Researchers, clinicians, government health officials and biotechnology business specialists agree: The biggest challenge to delivering new therapies to patients is bridging the gulf between laboratory discoveries and clinical trials. Beckman Research Institute of City of Hope aims to speed the process by bringing together stem cell experts at an upcoming symposium at City of Hope.
 Stem cell therapies have begun entering clinical trials. (Image courtesy of Eugene Brandon/ViaCyte Inc/CIRM) |
“Innovative Partnerships: Bringing Stem Cell Discoveries to the Clinic” on Nov. 18 invites academic researchers from the U.S., Canada, Israel, Sweden and Germany as well as biotechnology counterparts and venture capitalists. Organized with the Consulate General of Canada in Los Angeles, the event focuses on improving strategies for advancing stem cell therapies with a focus on cancer stem cells and heart disease.
“Moving potential therapies from the laboratory into the clinic is expensive, labor-intensive and time-consuming, and involves dealing with complex government regulatory requirements,” said Arlene Chiu, Ph.D., director of City of Hope’s Office of New Research Initiatives. “We’ve invited experts with extensive experience to brainstorm more efficient ways of navigating the process.”
The group will include program officers from funding agencies such as the National Institutes of Health and the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine to examine the best avenues for supporting such complex efforts, she added.
The event is the second in what organizers hope will be an annual event that focuses on translational research in cell-based therapies. Last year, City of Hope partnered with the Consulate General of Sweden in Los Angeles to discuss state-of-the-art stem cell approaches for treating diabetes and neurologic disorders. This year’s event focuses on therapies for cancer stem cells and heart disease.
The symposium takes place in Cooper Auditorium from 8 a.m. to 5:30 p.m. Lunch will be provided for those who register before Nov. 12 by calling 800-333-6002 or through e-mail at eventsdept@coh.org.
