Synopsis

The 5th Growth Factors in Regeneration and Regenerative Medicine Fusion Conference aims to bring together researchers and clinicians from different disciplines with an interest in the function of growth factors and their downstream signalling molecules as mediators of tissue and organ repair and their modulation to promote regeneration. Because of the remarkable parallels between (i) tissue repair and development and (ii) tissue repair and cancer, the conference will also be of great interest to developmental biologists and cancer researchers. It will provide a unique opportunity for academic and industrial researchers and clinicians to meet each other in a stimulating environment and to discuss ongoing and novel collaborations and interdisciplinary research projects.

Key Sessions

• Growth factor functions in development and parallels to repair
• Growth factor functions in cancer and parallels to repair
• Cross-talk between growth factor and extracellular matrix signals
• Stromal-immune cell cross-talk in tissue repair and regeneration
• Growth factors in stem cell function
• Novel growth factor- based strategies to promote regeneration
• Growth factors in lung development, repair, and regeneration (joint session with 3rd Niche-epithelial Stem Cell Interactions in Lung Health and Disease Conference. More details coming soon)

Student Offer

Take advantage of this fantastic opportunity for students & postdocs! Fully paying 'single' or 'shared' registrants can bring a student for only $1,195. Both registration packages include; accommodation for the 14, 15, 16 February 2025 (on a shared basis for students) and a food and beverage package for the conference period. Once registered, please contact  Amy Johnson to obtain a special registration link for your student. 

Confirmed Invited Speakers

Stuart Forbes (The University of Edinburgh)
David Granville (University of British Columbia)
Farshid Guilak (Washington University in St. Louis)
Boris Hinz (St. Michael Hospital and University of Toronto)
Luisa Iruela-Arispe (Northwestern University)
Sachiko Iseki Tokyo Medical and Dental University)
Aaron Johnson (Washington University School of Medicine)
Megan Killian (University of Michigan)
Amy Merrill  (University of Southern California)
Paul Martin (University of Bristol)
Marian Ros (Universidad De Cantabria)
Maria Sibilia (Medical University of Vienna, Institute of Cancer Research)
Lukas Sommer (University of Zurich)
Erwin Wagner (Medical University of Vienna)
Tom Wynn (Pzfier)
Max Yun (TU Dresden)
Jin-San Zhang (Wenzhou Medical University)

Target Audience

Growth factors control survival, proliferation, migration, metabolic functions and the gene expression program of all cells in the body. Upon injury, expression of many growth factors increases, which activates reparative cells through increased proliferation and migration at the site of injury and production of repair-promoting molecules. The coordinated interplay among different growth factors and their cross-talk with other injury-relevant signals is essential for normal repair. While certain lower organisms have a strong regenerative capacity and can even regenerate amputated body parts, this capability is rudimentary in mammals where tissue injury most often results in scar formation with functional and aesthetical impairment. Therefore, there is a strong need to develop strategies to improve the repair/regeneration process. A detailed understanding of growth factor function in regenerating vs. non-regenerating tissues and organisms will help to design such strategies. Based on this knowledge, the application of growth factors to injured tissues or activation of major growth factor signaling pathways has a strong potential to improve tissue regeneration. Such approaches require not only the design of suitable molecules, but also their appropriate delivery. All these aspects will be addressed at the Fusion Conference. The meeting will therefore be of major interest to cell and developmental biologists, researchers and clinicians working in the area of tissue repair and regeneration, pharmacologists, and bioengineers as well as cancer researchers. We expect this meeting to attract people from academia, but also from various Biotechnology and pharmaceutical companies.
Growth factor research as well as tissue repair research are well represented at different places in the world, with major hubs in Europe, the US, and China. However, researchers from many other countries will also benefit from this conference.

Educational Need

Research on growth factor signalling pathways in stem cell biology, as mediators of tissue injury, and as potential therapeutics in regenerative medicine is rapidly progressing. Therefore, there is a critical need to bring together researchers from academia and from the Biotechnology and Pharmaceutical industries, and clinicians, to share ideas and establish collaborations to promote these clinically highly relevant topics. There is an additional need to educate new researchers on the recent progress in understanding growth factors as mediators of disease and their use as therapeutics for regenerative medicine.