ESTOOLS - Advances with human embryonic stem cells - World-leading stem cell researchers come to the Czech Republic
World-leading stem cell researchers come to the Czech Republic
NEWS: 23 May 2007
ESTOOLS first Annual Meeting and Public Symposium in Brno, Czech Republic
29 May - 1 June 2007
The ESTOOLS consortium of 20 laboratories across the European Research Area, joined by observers from Europe and North America, meets for three days of concentrated scientific exchange in Brno (Czech Republic) starting 29 May. Masaryk University and the Institute of Experimental Medicine is hosting the project’s first Annual Meeting and Public Symposium since the project, funded by the European Union’s 6th Framework Programme, set to work in August 2006. The project is advancing the fundamental understanding and biomedical application of human embryonic stem cells that will ultimately generate benefits in human healthcare.
Working with eight independent world-renowned scientists and ethics experts, the leading scientists from seventeen academic institutions and three biotechnology companies involved in ESTOOLS will exchange results so far and examine how best to tackle the tasks ahead in the four year project. The doors will open 1 June to those who pre-registered their interest, enabling those outside the consortium to hear lectures from the leaders of the ESTOOLS laboratories and their visiting colleagues.
Embryonic stem cells have enormous potential, not only in regenerative medicine for replacing damaged tissue in devastating diseases such as Parkinson’s disease and diabetes, but also for applications in drug discovery, toxicology and pharmacogenomics. They are also crucial in understanding the molecular mechanisms of early human development or the underlying processes that lead to serious clinical conditions ranging from infertility and birth defects to cancer.
The ESTOOLS project is generating knowledge on the fundamental processes governing stem cell self-renewal and differentiation and permit greater standardisation of research with human embryonic stem cells, not only in Europe but throughout the world. Under development are robust internationally-agreed standardised protocols and tools for growing and manipulating embryonic stem cell lines, and for monitoring their phenotypic, genetic and epigenetic stability. These will be eventually disseminated so that the wider scientific community can make the best use of the stem cell lines already existing.
ESTOOLS has been using its EU funding to train young researchers from across Europe to gain expertise in the field of human embryonic stem cells. A successful summer school, training course and laboratory visit programme is operating. An innovative fellowship scheme, allowing young researchers to train in the laboratories of some of Europe’s top human embryonic stem cell groups, will be launched at the Public Symposium in Brno on 1 June, where the first Fellowships will be announced.
Dr Petr Dvorak, of Masaryk University and the Institute of Experimental Medicine hosting the Annual Meeting, said: "This is a great opportunity to have in Mendel’s city of Brno the leading scientists in the field of human embryonic stem cell research. It comes at the right time as biomedicine in the region recently received the green light with the opening of a new research centre on the Masaryk University campus”.
The organisations and institutions involved in ESTOOLS are:
University of Sheffield UK
Stem Cell Sciences UK Ltd UK
University of Basel Switzerland
Hebrew University of Jerusalem Israel
University of Turku Finland
University of Bonn Germany
University of Milan Italy
Medical Research Council / University of Oxford UK
Spanish National Cancer Centre Spain
Axordia Ltd UK
Institute of Experimental Medicine Czech Republic
University of Lund Sweden
Karolinska Institute Sweden
Netherlands Cancer Institute Netherlands
University of Helsinki Finland
SCT Stem Cell Technologies Ltd Israel
University of Edinburgh UK
University of Technology Dresden Germany
University of Cambridge UK
Imperial College London UK
Information about ESTOOLS and the 1 June Public Symposium in Brno can be found at www.estools.eu. The media are welcome to join informal briefings by the leaders of ESTOOLS on 1 June 18.30-19.30 by emailing a request to symposium@estools.eu.
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The ESTOOLS project completed its 4 years of activity. This website remains online as a reference archive.
For hESC and iPSC news and information go to: www.eurostemcell.org
