Program

Download the short program here or only the agenda here;
the complete program (including abstracts) can be downloaded here.

Wednesday

Thursday

Friday

Wednesday, 15 October 2025

11:00 – 11:30 Plenary Hall	Opening GSCN Conference 2025
11:00 – 11:15	Welcome Helmholtz Munich Martin Hrabě de Angelis, Research Director Hemholtz Munich
11:15 – 11:30	Opening of GSCN Conference 2025 Heiko Lickert, President GSCN
11:30 – 12:15 Plenary Hall	Keynote lecture I supported by FUJIFILM Wako Chemicals Europe K1 – Advances in cell therapy for Parkinson's disease: Insights from the results of a phase 1 trial and future directions Viviane Tabar, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, New York, USA Chair: Oliver Brüstle
12:15 – 13:00 Plenary Hall	Keynote lecture II K2 – Long-term single live cell quantification: New tools for old questions Timm Schroeder, Biosystems Science and Engineering (BSEE), ETH Zürich, Basel, Switzerland Chair: Claudia Waskow
13:00 – 14:30 Mensa	Lunch break / Industry exhibition
14:30 – 16:00	Concurrent scientific working group session I
14:30 – 16:00 Plenary Hall	Stem cells in regenerative therapies supported by Eppendorf Chairs: Ulrich Martin & Wolfgang Wagner
14:30 – 15:00	T01 – Therapeutic CAR-T cell products: What can we learn for pluripotent stem cell based products? Ulrike Köhl, Fraunhofer IZI, Leipzig
15:00 – 15:15	T02 – Maximizing gene editing efficiency for enhanced clinical-grade iPSCs via sequential factor delivery Thomas Berger, Catalent, Langenfeld
15:15 – 15:30	T03 – Off the shelf immune-shielded stem cell-derived macrophages for clinical applications Stefanie Pfaender, Evotec, Cell Therapy, Göttingen
15:30 – 15:45	T04 – Prototypical ten-week end-to-end process for autologous Parkinson's disease cell therapy Diana Haberhausen, Miltenyi Biotec, Bergisch Gladbach
15:45 – 16:00	T05 – Enhancing stem cell derived beta cell survival in hypoxia and nutrient deprivation with small molecules Väinö Lithovius, Helmholtz Diabetes Center, Munich
14:30 – 16:00 SR1050	Tissue-derived stem cells & organoids supported by Sartorius Chairs: Sina Bartfeld & Anne Grapin-Botton
14:30 – 15:00	T06 – Mapping the transcriptome and DNA-methylome at the single cell level decodes stemness across the young and injured brain Ana Martin-Villalba, DKFZ Heidelberg
15:00 – 15:15	T07 – Manipulation of global protein translation rates and stem cell self-renewal by CRISPR mediated activation of rRNA transcription Stefan Stricker, LMU & Helmholtz Munich
15:15 – 15:30	T08 – Slit–Robo signaling controls early liver zonation during fetal development Dominic Grün, Würzburg Institute of Systems Immunology
15:30 – 15:45	T09 – Unveiling human cardiac regenerative mechanisms in iPSC-derived epicardioids Tobias Ellinger, TUM Munich
15:45 – 16:00	T10 – Human-specific morphoregulatory signatures in basal radial glia characterize neocortex evolution Mareike Albert, TU Dresden
14:30 – 16:00 LH23	Stem cells in disease modeling & drug development I Chairs: Oliver Brüstle & Harald Stachelscheid supported by Evotec SE
14:30 – 15:00	T11 – Epicardioids: Bridging cardiac development with disease and therapy Alessandra Moretti, TUM School of Medicine and Health, Munich
15:00 – 15:15	T12 – AI-guided protein design of synthetic growth factor mimetics Thomas Schlichthärle, TUM School of Natural Science, Munich
15:15 – 15:30	T13 – Enhanced fibrosis modeling in human skin organoids through hiPSC-derived macrophage integration Amelie Reigl, Fraunhofer Institute for Silicate Research (ISC), Würzburg
15:30 – 15:45	T14 – Heart organoids and engineered heart tissue as hiPSC-derived in vitro models for Fabry cardiomyopathy Anna Reinelt, University hospital Eppendorf (UKE), Hamburg
15:45 – 16:00	T15 – iPSC-driven drug discovery identifies sildenafil as a drug candidate for the mitochondrial disease Leigh syndrome Annika Zink, University hospital Düsseldorf
16:00 – 16:30 CC & Build23	Break time / Industry exhibition
16:30 – 17:30 LH23	General Member Meeting Executive Board & Managing Director Heiko Lickert, Claudia Waskow, Sina Bartfeld, Michael Cross, Daniel Besser (excused Andreas Trumpp)
17:30 – 19:30 Build23	Poster session I – Poster number P001 – P072 supported by Biomerieux (with beverages) Basic, translational & applied hematopoiesis: P001 – P006 Pluripotency, differentiation & PSC-derived models: P007 – P047 Stem cells in aging & disease (cancer stem cells): P048 – P051 Tissue-derived stem cells & organoids: P052 – P072 Even numbers: 17:30 – 18:30 Odd numbers: 18:30 – 19:30
19:45 -20:30 Plenary Hall	Keynote lecture III (on ELSA topics) K3 – Synthetic ex utero embryogenesis: From naive pluripotent stem cells to bona fide embryo models Jacob Hanna, Weizmann Institute of Science, Rehovot, Israel Chair: Tobias Cantz
20:30 – 22:00 Mensa	GSCN Get-together for all participants supported by FUJIFILM Wako Chemicals Dinner buffet
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Thursday, 16 October 2025

