PITTSBURGH, April 24 /PRNewswire/ -- More than 800 scientists, clinicians, entrepreneurs, investors, military and government officials, students and educators will convene April 25-27 at the Westin Convention Center, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania to explore the clinical, economic and societal implications of the emerging field of regenerative medicine at the Regenerate World Congress on Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine. The three-day event will feature plenary sessions, 160 oral presentations and more than 350 scientific posters - all representing leading-edge research in the fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine. Regenerate is presented by the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS), Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative (PTEI) and the Regenerative Medicine Foundation.
Scientific sessions will examine tissue engineering and regenerative medicine approaches to restoring the function of diseased or damaged tissues in virtually every organ system, including cardiovascular, orthopedic, neural, oral/craniofacial, and the immune system. Regenerate will concurrently explore platform/enabling technologies and the broader crosscutting challenges such as issues of pre-clinical and clinical studies, development of tissue constructs and scaffolds, and use of bioreactors and digitally enabled tissue engineering. Numerous sessions focus on the myriad complex issues related to cellular therapies - from cell characterization, tracking and sensing to integration of cells into natural and synthetic matrices.
This is the sixth annual Regenerate meeting, but the first as a World Congress, with participants representing more than 30 countries from five continents.
"Regenerate has been one of the field's leading scientific conferences for the past five years," said Alan J. Russell, PhD, Conference Chairman, PTEI Executive Director, and Director of the University of Pittsburgh McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine. "This year, PTEI is collaborating with TERMIS and the Regenerative Medicine Foundation to present this outstanding World Congress."
This year also represents the first time Regenerate will be co-located with another important scientific meeting. The annual meeting of the Society for Biomaterials takes place April 26 - 29, and organizers of both events have arranged a day of concurrent sessions on Thursday, April 27.
"These combined meetings will draw more than 2,000 for one of the most dynamic and far-reaching gatherings on the global issues affecting research and industry," said William Wagner, PhD, Regenerate Scientific Program Chairman, Associate Director of the McGowan Institute, and a leading biomaterials researcher. "Our goal is to advance tissue engineering/regenerative medicine science and foster interactions that may more rapidly result in new technologies that will benefit patients worldwide."
Complementing the scientific sessions are an array of special events, social activities, and the Regenerate Exposition, featuring 32 companies and organizations whose products and services impact the field. An expanded program for graduate and postdoctoral students highlights professional development opportunities.
For more information on Regenerate, including the full conference program, visit www.regenerate-online.com.
Pittsburgh Tissue Engineering Initiative
CONTACT: Anne Immekus, +1-412-242-9907, or mobile, +1-412-860-6709, orPatrick Cantini, mobile, +1-412-736-7264, both of the Pittsburgh TissueEngineering Initiative
Web site: http://www.regenerate-online.com//
