Connecticut for the win! Who wants to go?
"International Stem Cell Symposium"
June 20, 2006;
Scientific Presentations and Televised Public Forum
to Highlight March 27-28th Event
June 14, 2006; Hartford, CT (PRNewswire) -- An international
symposium, StemCONN 07, will bring the worldwide stem-cell research
community to Connecticut March 27-28, 2007. Included in the two-day
event are scientific presentations by leading authorities, a public
forum broadcast live on Connecticut Public Television, sessions on
commercialization, economic development and bioethics, and a briefing
for legislators and the media.
Connecticut joined the international stem-cell research
community on June 15, 2005, when Governor M. Jodi Rell signed
legislation authorizing $100 million in support of stem-cell
research over the next ten years. "As a national leader in stem-cell
research and public policy, Connecticut is a fitting location to hold
this important event," said Governor Rell. "We look forward to
hosting the world's stem cell community and to having a
spirited discussion of this promising science."
Organizing StemCONN 07 as Founding Partners are the Connecticut
Department of Public Health, the Connecticut Stem Cell Coalition,
and CURE (Connecticut United for Research Excellence), the state
bioscience organization, in collaboration with the University of
Connecticut, Wesleyan University and Yale University, and other
organizations such as the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation and
the Connecticut Academy of Science and Engineering.
"Connecticut's landmark legislation, combined with the vibrant
research environment at our universities and medical schools, have
positioned our state as an International Center of Excellence for
Stem Cell Research," said J. Robert Galvin, M.D., M.P.H.,
Commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Public Health and
Chairman of the Connecticut Stem Cell Research Advisory Committee.
"Stem cell research may one day lead to cures for a number of
debilitating diseases," said Milton Wallack, D.D.S., co-Chair of the
Connecticut Stem Cell Coalition. "The symposium will give top
scientists a chance to exchange ideas and keep the general public
informed of the latest advances."
"The symposium is one more example of the deepening interest in
Connecticut as a center of bioscience investment," said Paul R.
Pescatello, J.D., Ph.D., President and CEO of CURE.
StemCONN 07 will include five sessions organized by audience:
* A scientific session for members of the international stem cell
research community will feature presentations by world authorities
such as Douglas Melton, Ph.D., of Harvard University, Ian Wilmut,
Ph.D., of the University of Edinburgh, Rudolph Jaenisch, M.D., of
MIT, Arthur Caplan, Ph.D., of the University of Pennsylvania and
Catherine Verfaillie, M.D., of the University of Minnesota and the
Belgium Stem Cell Institute.
* The general public will be invited to participate in a public
forum broadcast live on Connecticut Public Television and featuring
an interactive discussion among international experts in the science
and ethics of stem cell research.
* A session on bioethics will be organized by Julius Landwirth,
M.D., J.D., of Yale University's Interdisciplinary Center for
Bioethics, for bioethicists and members of institutional review
boards and ESCRO committees.
* A session on economic development and commercialization
opportunities will be held for those interested in the economic
impact of Connecticut's stem cell initiative.
* A session for elected officials and the media will feature
presentations by leading stem cell researchers from Connecticut and
the region, highlighting current activities and collaborations.
For more information and to pre-register, visit
http://www.stemconn.org
