(AUSTIN, TX) — Thanks to the Texas A&M Health Science Center (HSC) College of Medicine, Scott & White Healthcare System and the International Society for Cell Therapy, 135 international and regional regenerative medicine experts from countries such as Italy, Hungary, Germany, China and Japan gathered in Austin from Thursday, November 12 through Saturday, November 14 to discuss the latest developments in research on the adult stem and progenitor cells referred to as “mesenchymal stem cells” (MSCs). The attendees included most of the world leaders in the field.

“The MSC conference is a highly specialized, highly focused gathering of scientists and investigators whose work is key to unlocking the mysteries and capabilities of the adult stem or ‘mesenchymal’ cell,” said Dr. Darwin J. Prockop, director of the HSC-College of Medicine Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Scott & White in Temple (IRM) and host of the previous MSC conferences. “We meet periodically to debate and share our findings from across the globe in the hopes that from sharing, we all develop a better understanding of adult stem cells. We meet to keep pace with the rapid explosion of information in the field with an average of 70 new publications appearing in the scientific literature each day. And we meet to evaluate the results of clinical trials in which thousands of patients are currently being treated with the cells.”

At the 5th International Conference on Mesenchymal and Non-Hematopoietic Stem Cells (MSCs), researcher-investigators presented their work and discussed the successes and frustrations they’ve encountered. These researchers in the ever-evolving field of regenerative and patient-specific medicine tackle the intricate science behind the groundbreaking work of:

• Re-growing knee cartilage in those with sports injuries
• Repairing the damage to tissues caused by diabetes, heart disease, eye injuries and a series of other diseases with cells from a patient’s own body

Nancy W. Dickey, M.D., president of the Texas A&M Health Science Center and vice chancellor for health affairs for The Texas A&M University System, welcomed conference attendees Thursday evening along with Dr. Edward J. Sherwood, Interim Dean of the College of Medicine.

“This is my first visit to Texas and my first visit to the MSC conference,” attendee Felix Popp of Germany said. “It’s been most helpful to meet and collaborate with other experts specifically on mesenchymal stem cells, as it is such a specialized field.” The conference concluded on Saturday with a tour of the IRM and a Texas-style barbeque in Temple.

The conference was jointly organized by the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, the Scott & White Healthcare System and the International Society for Cell Therapy (ISCT).

For more information, please contact Lindsey Bacon by phone at (979) 862-4015 or by email at bacon@medicine.tamhsc.edu.