09:00 – 10:30	Concurrent scientific working group session II
09:00 – 10:30 Plenary Hall	Basic, translational & applied hematopoiesis supported Chairs: Nina Cabezas-Wallscheid & Michael Milsom by Thermo Fisher
09:00 – 09:30	T16 – Blood stem cell expansion: Technology to biology Adam Wilkinson, Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, UK
09:30 – 09:45	T17 – C57BL/6 Kit-mutant immunodeficient mouse models uncover mechanism of successful hematopoietic stem cell xenotransplantation Julia Fröbel, Leibniz Institute on Aging – FLI, Jena
09:45 – 10:00	T18 – From codons to blood: A new perspective on hematopoietic differentiation Marius Külp, Goethe University, Frankfurt
10:00 – 10:15	T19 – Multimodal omics identify an age resilient multipotent progenitor population that preserves youthful identity and function in the hematopoietic system Mari Carmen Romero-Mulero, ETH Zurich, CH
10:15 – 10:30	T20 – Development of accessible ex vivo culture models of the human hematopoietic bone marrow niche Sigrid Uxa, University Leipzig
09:00 – 10:30 SR1050	TACTiC symposium on iPSC-based heart repair BMBF-funded project "Tailored Application for individualized Cell Therapy with iPSC-derived Cardiomyocytes (TACTiC)" Chairs: Ulrich Martin & Robert Zweigerdt
09:00 – 09:30	T21 – Deep immune-phenotyping of HLA-homozygous iPS-cardiomyocytes Dirk Strunk, PMU Salzburg, Austria
09:30 – 10:00	T22 – Biological-engineering and application of a myocardial patch Joost Sluijter, UMC Utrecht, The Netherlands
10:00 – 10:15	T23 – Large-scale production of human pluripotent stem cell–derived cardiomyocytes Kevin Cyrys, MH Hannover
10:15 – 10:30	T24 – Automated myocardial cell injection Raphael Mönkemöller, LU Hannover
09:00 – 10:30 LH23	Pluripotency, differentiation & PSC-derived models I Chairs: Mina Gouti & Hans Schöler
09:00 – 09:30	T25 – Developing a safe and immune-evasive stem cell source for off-the-shelf therapeutic products Andras Nagy, Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, Mount Sinai Hospital, Toronto, Canada
09:30 – 09:45	T26 – Lineage single-cell multi-omics identify novel regulators and barriers in iPSC reprogramming Angeliki Spathopoulou, University of Innsbruck, Austria
09:45 – 10:00	T27 – You shall not pass – functional pluripotency testing using hiPSCore Jochen Dobner, Leibniz-Institut für umweltmedizinische Forschung (IUF) Düsseldorf
10:00 – 10:15	T28 – PluripotencyScreen – quantification of early cell fate decisions of iPSC based on DNA methylation Kira Zeevaert, UK RWTH Aachen
10:15 – 10:30	T29 – Does gene dosage influence cell fate during human gastrulation? Theresa Gross-Thebing, Gurdon Institute, Cambridge, UK
09:00 – 10:30 HPC	Stem cells in disease modeling & drug development II Chairs: Jan Eickhoff & Karl-Ludwig Laugwitz supported by Bio-Techne
09:00 – 09:30	T30 – Modulating reactive astrocytes in Alzheimer’s disease Bastian Zimmer, Evotec SE, Hamburg
09:30 – 09:45	T31 – Evaluating the potential of Bruton’s tyrosine kinase inhibitors to modulate microglial inflammation to attenuate multiple sclerosis progression Alica Blenkle, Fraunhofer ITMP, Göttingen
09:45 – 10:00	T32 – A reproducible human brain tissue model to study physiological and disease-associated microglia phenotypes Dominik Paquet, LMU Munich
10:00 – 10:15	T33 – Integration of CNTNAP2-deficient neurons into defined E/I networks unmasks functional pathophenotypes Jasmin Aicher, University of Bonn
10:15 – 10:30	T34 – Capturing disease severity in LIS1-lissencephaly reveals proteostasis dysregulation in patient-derived forebrain organoids Matteo Gasparotto, ZI Mannheim
09:00 – 10:30 HPC-VIP	ELSA symposium Panel: Jacob Hanna, and Maria-Elena Torres-Padilla; Moderation: Tobias Cantz
10:30 – 11:00 CC & Build23	Break time / Industry exhibition supported by Minaris
11:00 – 12:45	Industry session: "Technologies from GSCN industry partners"
11:00 – 12:35 Plenary Hall	Main Supporter Chairs: Magdalena Götz & Hartmut Geiger
