UK Stem Cell Network Conference 2025
16th-17th September 2025
Introduction
The original national UK Stem Cell Network provided a focal point for the community and supported early career researchers (ECRs) in stem cell science by providing opportunities to network and engage with stakeholders and leaders in the field at events close to home.
Conference Aims
The original UK National Stem Cell Network provided a focal point for the community and particularly supported early career stem cell researchers (ECRs) by providing opportunities to network and engage with stakeholders and leaders in the field at events close to home.
UK Stem Cell Network 25, aims to canvass the community and seek a mandate to reform this vital network, reconnecting a community to help retain the UK competitiveness in our field for the benefit of the UK society and economy.
ABSTRACT SUBMISSION CLOSED 14th JULY 25 - Our team are now reviewing all submissions and will be letting people know in the coming week!
Who should attend?
Whether you are a researcher, clinician, industry professional, policy maker, editor or funder, the UK Stem Cell inaugural meeting has something for you.
Come and hear new and exciting science from across the breadth of the UK, whether your interest is in disease models, gene expression, epigenetics, drug discovery, stem cell fate decisions or cell therapy development.
With a focus on excellent science and time for networking and collaboration building in our thriving exhibition hall, there will be something for everyone.
Programme Speakers
Paola Bonfanti - Keynote Speaker,
The Francis Crick Institute, London
Creating a functional human thymus from scratch: a stem cell story in the times of multi-omics.
Tilo Kunath,
University of Edinburgh
Harnessing human pluripotent stem cells to model and treat Parkinson’s disease
Madeline Lancaster,
LMB Cambridge
Understanding and overcoming stem cell differentiation bias
Adam Wilkinson,
Cambridge Stem Cell Institute
Ex vivo blood stem cell expansion: technology to biology
Ge Guo,
University of Exeter
Reconstruct human embryonic cell fate transition using stem cell models
Robert Hynds,
University College London
Epithelial stem cells and airway regenerative medicine.
Yaser Atlasi,
Queen's University Belfast
The epigenetic-metabolic crosstalk in pluripotent stem cells.
Chris Denning,
University of Nottingham
Stem cell models to unpick cardiovascular disease and evaluate drug safety
Nancy Papalopulu,
University of Manchester
Multiscale synthesis of dynamic gene expression in cell state transitions
There are five oral presentation slots available for submitted abstracts and 95 poster presentation opportunities that will be invited on a first come first served basis. ABSTRACT SUBMISSION CLOSED 14th JULY 25 - Our team are now reviewing all submissions and will be letting people know in the coming week!
Networking Opportunities
At its heart, this meeting aims to bring the community together to provide opportunities to meet new and existing colleagues and forge new collaborations and opportunities with academics and industry for community members at any stage of their career.
We have a thriving exhibitors hall which has been oversubscribed where poster presentations from ECRs will also be situated. There are plenty of opportunities on the programme to explore these and a dedicated Poster Session with drinks and canapes on Tuesday 16th. In addition, there are also extra opportunities to engage, some of which require a ticketed opt-in.
Translating Research: What does it take?
Kicking off on Tuesday 16th at 11:45, we will host a facilitated introduction to translational research. Matthew Smart from the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult will discuss what should be considered when taking a translational journey with a stem cell-based product. Then both Terri Gaskell, (CTO at Rinri Therapeutics) and Kate Cameron (CEO at Cytochroma) will present the research idea on which their respective companies are based, and the five-year journey that they had planned.
We hope you will consider their presented plans and use the meeting to discuss with experts in the field how you would approach your own journey (or a journey if you were in their shoes) then come back on Wednesday 17th at 1:30pm to hear where they are in that journey and what wisdom they have gained!
Terri Gaskell,
CTO Rinri Therapeutics
Kate Cameron,
CEO Cytochroma
Davide Danovi,
Goaldust Life Sciences
Zoe Hewitt,
Regen CTC
Matthew Smart,
CGT Catapult
Register your interest in attending at registration, please note space will be limited and be allocated on first come first served.
Evening Networking at Manchester Museum
After the poster session on Tuesday evening (16th), join us from 18:30 at the fabulous Manchester Museum, Fossils and Living Worlds exhibition for an evening networking event, grazing and drinks, with colleagues amongst the exhibitions. There may also be a few surprises.
The tickets for the evening are limited due to the capacity of the museum but are included in your early bird registration at no extra cost until the capacity is reached. After early bird, all networking tickets will be an add-on priced at £20 each.
Please indicate on your registration whether you intend to join the event or not (even if included free of charge) since with limited places, there will be a waiting list.
Fossils Gallery, Manchester Museum
Sponsored by:
Sponsored by:
Meet the Experts Breakfast
For our Early Career Researchers, the organisers are also planning a “Meet the Experts” breakfast that will be run from 8-8:50am on Wednesday 17th September.
Please look out for the announcements on our LinkedIn group. This will be a free of charge, opt-in event, limited to just 54 places.
The idea is that 6 experts from across different areas of our field (scientist, industry and agency representatives for example) are invited to have breakfast with 9 delegates, in an informal Q&A session over breakfast.
Register your interest in attending at registration. Once the details are available, we will contact those who have registered an interest directly.
Delegates will be asked to list their top 3 experts or topics, and tables will be assigned on a first come first served basis using 1st choice to third choice options were possible.
Registration Fees - Early Bird Deadline 30th June 2025
| Student/ Research Assistant/ Technician | £10 | included | £50 | £20 Opt-in |
| Postdoc/ Research Fellow/ | £25 | included | £65 | £20 Opt-in |
| PI/ Independent Fellow | £50 | included | £90 | £20 Opt-in |
| Industry | £100 | included | £150 | £20 Opt-in |
*Limited to first 220 places.
To register please visit The University of Manchester’s E-Store here:
Sponsors
Thank you to all our sponsors for supporting the mission to seek a community mandate to re-establish the UK Stem Cell Network, your enthusiasm for this has been amazing!
Platinum:
Gold:
Silver:
Supporting Sponsors
