Conference Programme 2025

16th-17th September 2025

Manchester, UK

#UKSCN25

#UKSCN25 University Place, Manchester, Oxford Road, M13 9PL

Programme - Tuesday 16th September 2025

11:00	Registration opens
11:00-13:00	Poster Set-up & Exhibition Hall open with Refreshments sponsored by AMSBio and The UK Stem Cell Bank
12:00- 13:00 (Drum & Market Place)	Buffet lunch sponsored by Biocair, Proteintech and Stem Genomics
11:30 - 12:15 (Lecture Hall)	Translating Research....... What does it take? An intro session: Terri Gaskell, CTO Rinri Therapeutics Davide Danovi, CSO Migration Biotherapeutics Matthew Smart, CGT Catapult
Lecture Hall	Welcome session - chaired by Sue Kimber and Owen Harrison - sponsored by ThermoFisher Scientific
13:00- 13:10	Welcome address - Peter Andrews Emeritus Professor
13:15-13:45	Keynote - Creating a functional human thymus from scratch: a stem cell story in the times of multi-omics. Paola Bonfanti, The Francis Crick Institute, London
13:50-14:10	Harnessing human pluripotent stem cells to model and treat Parkinson’s disease. Tilo Kunath, University of Edinburgh
14:15-14:35	Understanding and overcoming stem cell differentiation bias. Magdalena Sutcliffe, LMB Cambridge
14:40-14:50	Integrating AI into Our Understanding of Cell Fate and State. Owen Rackham, University of Southampton
14:55-15:05	Gastruloids "Over Easy": building better models of early human development. Timothy Grocott, University of East Anglia
15:10-15:25	Advancing Neurological and Retinal Research with Genetically Diverse Human iPSC-Derived Cellular Models. Andrew Gaffney, Stem Cell Technologies
15:30-16:00	Coffee break with Networking sponsored by Haier Biomedical and Parse Biosciences
Lecture Hall	Session 2 chaired by Nick Hannan and Anzy Miller - sponsored by Biotechne
16:00-16:20	Reconstruct human embryonic cell fate transition using stem cell models. Ge Guo, University of Exeter
16:25-16:45	Epithelial stem cells and airway regenerative medicine. Robert Hynds, University College London
16:50-17:00	A novel hiPSC-derived immune competent alveolar organoid xeno-free model to study homeostasis and injury repair mechanisms. Carlos B. Sainz Zuñiga, University of Nottingham
17:05-17:15	The Role of Caveolin-1 in the Selective Advantage of genetically variant human pluripotent stem cells. Haneen Alsehli, University of Sheffield
17:20-17:30	Functional and molecular rescue of aganglionic colon by human enteric nervous system progenitor transplantation in Hirschsprung disease. Benjamin Jevans, University College London
17:30-19:00	Poster session with networking drinks and canapes (sponsored by Qkine & Stem Cell Technologies) within the exhibition hall (Drum and Market Place)
19:00 onwards	Evening Networking at the Manchester Museum Fossils/Living Worlds Gallery with grazing platters, entertainment and drinks kindly provided by our Platinum Sponsors Qkine and Stem Cell Technologies

Evening Networking at Manchester Museum

After the poster session on Tuesday evening (16^th), join us from 19:00 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. If you are registered, you will have a dinosaur icon on your meeting badge. Networking drinks vouchers will be given to you at registration.

Fossils Gallery, Manchester Museum

Programme - Wednesday 17th September 2025

08:00-08:50	Classroom 1.219 (University Place level 1) Meet the Experts – Early Career and Technical Researchers Breakfast (9 tables of 10) Sponsored by Biotechne, IotaSciences, ThermoFisher Scientific and WiCell
Lecture Hall	Session 3 chaired by Patrizia Ferretti and Amal Khizer. Sponsored by IotaSciences
09:00-09:20	The epigenetic-metabolic crosstalk in pluripotent stem cells. Yaser Atlasi, Queen's University Belfast
09:25-09:45	Stem cell models to unpick cardiovascular disease and evaluate drug safety. Chris Denning, University of Nottingham
09:50-10:00	Modelling Human Growth Plate Cartilage Using Pluripotent Stem Cells. Steven Woods, University of Manchester
10:05-10:15	Active WNT/β-Catenin signalling derails the naïve to primed state transition in human pluripotent stem cells. Connor Ross, University of Aberdeen
10:20-10:30	Targeting the Leukemia Bone Marrow Microenvironment (BME). Ranudi Kudellage, University of Bristol
10:35-10:45	Examination of the circadian rhythms in retinal organoids derived from iPSCs from patients with bipolar disorder. Sally Harwood, Newcastle University
10:45-11:00	Commercial media formulations vs chemically defined home-brewed media for iPSC maintenance. Liz Stewart Qkine
11:00-11:30	Coffee break with Networking in the Drum & Market Place sponsored by Nikon and Oxford Stem Tech
Lecture Hall	Session 4: Establishing a UK Stem Cell Network – Defining Our Remit
11:30-12:45	Our Vision for a UKSCN – Have your Say! Interactive session led by Ivana Barbaric, James Henstock and Adam Hirst With guest panellists Jon Draper (SCN, Canada), John de Vos (FSSCR, French Society for Stem Cell Research), Owen Harrison (London Stem Cell Network (LSCN)) and Sue Kimber (Mercia Stem Cell Alliance (MSCA))
12:45-14:30 (Drum)	Lunch - keeping the conversations going: Opportunities to engage with the team and share your views, visit the posters or engage with the exhibitors! Can you find your Badge Buddies??Lunch Sponsored by Integrated DNA Technologies, PHcbi and PeptiMatrix
13:15-14:00 (Lecture Hall)	Translating Research......... Where are we now and what have we learnt? Sponsored by: Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult and Regen CTC. Case Study presentations by Terri Gaskell, CTO Rinri Therapeutics Davide Danovi, CSO Migration Biotherapeutics. Joined by Panellists Zoe Hewitt, Regen CTC Matthew Smart, CGT Catapult
Lecture Hall	Session 5 chaired by: Amanda Carr and Lyn Healy. Sponsored by WiCell
14:30-14:35	The Pete Coffey Award – The Man behind the Award. Fionn Coffey
14:40-14:55	Winner of the Pete Coffey Award for Best Submitted Abstract. Patient-specific iPSC models of neural tube defects identify underlying deficiencies in neuroepithelial cell shape regulation and differentiation. Ioakeim Ampartzidis, University of Cambridge
15:00-15:20	Ex vivo blood stem cell expansion: technology to biology. Adam Wilkinson, Cambridge Stem Cell Institute
15:25-15:45	Oscillatory expression of transcription factors controls the timing of differentiation. Nancy Papalopulu, University of Manchester
15:45-16:00	Next steps for the UKSCN and Awards presentation. Ivana Barbaric, University of Sheffield Nick Hannan, University of Nottingham
16:00	Meeting closes - The UKSCN Inaugural Meeting Organisers wish to express their thanks to our Platinum Sponsors, Qkine and Stem Cell Technologies, and all the other sponsors, exhibitors and supporters, without whom this meeting would not have been possible.