11:05 – 11:30	C01 – Tackling leachables in stem cell bioprocessing: Ensuring safety and scalability in single-use systems for clinical studies Philipp Nold, Eppendorf SE
11:30 – 12:10	C02 – Advance your research with genetically diverse human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived models and a novel mRNA-lipid nanoparticle platform to rapidly generate functional forebrain neurons Katharina Debowski, STEMCELL Technologies GmbH
12:10 -12:35	C03 – Forging the future of regenerative medicine with synthetic peptide growth factors Robert Brownlee, Opes Diagnostics
11:00 – 12:45 SR1050	Supporter II Chairs: Hannes Klump & Ana Martin-Villalba
11:05 – 11:25	C04 – Approaches for optimizing pluripotent stem cell spheroid expansion in multi-liter bioreactors through the use of constant medium perfusion David Kuninger, Thermo Fisher Scientific
11:25 – 11:45	C05 – The world's fastest PCR-based mycoplasma detection assay Sabine Hahnau-Jurth, Biomerieux Deutschland GmbH
11:45 – 12:05	C06 – Enabling reliable PSC culture for advanced research applications Hannah Johannsen, Miltenyi Biotech B.V. & Co. KG
12:05 – 12:25	C07 – The role of full-length laminins in enhancing in vitro cellular microenvironments Chiara Annunziata, BioLamina
12:25 – 12:45	C08 – Live-cell 3D cell imaging innovations Marco Benkisser-Petersen, Sartorius
11:00 – 12:25 LH23	Supporter III Chairs: Thomas Braun & Andreas Kurtz
11:05 – 11:25	C09 – Recent advancements in gentle single-cell handling: The iotaSciences way Matthias Hoja, iotaSciences
11:25 – 11:45	C10 – Alt-R™ CRISPR capabilities to accelerate your next breakthrough Katarzyna Julia Duda, Integrated DNA Technologies
11:45 – 12:05	C11 – Cell therapy at Evotec – end-to-end from process development to clinical manufacturing Matthias Austen, Evotec
12:05 – 12:25	C12 – What we've discovered: Opening Pandora's box of genomic mutations using NGS technology Reda Zenagui, Stem Genomics
11:00 – 12:30 HPC	Supporter IV Chairs: Zoltan Ivics & Thomas Schwarz-Romond
11:05 – 11:25	C13 – Commercial media formulations vs chemically defined home-brewed media for iPSC maintenance Liz Stewart, Qkine
11:25 – 11:45	C14 – A global vision for cell and gene therapies Karin Abitorabi, Minaris
11:45 – 12:05	C15 – Reliable 3D cell models – high-yield cultivation meets precision sorting Markus Uhrig, OLS OMNI Life Science
12:05 – 12:25	C16 – Enhancing reproducibility in stem cell and organoid research: Strategies for consistent culture and characterization Volker Arps, Bio-Techne
12:45 – 14:00 Mensa	Lunch break / Industry exhibition supported by IDT Germany GmbH
14:00 – 16:15 Plenary Hall	Presidential Symposium Chair: Heiko Lickert & Claudia Waskow
14:00 – 14:45	Presidential Invite PS1 – Translation of tissue engineered heart repair Wolfram-Hubertus Zimmermann, University Hospital Göttingen
14:45 – 15:15	GSCN 2025 Young Investigator Award PS2 – Molecular regulation of mammalian dormancy Aydan Bulut-Karslıoğlu, Max Planck Institute of Molecular Genetics, Berlin
15:15 – 15:45	GSCN 2025 Hilde Mangold Award PS3 – Harnessing RNA modifications for cancer therapies Michaela Frye, DKFZ, Heidelberg
15:45 – 16:15	GSCN Publication of the Year 2024 – 2025 Award PS4 – The role of safeguard repressors in cancer Bryce Lim, Moritz Mall, DKFZ, Heidelberg
16:15 – 16:30 CC & Build23	Break time / Industry exhibition supported by Biolamina
16:30 – 18:30 Build23	Poster session II – Poster number P073 – P144 supported by Miltenyi (with beverages) Computational stem cell biology: P073 – P081 Stem cells in disease modeling & drug dev.: P082 – P124 Stem cells in regenerative therapies: P125 – P144 Even numbers: 16:30 – 17:30 Odd number: 17:30 – 18:30
19:00 – 01:00	GSCN networking event for all participants supported by STEMCELL Technologies The entrance fee is collected on site Event location: ➚ Gasthof Neuwirt, Garching Münchener Str.10 85748 Garching

