International Workshop on Stem Cell Differentiation: the Influence of Biomaterials and Biomechanics, Shanghai, China, March 13-15, 2013

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1258916Ou-YangIntellectual Merits:The objective of this proposal is to support a 3-day international workshop on stem cells in Shanghai, China during March 13th to 15th of 2013, entitled: Stem cell differentiation: The influence of biomaterials and biomechanics. The successful differentiation and maturation of stem cells is critical to many fields of basic and applied research, including stem cell biology, cell-based therapeutics and tissue engineering.There have been a variety of methods developed to modulate stem cell fate, including biochemical stimulation, biomechanical perturbation, and biomaterial modulation. These studies have revealed that the structure, development, and function of mammalian stem cells are significantly influenced by a wide variety of both extracellular and intracellular factors. In fact, the list of potential modulating factors is so broad that the research teams working in individual areas only rarely interact during scientific conferences. Therefore, this international workshop is proposed with the goal of integrating research groups working on theory, experimentation, and clinical translation of stem cell differentiation. This type of workshop will serve to present novel, current research and seed new ideas and collaborations to investigate the following:(i) How stem cell division is governed by the dynamic properties of individual molecules during mitosis, motility, and cell polarization.(ii) How these processes can be further enhanced by biomaterial design and biomechanical perturbation.(iii) How the current research in stem cell differentiation could be translated into clinical applications.(iv) Contrast cultural and governmental attitudes toward stem cell research and the impact on government fundingBroader Impact:The conference will bring together a group of about 75 international researchers and graduate students from the US, Europe and South East Asia to China that have an interest, exposure and/or training in interdisciplinary research but who are not necessarily experts in multiples areas or techniques of stem cells. The conference grant will support 15 investigators, including junior faculty members, and provide travel awards to support approximately 10 graduate students and postdoctoral fellows from the US to participate the workshop. The workshop will be organized into morning and afternoon sessions with invited speakers who are experts in cell biology, biophysics, biochemistry, microscopy, genetics and theoretical modeling. The goal is to have more than 30% of women invited speakers and participants. Applicants who are minorities and/or persons with disabilities will be selected for these travel awards. This conference will fulfill an important goal of encouraging international student education by facilitating interactions of graduate students from diverse areas with each other and serve as a platform to highlight undergraduate research collaborations resulting from REU/RET programs. The organizers plan to publish a report summarizing the novel ideas and collaborations that developed during the meeting.