JOHNS HOPKINS LAUNCHES STEM CELL WEB DOCUMENTARY

Multi-media Production Dovetails with 2009 World Stem Cell Summit in Baltimore.

September 21, 2009- Johns Hopkins Medicine, a co-host of the 2009 World Stem Cell Summit, is telling a comprehensive stem cell story via a new interactive Web site http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/stem_cell_research/ on which its researchers and clinicians collectively describe their explorations into stem cell biology and engineering.

The production, which launches today, emphasizes applications of stem cell technologies in regenerative medicine and underscores the collaborative effort that is fundamental to translational research.

Highlights of the site include everything from a narrated timeline of stem cell research to a video feature of a Hopkins patient, physician and bench scientist who are linked by stem cell research as it relates to Parkinson’s Disease.

Hopkins experts also weigh in on state-of-the-art issues of ethics and safety as they apply to stem cells.

The World Stem Cell Summit, which takes place Sept. 21-23 at the Baltimore Convention Center, brings together more than 100 speakers—governors, federal officials, top researchers and scientists— who will present and discuss new federal stem cell policies, scientific breakthroughs and human interest stories to an audience of more than 1,200 experts from more than 25 countries and across the United States.

Speakers include: Linzhao Cheng, Ph.D., associate professor of obstetrics and gynecology, Johns Hopkins Institute for Cell Engineering; Chi V. Dang, M.D., Ph.D., vice dean for research, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine; Valina Dawson, Ph.D., professor, Department of Neurology, Neuroscience and Physiology, Institute for Cell Engineering; Jennifer Elisseeff, Ph.D., associate professor of biomedical engineering, Johns Hopkins University.

Also speaking: Richard J. Jones, M.D., professor of oncology and medicine, director of the Bone Marrow Transplantation Program and co-director of the Hematologic Malignancies Program at the Sidney Kimmel Comprehensive Cancer Center at Johns Hopkins.Also, Jeffrey D. Rothstein, M.D., Ph.D., co-director, Brain Science Center, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine.

The speakers also include: Hongjun Song, Ph.D., associate professor of neurology, Institute for Cell Engineering, Johns Hopkins University; Jeremy Sugarman, M.D., M.P.H., M.A., Harvey M. Meyerhoff Professor of Bioethics and Medicine, Johns Hopkins Berman Institute of Bioethics and Department of Medicine; and Wesley D. Blakeslee, J.D., executive director, Johns Hopkins Technology Transfer, Johns Hopkins University.

The World Stem Cell Summit is the only conference that combines this mix of researchers, policymakers, business leaders, and ethics and legal advocates to share, explore and discuss the latest breakthroughs and advancements in the emerging field of stem cells.

Demonstrations and discussions will range from tracking how reprogrammed stem cells (iPSCs) might complement the use of embryonic stem cells to stem cells used in regenerative medicine and how new devices such as stem cell integrated fluidic circuits might soon automate and simplify the entire process.

Follow the latest on the conference arrangements on the Web and Twitter.

Story possibilities will be posted by participating universities and agencies on the conference news blog.

Conference media contacts:
Alan Fernandez alan@genpol.org
Howard High howard.high@fluidigm.com; 650-266-6081 (office); 510-786-7378 (mobile)

On the Web:
Stem Cell Research at Johns Hopkins: http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/stem_cell_research/
Conference Web site: http://www.worldstemcellsummit.com
Conference Twitter site: http://twitter.com/wscs2009
Conference news blog: http://worldstemcellsummit.blogspot.com