REGISTER | SCHEDULE | SPEAKERS | LIGHTNING TALKS |SPONSORS | COVID INFO
The IRM is excited to announce that we are partnering with the Institute for Immunology (IFI) for our fall 2021 symposium, Stem Cells & the Immune System: At the Crossroads of Regeneration. This hybrid in-person/virtual event will feature external speakers and Penn scientists discussing a rapidly emerging question: how does the immune system influence regeneration throughout the body?
Recent studies have pointed to a role for the cells of the immune system in modulating stem cell activity in a number of different tissues: T cells infiltrating neurogenic niches; inflammation mediating alveolar regeneration; macrophages providing transient muscle stem cell niches and more. Our fall symposium will explore these and related topics, focusing on the impact on stem cell biology.
Penn/CHOP faculty, postdocs, students, and staff are invited to join us in person in the Smilow Rubenstein Auditorium and Commons. Need directions to Smilow? Click here.
Schedule
Download the current schedule.
Speakers
Anne Brunet, Ph.D. (Stanford University) – Mechanisms of stem cell aging
Shruti Naik, Ph.D. (New York University) – Eavesdropping on the conversation between immune cells and epithelia during tissue repair
Joo-Hyeon Lee, Ph.D. (University of Cambridge) – Inflammation shapes lung regeneration
Peter Currie, Ph.D. (Monash University) – The role of a transient macrophage stem cell niche during skeletal muscle repair
Sina Bartfeld, Ph.D. (University of Würzburg) – Infection, innate immune signaling and cancer in the gut – organoids as model
Kara Spiller, Ph.D. (Drexel University) – Immunomodulatory biomaterials in regenerative medicine
Allie Greenplate, Ph.D. (University of Pennsylvania Immune Health Project) – Immune Health: tracking coordinated systems to direct patient care
Songtao Shi, DDS, Ph.D. (University of Pennsylvania) – TBD
Rumela Chakrabarti, Ph.D. (University of Pennsylvania) – Nurturing role of macrophages in mammary gland development
Lightning talks
Students and postdocs: we are looking for lightning talk presenters! Lightning talks are 90 second, 1 slide “pitches” of your work to the gathered audience. If you are conducting research into an area related to our symposium theme, submit an abstract to yaroshc@pennmedicine.upenn.edu by Friday, October 22 at 5 PM. Abstracts must include a title, authors and affiliations, and no more than 250 words describing the research.
COVID-19 Information
In compliance with all University of Pennsylvania and City of Philadelphia guidelines, this symposium is subject to the following COVID-19 procedures:
- All in-person attendees must be vaccinated against COVID-19. You must attest to your vaccination status on the registration form. Please attend virtually if you are not vaccinated or do not wish to disclose your status.
- All in-person attendees must wear masks.
- Email contact information will be collected in case contact tracing is required.
The IRM will update all registrants if policies and procedures change. Please check this space in advance of the event for the latest information. Current University of Pennsylvania and City of Philadelphia coronavirus are available on the linked websites. If you have any questions, please contact Chris Yarosh, IRM Associate Director (yaroshc@pennmedicine.upenn.edu).
Sponsors
Thank you to our generous sponsors:

IRM Faculty members only. Information about call details or room location will be emailed 1 week prior to the lunch. Please contact Diona Cashioli (diona.cashioli@pennmedicine.upenn.edu) if you have any questions.

IRM Faculty members only. Information about call details or room location will be emailed 1 week prior to the lunch. Please contact Diona Cashioli (diona.cashioli@pennmedicine.upenn.edu) if you have any questions.
IRM Faculty members only. Information about call details or room location will be emailed 1 week prior to the lunch. Please contact Diona Cashioli (diona.cashioli@pennmedicine.upenn.edu) if you have any questions.

IRM Faculty members only. Information about call details or room location will be emailed 1 week prior to the lunch. Please contact Diona Cashioli (diona.cashioli@pennmedicine.upenn.edu) if you have any questions.

IRM Faculty members only. Information about call details or room location will be emailed 1 week prior to the lunch. Please contact Diona Cashioli (diona.cashioli@pennmedicine.upenn.edu) if you have any questions.
ABOUT | REGISTER | DIRECTIONS | PROGRAM | ABSTRACTS |
About
The annual IRM retreat will be held on April 27, 2022 from 12-5 PM (with happy hour to follow) at the Franklin Institute Museum of Science in Philadelphia! We hope to see you all for this in-person afternoon of highlights from IRM labs, discussion about future research initiatives, and welcoming of new IRM faculty. The IRM retreat is open to any faculty, staff, postdocs, and students from Penn/CHOP interested in regenerative medicine research.
Directions
The Franklin Institute is located at 222 N 20th St, Philadelphia, PA 19103. Complete information about directions and ways to get there are posted on the FI website.
If you’re walking or taking public transportation, please enter through the business entrance, street level to the right of the main steps. From there, take the elevator to floor 3 to reach Pepper Hall (if you’re able to join us before 1:30 PM) or proceed directly the Franklin Theater (floor 1) if you need to arrive later. Security guards and staff will provide directions if you need them!
If you’re driving, parking is available at the FI’s garage at a cost of $20. The GPS location is 271 North 21st Street
Philadelphia, PA 19103. Please take the elevator to floor 3 if arriving in time for lunch or floor 1 if you are coming after 1:30 PM.
Program
Click here to download a PDF version of the retreat schedule.
Abstracts
Thank you to everyone who submitted abstracts or applied for lightning talk spots. Submissions are now closed.
Students and postdocs: we are looking for lightning talk and poster presenters!
Lightning talks are 90 second, 1 slide “snapshots” of your work to the gathered audience. If you are interested, submit an abstract to yaroshc@pennmedicine.upenn.edu by 5 PM on Monday, April 18. Abstracts must include a title, authors and affiliations, and no more than 250 words describing the research. Any topic related to the broad themes of stem cell biology, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine is welcome!
If you are interested in presenting a poster, email your name, poster title, and affiliations to Chris Yarosh (yaroshc@pennmedicine.upenn.edu) by Monday, April 18 at 5 PM. Poster presenters do not need to submit abstracts unless you are interested in being selected for a lightning talk spot.

IRM Faculty members only. Information about call details or room location will be emailed 1 week prior to the lunch. Please contact Diona Cashioli (diona.cashioli@pennmedicine.upenn.edu) if you have any questions.

IRM Faculty members only. Information about call details or room location will be emailed 1 week prior to the lunch. Please contact Diona Cashioli (diona.cashioli@pennmedicine.upenn.edu) if you have any questions.