osteo Science Foundation

10:00 a.m. – Break

SESSION III
Session Chair – Sean Palecek, Ph.D. – University of Wisconsin-Madison

Rapid Fire Session I 
10:20 a.m. – Sruthi Ravindranathan, Ph.D. – Emory University 
Immunoengineering: Regenerating Functional Immunity in Pancreatic Ductal Adenocarcinoma

10:25 a.m. – Yiwen Li, M.S. – Emory University  
Targeting VIP Receptors with Peptide-based Agonists to Regulate Autoimmunity and GVHD

10:30 a.m. – Samuel Fidder, M.D. – Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine / Erasmus University Medical Center
First Ever 28 Day Cryopreserved Graft Survivals in a Rat Above Knee Limb Transplant Model

10:35 a.m. – Alexander Repko – University of Pittsburgh
Clinical Translation of a Novel Nerve Guide

10:40 a.m. – Wenxin Yu, Ph.D. – University of Georgia
SOX10-expressing Cells in the Connective Tissue are Progenitors for Taste Bud Cell Renewal in Postnatal Mice

10:45 a.m. – Rapid Fire Discussion

Rapid Fire Session II
10:55 a.m. – Archana Kamalakar, Ph.D. – Emory University  
Elucidating the Mechanism of JAGGED1-mediated Osteoblast Commitment during Maxillary Development

11:00 a.m. – Jay McKinney, M.S. – Georgia Institute of Technology / Emory University
Therapeutic Efficacy of Intra-articular Delivered Encapsulated Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells on Late Stage Osteoarthritis

11:05 a.m. – Ryan Barrs – Clemson-Medical University of South Carolina
Development of a Vasculogenic Bioink for Direct Bioprinting of Vascularized Tissue

11:10 a.m. – Janiece Glover – Medical University of South Carolina
The Interaction Between PRPF8 and DZIP1 and its Role in Mitral Valve Prolapse

11:15 a.m. – Samantha Spellicy – University of Georgia
Determining Translational Magnetic Resonance Imaging Parameters Predictive of Therapeutic Efficacy in a Porcine Ischemic Stroke Model

11:20 a.m. – Rapid Fire Discussion

SESSION IV
Session Chair – Rebecca Levit, M.D. – Emory University 

11:30 a.m. – Keynote Presentation – Joseph Wu, M.D., Ph.D. – Stanford University School of Medicine
Stem Cells and Genomics for Precision Medicine

12:00 p.m. – Dmitry Traktuev, Ph.D. – University of Florida
Vasculogenic Potential of Saphenous Vein Endothelial Cells from Patients Undergoing CABG Procedure

12:20 p.m. – Julie Phillippi, Ph.D. – University of Pittsburgh
Influence of Adventitial Extracellular Matrix Hydrogel on Sprouting of Human Thoracic Aortic Aneurysm-derived Pericytes

12:40 p.m. – AFTERNOON OFF

6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m. – Poster Session - PURCHASE GUESTS TICKET by March 11
Poster Judges: Bryan Brown, Ph.D. - University of Pittsburgh; Allan Dietz, Ph.D. - Mayo Clinic; Jeremy Gilbert, Ph.D. - Clemson University / Medical University of South Carolina; Keith March, M.D., Ph.D. - University of Florida; Krishanu Saha, Ph.D. - University of Wisconsin-Madison; Steven Stice, Ph.D. - University of Georgia; W. Robert Taylor, M.D., Ph.D. - Emory University


Day 3 – FRIDAY, MARCH 22, 2019 

7:30 a.m. – Continental Breakfast

SESSION V
Session Chair – Jorge Múnera, Ph.D. – Medical University of South Carolina

8:00 a.m. – Keynote Presentation – April Pyle, Ph.D. – University of California, Los Angeles 
Development of a CRISPR/Cas9 Therapeutic Platform for Duchenne Muscular Dystrophy using Human Pluripotent Stem Cells

8:30 a.m. – Krishanu Saha, Ph.D. – University of Wisconsin-Madison
Precise Gene Editing of Mutant Alleles using CRISPR-Cas9 Ribonucleoprotein Complexes

8:50 a.m. – Carolyn Yeago, Ph.D. – Georgia Institute of Technology
Single Cell Transcriptome as a Tool to Characterize Mesenchymal Stem Cell Heterogeneity

9:10 a.m. – Jarrod Call, Ph.D. – University of Georgia
PGC1α1 Activation is Necessary and Sufficient for Endurance Exercise-induced Oxidative Plasticity in the Remaining Muscle after Volumetric Muscle Loss Injury

9:30 a.m. – James Yoon, M.D. – Emory University School of Medicine
Immunoengineering: How to Dose Adoptive T-Cell Therapy for Anti-tumor Efficacy without Fatal Toxicity in Allogeneic Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Patients

9:50 a.m. – Break

SESSION VI
Session Chair – Chunfeng Zhao, M.D. – Mayo Clinic 

10:20 a.m. – Keynote Presentation – Felicia Pagliuca, Ph.D. – Semma Therapeutics
Development of Stem Cell Derived Therapies for the Treatment of Diabetes

10:50 a.m. – Edward Phelps, Ph.D. – University of Florida 
GABA Signaling in the Human Islet