Friday, 17 October 2025

09:00 – 10:30	Concurrent scientific working group session III
09:00 – 10:30 Plenary Hall	Stem cells in aging & disease Chairs: Hartmut Geiger & Simon Haas
09:00 – 09:30	T35 – Tracing clonal architecture and differentiation trajectories in cancer using single cell barcoding Michael Rieger, Goethe University Frankfurt
09:30 – 09:45	T36 – Role of aging and environmental stress in the decline of lung stem cell function and regenerative capacity Maja Funk, Helmholtz Munich
09:45 – 10:00	T37 – Investigating aging and telomere biology in lung disease using induced pluripotent stem cell derived models Mari Ozaki, Royal College of Surgeons (RCSI), Dublin, Ireland
10:00 – 10:15	T38 – High fat diet affects the stromal niche signaling in the porcine intestine Falk Farkas, Helmholtz Munich
10:15 – 10:30	T39 – TET2-mutant clonal hematopoiesis drives inflammation-associated hepatocarcinogenesis in a murine NAFLD model Sena Alptekin, DKFZ/HI-STEM Heidelberg
09:00 – 10:30 SR1050	DZL/Breath symposium: Stem cells in lung research Chair: Ruth Olmer & Paolo Panza
09:00 – 09:30	T40 – Modelling type 2 alveolar epithelial cell biology and disease using patient-derived iPSC Killian Hurley, RCSI, Ireland
09:30 – 09:45	T41 – Sotatercept as a novel therapy for pulmonary arterial hypertension: Attenuation of fibrosis and contractility in iPSC-derived smooth muscle cells Aileen Schmidt, MH Hannover
09:45 – 10:00	T42 – The lung microvasculature promotes alveolar type 2 cell differentiation via secreted SPARCL1 Paolo Panza, UKGM, Gießen
10:00 – 10:15	T43 – Differentiation of airway epithelial basal cells into organotypic mucociliary tissues Janna Nawroth, TU Munich
10:15 – 10:30	T44 – From injury to insight: Aberrant basaloid cells and the fortuitous discovery of a regeneration-associated cell state Jonas Schupp, MH Hannover
09:00 – 10:30 LH23	Pluripotency, differentiation & PSC-derived models II Chairs: Ralf Jauch & Christian Schröter supported by OMNI Life Science
09:00 – 09:15	T45 – Wnt/Planar cell polarity signaling orchestrates ciliogenesis and cell-cycle exit during endocrine lineage commitment Tobias Greisle, Helmholtz Munich
09:15 – 09:30	T46 – Single-cell multiome uncovers differences in glycogen metabolism underlying species-specific speed of development Christian Schröter, Leiden Academic Center, NL
09:30 – 09:45	T47 – NSD1 governs H3K36me2-mediated DNA methylation and drives differentiation of human iPSCs by regulating ‘HIDEN’ lncRNA expression Deepika Puri, UK Aachen
09:45 – 10:00	T48 – Patient-specific gene correction in LMNA-linked cardiomyopathy using 3D hiPSC-derived heart-tissues and native myocardial slices Eleonore Baier, TUM Munich
10:00 – 10:15	T49 – 3D transcriptomic reconstruction highlights human heart-forming organoid development as a model of early organogenesis Liam Wilson, MH Hannover
09:00 – 10:30 HPC	Computational stem cell biology Chairs: Ingmar Glauche & Carsten Marr
09:00 – 09:30	T50 – Digital reprogramming decodes epigenetic barriers of cell fate changes Eva Hörmanseder, Helmholtz Munich
