Dear Colleagues, Welcome to ISSCR’s first virtual meeting! Thank you for joining us for this vibrant digital experience. While the format has changed from what we originally envisioned, what has not altered is your Society’s commitment to the global stem cell community. We continue to focus on bringing exceptional educational programming and networking opportunities to the stem cell field across the world. We believe we have achieved this with ISSCR 2020 Virtual! While much has changed this year, our commitment to constantly innovate has not. This year we created a Stem Cell Research & COVID-19 session that is particularly timely and embraces how rapidly research is moving in our field to understand and combat this virus. This session is part of an ongoing, multi-faceted strategy of the society to share resources for addressing COVID-19. You also will notice the incorporation of four themes woven throughout the meeting as they relate to individual cell types, tissues, and disease: Tissue Stem Cells and Regeneration, Cellular Identity, Modeling Development and Disease, and Clinical Applications, and you will see them noted next to sessions on the meeting platform and in this program. Popular professional development and career-building programs are incorporated into ISSCR 2020 Virtual including the Women in Science panel discussion. This session will gather leaders in STEM to share insights and provide guidance on solving challenges many women face throughout their training and careers and all voices are invited to contribute to this conversation. A new Business of Discovery workshop is an excellent addition to the program, reflecting the growth and maturation of our field as well as the possibilities of new treatments on the horizon. Unique to 2020, abstract submitters will be able to present their posters through a five-minute audio presentation integrated in our abstract platform. We encourage you to take full advantage of exploring those posters and interacting with your colleagues around their research. We know that ISSCR 2020 Virtual never would have been possible to achieve without the commitment, support, and flexibility of our world-renowned speakers, our co-sponsor, Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI), the dedicated ISSCR staff, and the many exhibitors, sponsors, and advertisers that patiently worked with the ISSCR to support the meeting in this digital format. We appreciate the confidence you have in the society. We hope you will seek out the myriad opportunities this year to share research, discover new scientific approaches, expand your network of colleagues, and initiate your next collaboration. For a full 30 days, you will have the opportunity to enrich your understanding of the field through our digital event platform. Each year, this annual meeting inspires us with new ideas and reveals the significant advances taking place across the breadth of stem cell science. This year, during this extraordinary time fighting a new pandemic, will be no different. Sincerely, Deepak Srivastava Kevin Eggan ISSCR President Program Chair 1 MEETING SPONSORS Welcome to the 2020 Annual Meeting of the WelcomeInternational to the Society 2020 for Annual Stem CellMeeting Research. of the We are at a pivotalInternational moment in biomedicine, Society when stemfor cellStem technologies Cell Research.are moving rapidly from bench to clinic, changing the very paradigm of drug discovery and therapeutic development. Among your We arecolleagues at a pivotal here moment at ISSCR in 2020,biomedicine, you will seewhen hundreds stem cell of technologiespeople whose are basic moving research rapidly has rocketed from bench into to clinic, startups,changing hospitals, the very andparadigm pharmaceutical of drug discovery companies. and Twenty therapeutic years ago,development. many of their Among ideas your might colleagues have here atbeen ISSCR considered 2020, you outlandish; will see hundreds now they ofare peop the norm,le whose and basicexpectations research have has startedrocketed to outpaceinto startups, capacity. hospitals,Disruptive and pharmaceutical change in stem companies.cell medicine Twenty is not on years the ago,horizon; many it is of upon their us. ideas But asmight we all have know, been disruption considered outlandish;is a double-edged now they are sword. the norm, Our goaland expectationsis to benefit havepatients started and their to outpace communities, capacity. but unless everyone is brought along with us on the journey — scientists, clinicians, health care providers, payers, regulators, Disruptivejournalists, change and in patientsstem cell — medicine we could issee not many on the worthy horizon; endeavors it is upon fail. us. But as we all know, disruption is a double-edged sword. Our goal is to benefit patients and their communities, but unless everyone is brought along Inwith talking us on about the journey disruption, — scientists, we would clin beicians, remiss health not to care acknowledge providers, the pay facters, that regulators, this is the journalists, first virtual and ISSCR Annual Meeting, brought about as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. During this time, it is more patients — we could see many worthy endeavors fail. critical than ever that we use the power and insights of our science, and collaborate across borders and boundaries to seek solutions. ISSCR has been a leader in organizing collaborative teams to solve In talkingpressing about issues disruption, during wethis would public behealth remiss crisis, not and to acknowledgewe should all take the factadvantage that this of is this the Annual first virtual Meeting ISSCR Annualas Meeting, an opportunity brought to forge about connections as a result ofand the work COVID together-19 pandemic. to make a real During difference. this time As, itdirectors is more criticalof HSCI, than ever thatwe wehave use the the great power privilege and insights of working of our at sciencethe center, and of collaboratea network of across researchers, borders clinicians, and boundari investors,es to seek solutions.policy ISSCR experts, has bioethicists,been a leader and in business organizing leaders. collaborative What we teams have seento solve clearly pressing over theissues past during 15 years this is public healththat crisis convening, and we shouldall these all experts take advantage in one place of this has Annual immense Meeting value, asnot an just opportunity as intellectual to forge fuel forconnections great and workscience together but for to humanmake a progress real differenc and societale. good. Our Boston-area teaching hospitals, universities, pharma and biotech sectors, and investment communities all converge to create a unique landscape for discovery and translation. In this setting of intense innovation and demand for clinical delivery, the As directors of HSCI, we have the great privilege of working at the center of a network of researchers, need for novel therapies has put unprecedented pressure on manufacturers. Responding to this need, clinicians,Harvard, investors, MIT, high-profile policy experts, industry bioethicists, partners, and and business hospitals leaders. recently What joined we forces have toseen launch clearly a newover non-the past 15 yearsprofit is that facility convening for cell alland th geneese experts therapy in manufacturingone place has and immense innovation value, to notrelieve just theas intellectual pressure. fuelWe look for great forwardscience tobut the for development human progress of more and of societal these types good. of sharedOur Boston resources-area acrossteaching our hospitals, global community, universities, as pharmathey and are biotech a critical sectors, means andto accelerate investment the communities field by leveraging all converge valuable to intellectualcreate a unique and financial landscape capital. for discovery and translation. In this setting of intense innovation and demand for clinical delivery, the need for novel Youtherapies are part has of putsomething unprecedented great today. pressure Right now, on manufacturers. at ISSCR 2020, Respondingyou have a voice to this in changingneed, Harvard, research MIT, and medicine in ways that benefit everyone. By asking questions, participating in sessions outside your high-profile industry partners, and hospitals recently joined forces to launch a new non-profit facility for cell area of expertise, and talking to people you might not encounter in any other setting, you will make this and geneconference therapy relevant manufacturing and memorable, and innovation and contribute to relieve to the moving pressure. our field We lookforward. forward Thank to theyou developmentfor being of morehere. of these types of shared resources across our global community, as they are a critical means to accelerate the field by leveraging valuable intellectual and financial capital. Douglas Melton, Ph.D. You areXander part ofUniversity something Professor great today. of Stem Right Cell now, and at RegenerativeISSCR 2020, youBiology have ata voiceHarvard in changingUniversity, research Howard and medicinHughese in ways Medical that Institutebenefit everyone.Investigator, By Co-Director asking questions, of HSCI participating in sessions outside your area of expertise,David and Scadden, talking M.D.to people you might not encounter in any other setting, you will make this conference relevantGerald and memorable,and Darlene andJordan contribute Professor to moviof Medicineng our field at Harvard forward. University, Thank you Director for being of here.the