2023 SCARE Schedule

SUNDAY, OCTOBER 1

Optional Workshop: Basics of Cell Culturing
Gloria Perez, Michigan State University (Meet in Loeb 306)

EEO Information and Logistics
Biosafety, Regulatory Restrictions, Student Surveys & Team Assignments Warren Vieira, Magee Women’s Research Institute.

Brief Overview of Stem Cells, Directed Differentiation and iPSCs
Warren Vieira, Magee Women’s Research Institute.

Introduction to Stem Cells and Regeneration in Planarian Flatworms
David Forsthoefel, Oklahoma Medical Research Foundation (OMRF) & University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center

MONDAY, OCTOBER 2

Skin Regeneration
Jeff Biernaskie, University of Calgary

Pluripotent Stem Cells and Interspecies Organogenesis
Jun Wu, UT-Southwestern

Coffee Break (Quadrangle Tent, outside Loeb)

Pre-Lab Prep: hESC Differentiation
Instructor: Diane Carlisle. TA: Stacy Yeh, University of Pittsburgh.
Students will differentiate hESC into their cell lineage of choice. On Day 1, trainees will begin differentiation of their own dish of human iPSCs as well as propagate a plate of iPSCs. Medium will need to be changed on student’s own time on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Thursday following instructions in the lab binder.

Founder’s Luncheon (Swope Private Dining Room)
With Jerry Schatten, University of Pittsburgh (Group 1)

Lab 1: Deriving Mouse Embryonic Stem Cells by Immunosurgery
Instructor: Cal Simerly. TA: Shanae Butler & Mitch Harancher. Magee Women’s Research Institute
Students will learn how to isolate the inner cell mouse cells (ICM) from expanded blastocysts using the antibody: complement technique and transfer isolated ICMs for deriving mouse embryonic stem cells.

Lab 2: Regeneration in Planarians
Instructor: David Forsthoefel; TA: Matt Delaney, OMRF
Students will observe regeneration in living planarians, visualize neoblast (stem cell) proliferation in regenerating fragments, and then design experiments to test planarians' regenerative capacity and the requirement for proliferation.

TUESDAY, OCTOBER 3

Lecture: Using the Mexican Axolotl to Unlock the Secrets of Limb Regeneration
Kate McCusker, University of Massachusetts - Boston

Lecture: Bottom-Up Islet Engineering
Quinn Peterson, Mayo Clinic

Founder’s Luncheon (Swope Private Dining Room)
With Jerry Schatten, University of Pittsburgh (Group 2)

Lab 1: Regeneration in Salamanders: limb regeneration Instructors: Kate McCusker, University of Massachusetts, Boston. TA: Shauna Kelly, University of Massachusetts, Boston
Students will use the Accessory Limb Model to study cell cycle dynamics.

Lab 2: Pancreatic Islet Engineering
Instructor: Quinn Peterson. TA: Sean Lewis. Mayo Clinic
Students will take pluripotent stem cell derived islet spheroids, disperse, and reaggregate them into designer endocrine spheroids.

Lecture: Investigating Mitochondrial Mechanisms of Neurodegeneration using Patient-Specific Neurons
Diane Carlisle, University of Pittsburgh

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 4

Founder’s Luncheon (Swope Private Dining Room)
With Jerry Schatten, University of Pittsburgh (Group 3)

Lab: Spatial RNA sequencing
Instructors: Mimi Sammarco, Tulane University; Robert Tower, University of Texas - Southwestern; 10X Representatives

Stem Cell and Regeneration Research Funding
Ravi Ravindranath, NIH/NICHD

Career Mentoring Discussion
Q&A panel facilitated by Jennifer Morgan, Warren Vieira, and other course faculty.

THURSDAY, OCTOBER 5

Lecture: Large Animal Models for Germ Cell Research
Ina Dobrinski, University of Calgary

Lecture: Translating Spermatogonial Stem Cell Transplantation to the Clinic
Kyle Orwig, University of Pittsburgh

Lecture: Derivation of Functional Spermatids from Pluripotent Stem Cells
Chas Easley, University of Georgia

Free Afternoon to Explore Woods Hole and the Vineyard

Lecture: CNS Regeneration in Non-Mammalian Vertebrates
Ava Udvadia, Appalachian State University

FRIDAY, OCTOBER 6

BIOETHICS LECTURE: Ethical and Social Aspects of Gene Editing
Erika Kleiderman, University of Montreal School of Public Health

Lecture: Picking your favorite - Cell identification and Selection Strategies in Human Neural Stem Cell Biology
Jan Pruszak, Paracelsus Medical University (PMU), Austria

Course Photo – Wear your T-shirts!
Meet in Loeb 1st floor Lobby. Photo Location TBA depending on weather

Founder’s Luncheon (Swope Private Dining Room)
With Jerry Schatten, University of Pittsburgh (Group 4)

Lab 1: hESC Pluripotency & Differentiation
Instructor: Diane Carlisle. TA: Stacy Yeh, University of Pittsburgh.
Students will check the pluripotency of hESC using a live cell stain and also determine the quality of our week-long directed differentiation using immunofluorescent staining.

Lab 2: Isolating & Characterizing Neural stem cells using FACS Strategy
Instructor: Jan Pruszak. Paracelsus Medical University (PMU) TA: Gloria Perez. Michigan State University
In this laboratory, students will learn the techniques for isolating specific
PSC-derived subsets of therapeutic and scientific relevance using flow cytometry.

Dinner

SATURDAY, OCTOBER 7

9:15 AM

SCARE Alumni Mini Symposium
Introduction: Ina Dobrinski/Chas Easley

9:30 AM

Lecture: Unlocking the potential of induced pluripotent stem cells in vascular regenerative medicine
Katie Hekman, Emory University School of Medicine

Lecture: The Eyes Have It: Corneal stem cells and more
Jena Chojnowski, Winthrop University

Keynote Alumni Lecture: A Human Neuronal Model for Studying Efficacy of Therapeutics for Reversal of Dementia-Associated Neuropathology Induced by Amyloid-Β Peptides
Lubna Tahtamouni, The Hashemite University

Lab 1: Finish all ongoing experiments
Instructors: Cal Simerly, Shanae Butler: Check on mESC derivation.
Instructors: David Forsthoefel, Matt Delaney: Evaluate planarian regeneration
Instructors: Kate McCusker, Shauna Kelly: Image blastemas.
Instructor: Mimi Sammarco, Robert Tower. Bioinformatic analysis

Lab 2: Finish all ongoing experiments
Instructors: Quinn Peterson, Sean Lewis: Students will take pluripotent stem cell derived islet spheroids, disperse, and reaggregate them into designer endocrine spheroids.

Pioneer Lecture: Self Organization of Stem Cells into Embryos
Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz (University of Cambridge & California Institute of Technology)

Presentation of Pioneer Award and Student Certificates
Ina Dobrinski, Chas Easley