The ISSCR’s VISION2030 Gathers Global Leaders in Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine to Chart the Next Decade of Breakthroughs
Biotech business innovators and scientific trailblazers converge for a must attend future-forward event 7-8 January 2021
Skokie, IL – The ISSCR’s VISION2030: A Forecast for the Field is bringing together biotech CEOs who have successfully transformed scientific breakthroughs into thriving businesses that are improving human health. Join us for in-depth executive interviews that explore the next decade for the field on 7-8 January 2021. The event comes at a pivotal moment in regenerative medicine and stem cell science as discovery, translation, and investment intersect. Register and see the full program.
Thursday, 7 January
12:00 to 17:30 EST (view your time zone)
12:00 EST
Welcome Remarks
Christine L. Mummery, ISSCR President / Leiden University Medical Center, Netherlands
Deepak Srivastava, Gladstone Institute/UCSF, USA l ISSCR Immediate Past President
Leonard I. Zon, Boston Children’s Hospital, USA l ISSCR Founder
12:15 EST
BlueRock Therapeutics Executive InterviewEmile Nuwaysir, President and Chief Executive Officer, BlueRock Therapeutics, USA
Lorenz Studer, Founding Scientist, BlueRock Therapeutics l Sloan Kettering Institute for Cancer Research, USA
VivianeTabar, Founding Scientist, BlueRock Therapeutics l Memorial Sloan Kettering Center, USA
Interviewed by ISSCR Board Member Arnold R. Kriegstein, University of California, San Francisco, USA
BlueRock Therapeutics is advancing their novel cell+gene platform to develop, manufacture, and deliver an entirely new generation of authentic and engineered cell therapies across three therapeutic areas: neurology, cardiology, and immunology.
12:45 EST
Surrozen Executive Interview
Craig Parker, Chief Executive Officer, Surrozen, USA
Claudia Janda, Princes Máxima Centrum, Netherlands l Surrozen Founder
Interviewed by ISSCR Past President Hans C. Clevers, Hubrecht Institute, Netherlands l Surrozen Founder
Surrozen is pioneering a new class of targeted regenerative antibodies to repair a broad range of tissues and restore organs damaged by serious disease.
13:25 EST
ElevateBio Executive Interview
Mitchell H. Finer, Scientific Founder and Chief Executive Officer, ElevateBio, USA
Melissa K. Carpenter, Chief Scientific Officer, ElevateBio, USA
Interviewed by ISSCR Board Member Martin F. Pera, The Jackson Laboratories, USA l Stem Cell Reports Editor-in-Chief
ElevateBio is accelerating the rate of innovation in cell and gene therapy with a disruptive capital-efficient model.
13:55 EST
STEMCELL Technologies Executive Interview
Allen C. Eaves, Scientific Founder l Chief Executive Officer, STEMCELL Technologies, Canada
Interviewed by ISSCR Board Member Valentina Greco, Yale University School of Medicine, USA
STEMCELL Technologies' mission is to advance the pursuit of scientific knowledge by supplying high quality, innovative reagents, tools, and services that enable life science research.
14:40 EST
Vertex Pharmaceuticals Executive Interview
Jeffrey Leiden, Executive Chairman, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, USA
Bastiano Sanna, Executive Vice President, Chief of Cell & Genetic Therapies & VCGT Site Head, Vertex Pharmaceuticals, USA
Interviewed by ISSCR Past President Douglas A. Melton, Scientific Founder, Semma Therapeutics, now Vertex Pharmaceuticals l Harvard University, USA
Vertex Pharmaceuticals is a global biotechnology company that invests in scientific innovation to create transformative medicines for people with serious diseases.
15:15 EST
FUTURECAST—STEMCELL Technologies, Inc.
