CELEBRATING 20 YEARS OF TRANSFORMATIVE STEM CELL RESEARCH

UCLA BSCRC Stem Cell Symposium

22nd Annual Stem Cell Symposium

Promotional poster for UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center's 22nd Annual Stem Cell Symposium on Friday, February 6, 2026. The background shows a fluorescence microscopy image of muscle cells fusing to form proto-muscle structures, or myotubes, with vibrant magenta and green coloring. Image credit: Tamas Nagy/Thomas Rando Lab.

Date: Fri, Feb 6, 2026, 8am - 5pm

Event type: In-person

Location: Covel Commons (Map)

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Registration

The Symposium is free and open to the public, but online registration is required. Please visit this link to register.

8:00-8:30am	Check-in Begins
8:30-8:45am	Welcome Remarks by Thomas Rando, M.D., Ph.D. Director, Eli and Edythe Broad Center of Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Research at UCLA
8:45-9:25am	Deepak Srivastava, M.D. "Cellular Reprogramming in Human Disease" Professor, Pediatric Developmental Cardiology; Pediatrics; Biochemistry and Biophysics President, Gladstone Institutes University of California, San Francisco Moderator: April Pyle, Ph.D.
9:25-10:05am	Aileen J. Anderson, Ph.D. "Listening to the Niche: How Neural Stem Cells Turn On, Tune In, and Drop Out" Vice Chancellor for Research, UC Irvine Professor, Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation; Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center University of California, Irvine Moderator: Thomas Rando, M.D., Ph.D.
10:05-10:30am	Coffee Break
10:30-11:10am	Megan McCain, Ph.D. "Engineering Microphysiological Systems to Model Human Cardiac Disorders" Associate Chair, Biomedical Engineering Professor, Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine; Biomedical Engineering University of Southern California Moderator: Steven Jonas, M.D., Ph.D.
11:10-11:50am	Sergiu P. Pasca, M.D. "Instructions Included: Assembling Human Neural Circuits to Study Disease and Develop Therapeutics" Bonnie Uytengsu and Family Director, Stanford Brain Organogenesis Program Professor, Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences Stanford University Moderator: S. Lawrence Zipursky, Ph.D.
11:50am-2:00pm	Lunch and Poster Session
2:00-2:40pm	Shin Kaneko, M.D., Ph.D. "Generation of Therapeutic T Cells from iPS Cells" Deputy Director, Center for iPS Cell Research and Application Professor, Center for iPS Cell Research and Application Kyoto University Moderator: Gay Crooks, M.D.
2:40-3:10pm	Linda M. Liau, M.D., Ph.D., MBA "The Next Frontier of Surgical Neuro-Oncology: Cells, Vaccines, and Viruses" Professor and Chair, Neurosurgery, Director, UCLA Brain Tumor Program University of California, Los Angeles Moderator: S. Thomas Carmichael, M.D., Ph.D.
3:10-3:30pm	Coffee Break
3:30-4:10pm	Sonja Schrepfer, M.D., Ph.D. "Hypoimmune Cell Therapy From Mice to Men" Professor, Surgery; Regenerative Medicine Institute Cedars-Sinai Medical Center Moderator: William Lowry, Ph.D.
4:10-4:50pm	Andras Nagy, M.D., Ph.D. "Engineering the Future of Cell Therapy: Strategies for Optimized, Safe, and Universal Off-The-Shelf Stem Cell Products" Senior Scientist, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute Professor, Obstetrics and Gynaecology; Institute of Medical Science University of Toronto Moderator: Lili Yang, Ph.D.
5:00-6:00pm	Reception

Organizing Committee

Gay M. Crooks, M.D.

Professor, Pathology and Laboratory Medicine

Steven Jonas smiles in a UCLA lab.

Steven J. Jonas, M.D., Ph.D.

Assistant Professor, Pediatrics

BSCRC director Thomas Rando smiles at the camera and sports a grey suit jacket.

Thomas A. Rando, M.D., Ph.D.

Director, UCLA Broad Stem Cell Research Center

S. Lawrence Zipursky, Ph.D.

Distinguished Professor, Biological Chemistry

The Symposium is supported by a generous Endowment from the Margaret M. Bloomfield Family Foundation.