11:10 a.m. – Jorge Múnera, Ph.D. – Medical University of South Carolina
Co-development of Hemogenic Endothelium in Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Derived Colonic Organoids

11:30 a.m. – Daniel Kalman, Ph.D. – Emory University School of Medicine
The Imatinib-TB Clinical Trial

11:50 a.m. – Jennifer Braswell, Ph.D. – Advanced Regenerative Manufacturing Institute (ARMI) / BioFabUSA 
Manufacturing Readiness for Engineered Tissues: The Power of ARMI BioFabUSA

12:00 p.m. – Andrew Gaffney, Ph.D. – STEMCELL TECHNOLOGIES, Gold Sponsor
mTeSR™ Plus: Development of the Next Generation in hPSC Maintenance

12:10 p.m. – Lunch Break – Attendees lunch on their own

SESSION VII
Session Chair – Julie Phillippi, Ph.D. – University of Pittsburgh

1:30 p.m. – Keynote Presentation – Tatiana Segura, Ph.D. – Duke University
Promoting Tissue Repair with Granular Materials

2:00 p.m. – 

2:20 p.m. – Nick Willett, Ph.D.  – Atlanta Veterans Affairs Medical Center, Emory University, Georgia Institute of Technology
FK506 Induces in vitro Osteogenic Differentiation of Human Mesenchymal Stem Cells and in an in vivo Ectopic Mineralization in a Rat Subcutaneous Implantation Model

2:40 p.m. – Kent Leach, Ph.D. – University of California, Davis
Cell-secreted ECMs as Bioactive Platforms for Osteogenic Grafts

3:00 p.m. – Brendan Harley, Sc.D. – University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign
Accelerating Osseointegration and Regenerative Healing of Craniofacial Bone Defects

3:20 p.m. - Break

SESSION VIII
Session Chair – Johnna Temenoff, Ph.D. – Georgia Tech / Emory University 

3:30 p.m. – Keynote Presentation – Kapil Bharti, Ph.D. – National Eye Institute, National Institutes of Health
Autologous iPS Cell Therapy for Macular Degeneration: From Bench-to-Bedside

4:00 p.m. – Keith March, M.D., Ph.D. – University of Florida
Adipose Stem Cell Conditioned Medium Promotes Recovery of hiPSC Derived Cardiomyocytes in an in vitro Transplantation Model

4:20 p.m. – Todd Sulchek, Ph.D. – Georgia Institute of Technology
Microfluidics Technologies to Biophysically Isolate Retinal Precursor Cells from iPS Cell Cultures

4:40 p.m. – Debate Reception

4:55 p.m. – Debate - “Will ‘Human Organ-On-Chips’ Ever Go Mainstream?”
Panelists: Edward Botchwey, Ph.D. - Georgia Institute of Technology / Emory University (Moderator); Kacey Marra, Ph.D. - University of Pittsburgh; Stephen Duncan, D. Phil.  - Medical University of South Carolina                     

6:15 p.m. – Take shuttles to conference dinner

6:30 - 9:00 p.m. – Conference Dinner – Citadel Beach House - PURCHASE GUESTS TICKET by March 11


Day 4 – SATURDAY, MARCH 23, 2019

7:30 a.m. – Continental Breakfast

SESSION IX
Session Chair – Keith March, M.D., Ph.D. – University of Florida

8:00 a.m. – Young Investigator Postdoctoral Award Winner – Matthew Wolf, Ph.D. – Johns Hopkins University
Cancer Immunotherapy in the ECM Scaffold Microenvironment: The Intersection of Regenerative Medicine and Oncology

8:20 a.m. – Cynthia Giver, Ph.D. – Emory University, Winship Cancer Institute
Immunoengineering: Modulating Gut Epithelial Integrity and Decreasing Inflammation with a Small Molecule Tryptophan Derivative

8:40 a.m. – Ross Marklein, Ph.D. – University of Georgia
Creation of Morphological Landscapes using High Content Imaging to Identify Optimal Preconditioning Strategies that Enhance MSC Immunosuppression

9:00 a.m. – Kah Whye Peng, Ph.D. – Mayo Clinic
Using NIS Reporter Gene Imaging for Longitudinal Noninvasive Tracking of Therapies in Preclinical and Clinical Studies

9:20 a.m. – Break

SESSION X
Session Chair – Ipsita Banerjee, Ph.D. – University of Pittsburgh

9:50 a.m. – Keynote Presentation – Melissa Carpenter, Ph.D. – Carpenter Consulting Group
Stem Cells in Translation: From the Bench to the Bedside

10:20 a.m. – Nadja Zeltner, Ph.D. – University of Georgia
Modeling Disease of the Peripheral Nervous System

10:40 a.m. – Sarah Stabenfeldt, Ph.D. – Arizona State University
Transient Blood-brain Barrier Disruption Enables Nanotherapeutics after Brain Injury

11:00 a.m. – Samir Ballesta, M.D. – Emory University School of Medicine
Improving Cleft Palate Repair using FTY720 Local Delivery

11:20 a.m. – Keynote Presentation – Steven Bauer, Ph.D. – U.S. Food and Drug Administration
Developing Strategies to Improve Characterization and Translation of Cell-based Regenerative Medicine Products

11:50 a.m. – Closing Remarks, CONFERENCE ADJOURNS