Farmington will be the site of a March 22 scientific symposium focused on discoveries in stem cell research that is expected to draw more than 600 researchers and bioscience investors from around the world.
The day-long StemCONN 2011 session is set for March 22 at the Farmington Marriott Hotel.
This will be the third biennial forum sponsored by Connecticut United for Research Excellence (CURE) the state Department of Public Health, and three Connecticut universities involved in stem cell research– the University of Connecticut Stem Cell Institute, Wesleyan and the Yale Stem Cell Center.
Connecticut is one of the few states that has committed public money — $100 million – to fund stem cell research.
To accommodate attendees’ interests, the hotel will be the site of the scientific session, while a concurrent session focused on commercializing the science will take place at UConn Health Center in Farmington, officials said.
The commercial session features Caroline Dealy of Chondrogenics and UConn and Connecticut venture capital investor Timothy Shannon, M.D. of Canaan Partners in Westport. It also includes a tour of UConn’s Cell and Genome Sciences Building.
World-renowned stem cell researchers slated as speakers are Fiona Doetsch of Columbia University, Kevin Eggan of Harvard University, and Shahin Rafii of Cornell University.
Connecticut scientific speakers include Gordon Carmichael of UConn and Valerie Horsley and Laura Niklason of Yale.
StemCONN’s first session in 2007 drew some 750 attendees from around the world, said spokesman Bill Kelly. The second, in 2009, drew around 600.
For more information, visit http://stemconn.org/.