Andrew Gaffney, Associate Director, iPSC and Differentiated Cells
Sponsored content
15:20 EST
Tenaya Therapeutics Executive Interview
Faraz Ali, Chief Executive Officer, Tenaya Therapeutics, USA
Deepak Srivastava, Scientific Founder, Tenaya Therapeutics l Gladstone Institute/UCSF, USA l ISSCR Immediate Past President
Interviewed by ISSCR Board Member Charles E. Murry, Institute for Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine, University of Washington/Sana Biotechnologies, USA
Tenaya Therapeutics is a company with a mission to discover, develop, and deliver curative therapies that target the underlying causes of heart disease.
16:00 EST
Fate Therapeutics Executive Interview
Scott Wolchko, President and Chief Executive Officer, Fate Therapeutics, USA
Leonard I. Zon, Scientific Founder, Fate Therapeutics l Boston Children’s Hospital, USA l ISSCR Founder
Interviewed by ISSCR Board Member Takanori Takebe, Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center, USA/Tokyo Medical and Dental University and Yokohama City University, Japan
Fate Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company dedicated to the development of next-generation cellular immunotherapies for cancer and immune disorders.
16:30 EST
Thought Leaders—Pivoting to the Future
Margaret A. Hamburg, Co-Chair, WHO Expert Advisory Group on Developing Global Standards for Governance and Oversight of Human Genome Editing and Global Standards for Governance and Oversight of Human Genome Editing l Former FDA Commissioner, USA
Rajiv Kaul, Sector Manager, Fidelity Select Biotechnology Portfolio and Fidelity Advisor Biotechnology Fund, USA
Andrew Plump, President, Research & Development, Takeda Pharmaceutical Company Limited and Member of the Board of Directors, USA
Jim Tananbaum, Founder and Chief Executive Officer, Foresite Capital, USA
Interviewed by ISSCR Immediate Past President Deepak Srivastava, Gladstone Institute/UCSF, USA
17:20 EST
Concluding Remarks
Christine Mummery, ISSCR President / Leiden University Medical Center, Netherlands
Friday, 8 January
Sponsored Industry Career Talks
12:00 -13:30 EST (view your time zone)
Join us as participating companies discuss how the future of the stem cell field will shape the future of our careers – new opportunities, paths, and challenges. Attendees will hear from talent recruitment leaders and scientists who will discuss the transition from academia to industry, how to make it, and what to expect.
12:00 EST
Welcome
Keith Alm, ISSCR Chief Operating Officer, USA
Julia Tischler, ISSCR Membership Committee l École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, EPFL, Switzerland
12:05 EST
STEMCELL Technologies, Inc.
Christine Genge, Manager, Recruitment
Nina Quiskamp, Scientist
Question and Answer moderated by Julia Tischler, ISSCR Membership Committee l École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, EPFL, Switzerland
12:35 EST
BlueRock Therapeutics
Timsi Rao, Genome Sciences, Immunology
Stephany Sakharny, Senior Human Resources Manager
Question and Answer moderated by Julia Tischler, ISSCR Membership Committee l École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, EPFL, Switzerland
13:05 EST
ElevateBio
Cherylene Plewa, Vice President, Cellular Engineering
Austin Thiel, Director Stem Cell Biology
Question and Answer moderated by Julia Tischler, ISSCR Membership Committee l École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne, EPFL, Switzerland
13:30 EST
Concluding Remarks
Keith Alm, ISSCR Chief Operating Officer, USA
Media are welcome to attend. Contact Kym Kilbourne at kkilbourne@isscr.org for access.
VISION2030 is sponsored by STEMCELL Technologies, BlueRock Therapeutics, ElevateBio, Agilent, Catalent, BioLamina and Third Rock Ventures.
About the International Society for Stem Cell Research (www.isscr.org)
With nearly 4,000 members from more than 60 countries, the International Society for Stem Cell Research is the preeminent global, cross-disciplinary, science-based organization dedicated to stem cell research and its translation to the clinic. The ISSCR mission is to promote excellence in stem cell science and applications to human health. Additional information about stem cell science is available at A Closer Look at Stem Cells, an initiative of the Society to inform the public about stem cell research and its potential to improve human health.