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From stem cells to human development

Date: 25 – 28 September 2016

Location: Southbridge Hotel & Conference Center, Massachusetts, USA

Organisers: Olivier Pourquié, Benoit Bruneau, Gordon Keller and Austin Smith

Our understanding of human embryonic development is limited by the experimental inaccessibility of the system. Thus, we have been forced to make assumptions about how humans develop based on our knowledge of other mammals, especially the mouse. However, the recent explosion in stem cell research, particularly the generation of human pluripotent stem cells and the development of organoid culture systems, has provided new opportunities for investigating lineage choice, cell differentiation, tissue organisation and even organ morphogenesis using human cells. Such work promises not only to provide a more complete knowledge of our own developmental origins, but also to inform our efforts to understand and treat developmental disorders and, perhaps most importantly, to help bring regenerative therapies to the clinic.

Following on from our highly successful inaugural meeting in 2014, the second in this series of meetings ‘From stem cells to human development’ brought together scientists with a common interest in understanding human development using stem cell systems. Topics that were discussed included the regulation of pluripotency and differentiation, development of the major lineages and tissue morphogenesis, as well as translational aspects of human stem cell research.

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From stem cells to human development
25 – 28 September 2016
Southbridge Hotel, Southbridge, MA, USA