News

18.10.
2017

Cell therapies carry high dreams and expectations with them, based on a simple idea: to optimize the body’s own resources to eradicate diseases. Some are already available on the market, for instance to treat articular cartilage defect and to treat damaged corneas with limbal stem cells. But most of them are still in an early stage of development or in clinical trials – to treat cancer, heart failure, diabetes or prevent transplant rejection. The market size of the successful ones is expected to grow rapidly in the near future.

This year, the symposium “DECHEMA visits Berlin-Buch” will highlight the latest developments in the field of cell therapies.

Two international key notes, Steven A. Goldman from the University of Rochester, US, and Michele De Luca from the University of Modena, Italy, will present their work on stem cells for the therapy of neurodegenerative diseases and skin regeneration respectively. Further experts from industry and academia will present their current projects and challenges.

A poster session in the afternoon break and a get-together in the evening will provide plenty of time for networking.

Registration
The meeting is free of charge. You can register online on the DECHEMA website.

Call for Poster
You are cordially invited to present your project with a poster. We have only space for 30 posters! Please send your name and the title of your poster to Annett Krause (a.krause(at)bbb-berlin.de) as soon as possible.

Date: 18. October 2017

Program

13:00 Registration Open

Chair: Daniel Besser, German Stem Cell Network (GSCN)

13:30 Welcome, Christina Quensel, CEO of BBB Management GmbH Campus Berlin-Buch

13:45 Steven A. Goldman, Center for Translational Neuromedicine, University of Rochester Medical Center/Center for Basic and Translational Neuroscience, University of Copenhagen, Faculty of Health and Medical Sciences
Stem cell-based treatment and modeling of neuropsychiatric disease

14:15 Kai Pinkernell, Medigene AG
Transformation of a biotech company to a developer of innovative cell-based therapeutics

14:30 Elisa Kieback, Max Delbrück Center for Molecular Medicine in the Helmholtz Association
A clinical Phase I trial of MAGE-A1-specific T cell receptor gene therapy

14:45 Anna Nowak, Charité University Medicine Berlin/German Rheumatism Research Centre Berlin (DRFZ)
Purification of stable human Treg for improved generation of genetically engineered CAR-Treg

15:00 Dirk Gustavus, Zellwerk
Expansion of Immunocells for Therapy in a Perfusion Bioreactor System

15:15 Break with Poster session

16:45 Michele De Luca, University of Modena, Centre for Regenerative Medicine
Combined ex vivo cell and gene therapy of epidermolysis bullosa by transgenic epidermal stem cells

17:15 Giulietta Roël, co.don AG
Defining the manufacturing design of an autologous cell-based therapy for cartilage repair to improve its efficacy

17:30 Petra Reinke, Berlin-Brandenburg Center for Regenerative Therapies BCRT
BECAT - a new research cluster for cell and gene therapies

17:45 Christian Regenbrecht, cpo - cellular phenomics & oncology GmbH
Goodbye flat biology - the use of 3D cell cultures as pre-clinical models

18:00 Get-together

Background
Dr. Steven A. Goldman is the URMC Distinguished Professor of Neuroscience and Neurology. He is Chief of the Department's Division of Cell and Gene Therapy, and Co-Director of Rochester's Center for Translational Neuromedicine. In addition, he heads the section for Translational Neuroscience at the University of Copenhagen. Dr. Goldman is interested in cell genesis and neural regeneration in the adult brain, with a focus on the use of neural stem and progenitor cells in treating demyelinating and neurodegenerative diseases. His research focuses on the use of stem and progenitor cells for the treatment of neurodegenerative disorders such as Huntington's Disease, as well as for the treatment of glial diseases such as the pediatric leukodystrophies and multiple sclerosis. He is interested in identifying the expression patterns of the major categories of stem and progenitor cells and to use that information to define the signaling pathways that distinguish one progenitor from another, as well as those that distinguish brain tumor stem and progenitor cells from their normal counterparts.

Michele De Luca, MD is Full Professor of Biochemistry, Director, Centre for Regenerative Medicine “Stefano Ferrari”, University of Modena and Reggio Emilia, and Scientific Director of Holostem Terapie Avanzate S.r.l. Michele De Luca is internationally recognized as a leading scientist in stratified epithelial stem cell biology aimed at clinical application in regenerative medicine. He played a pivotal role in epithelial stem cell-mediated cell therapy and gene therapy. Beside his pioneering work on the use of human epidermal stem cell cultures in life-saving treatment of massive full-thickness burns and in repigmentation of stable vitiligo and piebaldism, he, and his principal collaborator Graziella Pellegrini, were first in establishing human urethral epithelia stem cell cultures aimed at urethra regeneration in posterior hypospadias and human limbal stem cell culture aimed at corneal regeneration in patients with severe limbal stem cell deficiency. This latter treatment leads to recovery of vision in patients with poor alternative therapy. He is currently coordinating several ex-vivo epidermal stem cell-mediated combined cell and gene therapy clinical trials for genetic skin diseases as Epidermolysis Bullosa.

The DECHEMA Satellite Meeting is organized by Berlin Partner for Business and Technology GmbH, the Campus Berlin-Buch and supported by DECHEMA e.V.

Venue: Max Delbrück Communications Center (MDC.C) C83, Axon 2, Campus Berlin-Buch, Robert-Rössle-Straße 10, 13125 Berlin