Neurological research has changed profoundly since the discovery of human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSC), ten years ago. New methods to efficiently generate patient-derived neuronal culture provide unprecedented opportunities to gain new insights into a range of neurological and psychiatric disorders. In addition, breakthroughs in genetics and omics analysis are making molecular profiling of neurons much more accessible and thorough. This international symposium will feature some significant advances in this emerging field and illustrate recent original applications of iPSC in neuroscience research.
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Program will cover:
- Current strategies and protocols for iPSC and neural stem cell models
- Modeling brain disorders in vitro (neurodegenerative and neurodevelopmental diseases, and psychiatric disorders)
- New biotechnologies (bioinformatics, biomaterials, single cell genetics, epigenetics, CRISPR...)
- Neuronal types classification and electrophysiology of human neurons in vitro

Featured speakers:
Fred Gage (Salk Institute, USA):
Marius Wernig (Stanford, USA):
Ryan Lister (Harry Perkins Institute - UWA, Australia): Characterization of neuronal maturation through epigenome analysis
Steve Finkbeiner (UCSF, USA): Strategies for developing patient-derived disease models that better predict results in the clinic
Matthias Lutolf (EPLF, Switzerland): Reverse-engineering in vitro organogenesis through bioartificial matrices
Anne Bang (Sanford Prebys Burnham Medical discovery, USA): Phenotypic screening of hiPSC derived neurons: Balancing throughput with relevance
Jose Polo (Monash University, Australia): Exploring the boundaries of transcription factors reprogramming to produce neurons
Tracy Young-Pearse (Harvard, USA): Probing heterogeneous genetic risk factors to Alzheimer’s disease