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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:

	Development, a leading primary research journal in the field of developmental biology, will be publishing a special issue, “The Immune System in Development and Regeneration,” in spring 2022. Don’t miss this special collection of research. More information can be found on the journal’s website.
	Penn’s Institute for Immunology seeks to advance our knowledge of the basic immunology of inflammation, autoimmunity, cancer, transplantation and infection and to translate this new knowledge to novel strategies for diagnosis, prevention and therapeutic intervention. You can read more about Penn’s home for immunologists on the IFI website.
	For over 30 years, Miltenyi Biotec has been a leader in the development of products that empower the advancement of biomedical research and enable cell and gene therapy. We provide innovative tools to help with your sample preparation, cell isolation, cell culture, and cell analysis needs. Our solutions are designed to support everything from basic research to translational research and clinical application for immunology, stem cell biology, neuroscience, and cancer.
	The founders of Lifeline® Cell Technology helped introduce Normal Human Cells Systems and Culture Media for research over 25 years ago. Lifeline® continues to be an industry leader by providing unequaled value through meticulous quality testing, constant innovation, and a passion to provide the best customer and technical care. Lifeline® Cell Technology (Lifeline®) specializes in the development and manufacture of purified primary human cells and optimized reagents for cell culture.

Open to all. Join us for this IRM-sponsored installment of the Distinguished Seminar Series, which features notable researchers from institutions around the world.

This week, we are hosting Margaret Goodell, Ph.D. from Baylor.

For questions about one-on-one meetings or trainee lunch with our speaker, please contact Diona Cashioli (diona.cashioli@pennmedicine.upenn.edu).

Open to all. Join us for this IRM-sponsored installment of the Distinguished Seminar Series, which features notable researchers from institutions around the world.

This week, we are hosting S. Lawrence Zipurksy from UCLA.

For questions about one-on-one meetings or trainee lunch with our speaker, please contact Diona Cashioli (diona.cashioli@pennmedicine.upenn.edu).

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.

Open to all Penn faculty, postdocs, students, and staff. Join us for this IRM-sponsored installment of the Distinguished Seminar Series, which features notable researchers from institutions around the world.

This week, we are co-hosting Ramin Shiekhatter with the Penn Epigenetics Institute.

For questions about one-on-one meetings or trainee lunch with our speaker, please contact Diona Cashioli (diona.cashioli@pennmedicine.upenn.edu).

REGISTER | SCHEDULE | SPEAKERS | ABSTRACTS | SPONSORS

The IRM will host our fall symposium, Convergent Mechanisms for Building and Breaking the Gut Barrier, on Tuesday, November 15, 2022 in the Smilow Center for Translational Research Rubenstein Auditorium and Commons. This in person event will explore several facets of the critical gut barrier niche, including the stem cell identities and developmental pathways that comprise the barrier, barrier regeneration, and the role of stem cells in malignant transformations.

We invite trainees to submit abstracts for posters and lightning talks!

Need directions to Smilow? Click here.

Schedule

Download a PDF version of our schedule.

Speakers

• Linda Samuelson, PhD (University of Michigan)
• Kelley Yan, MD, PhD (Columbia)
• Klaus Kaestner, PhD (Penn)
• Mike Verzi, PhD (Rutgers)
• Nicole Belle, MD, PhD (Penn)
• Maayan Levy, PhD (Penn)
• Luke Dow, PhD (Cornell)
• Omer Yilmaz, MD, PhD (MIT)

Abstracts

Students and postdocs: we are looking for lightning talk and poster 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 Diona.Cashioli@pennmedicine.upenn.edu by Friday, Nov 4 at 5 PM. Abstracts must include a title, authors and affiliations, and no more than 250 words describing the research.

Posters from trainees studying topics related to the symposium theme are welcome! Please submit your name, affiliations, authors, and title to Diona.Cashioli@pennmedicine.upenn.edu by Friday, Nov 4 at 5 PM. You do not need to submit a full abstract unless you wish to be considered for a lightning talk.

Sponsors

Thank you to our generous sponsors:

	The mission of the Center for Molecular Studies in Digestive and Liver Diseases (CMSDLD) is to unite investigators with interests in digestive and liver disease in the exploration of creative experimental approaches as well as to stimulate others to enter these areas of research. The scientific focus of the Center revolves around host-environmental interactions in digestive and liver disease research from bench to bedside.
	The Gastrointestinal Epithelium Modeling (GEM) Program is a collaborative research effort designed to accelerate discovery and innovation using patient-derived organoids (PDO). The GEM Program supports bi-directional, bench-to-bedside research with the goal of developing new therapies for pediatric gastrointestinal diseases. As part of the Division of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Nutrition, the GEM Program is comprised of scientists and clinicians committed to investigating the pathophysiology of diseases including eosinophilic esophagitis (EoE), inflammatory bowel disease (IBD), Hirschsprung disease and celiac disease.
	STEMCELL Technologies provides high-quality cell culture media, cell separation technologies, instruments, accessory products, and educational resources to scientists around the world working on stem cell, immunology, cancer, regenerative medicine, and cellular therapy research. STEMCELL Technologies is dedicated to improving lives through advanced knowledge and scientific discovery, through their commitment to fostering diversity and inclusion in STEM and the life sciences industry, and through investments in sustainability, community, and social responsibility.

Open to all Penn faculty, postdocs, students, and staff. Join us for this IRM-sponsored installment of the Distinguished Seminar Series, which features notable researchers from institutions around the world.

This week, we are co-hosting Danwei Huangfu with the Penn Epigenetics Institute.

For questions about one-on-one meetings or trainee lunch with our speaker, please contact Diona Cashioli (diona.cashioli@pennmedicine.upenn.edu).

Open to all Penn faculty, postdocs, students, and staff. Join us for this IRM-sponsored installment of the Distinguished Seminar Series, which features notable researchers from institutions around the world.

This week, we are hosting Joshua Mark Brickman.

For questions about one-on-one meetings or trainee lunch with our speaker, please contact Diona Cashioli (diona.cashioli@pennmedicine.upenn.edu).

ABOUT | REGISTER | DIRECTIONS | ABSTRACTS

About

The annual IRM retreat will be held on January 24, 2023 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 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.

Abstracts

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 via email to Rutvi, rutvi.ashar@pennmedicine.upenn.edu by 5 PM on Monday, January 16. 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 via email Rutvi, rutvi.ashar@pennmedicine.upenn.edu by 5 PM on Monday, January 16. Poster presenters do not need to submit abstracts unless you are interested in being selected for a lightning talk spot.