Dear Colleagues and Friends,

On behalf of the Organization Committee of the 15th Symposium “Advances in Stem Cell Transplantation”, jointly organized by the University of California San Diego and the Ruprecht-Karls-Universität of Heidelberg, may we extend a cordial invitation to you to join us at the upcoming Meeting to be held from November 18 – 20, 2010 at the University of Heidelberg, Germany.

This Symposium with the main theme “Stem Cell Research: Opportunities and Risks” is a very special occasion as this is part of the Official Celebration for the 625th Anniversary of the University of Heidelberg, the oldest existing German speaking university, founded in 1386.

For the Department of Medicine V (Hematology, Oncology and Rheumatology) of the Medical Center of the University of Heidelberg, this also marks the 25th Anniversary of one of the world-wide first successful blood stem cell transplantations, performed in 1985 at our Division of Bone Marrow Transplantation.

The Opening Ceremony will be held at the historic Alte Aula of the University with Key Note Lectures on the role of stem cell research and biotechnology in public policy and as an integra-ting force for modern democracies. This will be followed by sessions on advances in clinical stem cell transplantation on the next day, November 19, 2010 in the Lecture Hall of the Department of Internal Medicine. The focus of the sessions on November 20, 2010 will be on future perspectives of stem cell research.

We greatly look forward to welcoming you to Heidelberg.

With kindest regards,

Target Audience

This course is designed for researchers and clinicians in Hematology/Oncology who work in the field of Stem Cell Transplantation. 

Objectives

The overall goal of this program is to enable participants to improve the long-term outcome of subgroups of patients with malignant diseases and chronic disorders that are thus far characterized by poor prognosis.

At the conclusion of the conference, participants should be able to:

1. Identify the key criteria for selection of patients who will benefit from blood stem cell or marrow transplantation
2. Examine the key elements for providing optimal intensive care for patients undergoing transplantation
3. Test, refine and implement strategies for improving outcome for patients with lymphoid and myeloid malignancies
4. Understand new research in stem cell technology for future development in regenerative medicine

Needs Assessment

It is estimated that with a rapidly aging society in all the industrialized countries, the incidences of cancer, especially leukemia, myelodysplasia and lymphoid malignancies, as well as degenerative diseases will increase exponentially.

The advancement made in the past two decades has on the other hand significantly improved the detection and identification of the molecular mechanisms underlying the malignant transformation for specific types of cancer. Some of these disease entities can be treated successfully with drugs that target the ultimate cause of cancer development. Prognostic factors have been defined that will facilitate the choice of patients who will benefit from autologous or allogeneic transplantation. Finally, new drugs and strategies have been developed that have rendered the procedure of stem cell transplantation much safer, especially for elderly patients. Simultaneously, it is expected that stem cell technology will benefit patients with degenerative disorders in the next five to ten years. Thus, there is an urgent need for the public to be informed.