09:30 – 09:45	T51 – Reinforcement learning for relapse prediction from sparse measurements in exponentially progressing disease Arina Shelashen, TU Dresden
09:45 – 10:00	T52 – Uncovering transcriptional drivers of cell identity with generative modeling and high-throughput reprogramming Mariia Minaeva, Helmholz Munich
10:00 – 10:15	T53 – High resolution spatio-temporal mapping reveals dedifferentiation niches in mammalian cardiac repair Andy Shing-Fung Chan, Würzburg Institute of Systems Immunology
10:15 – 10:30	T54 – Napari-organoid-counter: An open-source tool for high-throughput organoid detection in brightfield microscopy Christina Bukas, Helmholz Munich
10:30 – 11:00 CC & Build23	Break time / Industry exhibition supported by Qkine
11:00 – 12:30	Concurrent strategic working group session
11:00 – 12:30 Plenary Hall	Technologies in stem cell research supported by iotaSciences Chairs: Sebastian Diecke & Ole Pless
11:05 – 11:25	S1 – Reproducible brain organoids for disease phenotyping and screening Jakob Metzger, Max Delbrück Center, Berlin
11:25 – 11:45	S2 – High-content phenotypic profiling reveals subpopulation-specific modulation of human microglia by inflammasome-targeting compounds Johannes Wilbertz, Ksilink, Strasbourg, France
11:45 – 12:05	S3 – Bioreactor-based innate immunocompetent hiPSC-derived neurospheroids as preclinical models for advanced therapy development Catarina Brito, iBet, Qeiras, Portugal
12:05 – 12:25	S4 – BMP, MEK and WNT inhibition: A novel dSMAD-independent paradigm for rapid generation of hiPSC-derived neurons amenable to regional patterning Peter Reinhardt, Abbvie, Ludwighafen
11:00 – 12:30 SR1050	Career development Chairs: Marieke Essers & Karin Hoehne
	S5 – Stay calm and clear: Communication strategies for difficult situations Nele Haasen, konteam, Munich
11:00 – 12:30 LH23	Clinical trials & regulatory affairs Chairs: Andreas Kurtz & Torsten Tonn
11:00 – 11:30	S6 – iPSC banks for clinical use: Regulatory and ethical challenges and solutions from the perspective of EU COST Action HAPLOiPS and the Norwegian iPSC Biobank for Clinical Applications (NIBCA) Joel C. Glover, Norwegian Center for Stem Cell Research, Oslo, Norway
11:30 – 12:00	S7 – tba Joannis Mytilineos, German National Bone Marrow Donor Registry (ZKRD), Ulm
12:00 – 12:30	S8 – Applying haplo-selected hiPSC lines and safety switches: Significant steps towards safer ‚off-the-shelf‘ iPSC-based ATMPs Gerald G. Schumann, Paul-Ehrlich-Institut, Langen
12:30 – 14:00 Mensa	Lunch break time / Industry exhibition supported by Stem Genomics
14:00 – 14:45 Plenary Hall	Keynote lecture IV K4 – From bench to bedside: Chemical reprogramming and the future of regenerative medicine Hongkui Deng, Peking University (PKU), Beijing, China Chair: tba
14:45 – 15:35 Plenary Hall	Keynote lecture V & Pro-Scientia-Award ceremony K5 – Epigenetic mechanisms of cellular plasticity Maria Elena Torres-Padilla, Helmholtz Munich Chair: Ana Martin-Villalba Award ceremony: Annette Schmidt-Buddecke & Christoph Peters, Eckhart-Buddecke-Stiftung
15:35 – 15:50 Plenary Hall	Award ceremony Daniel Besser Poster awards supported by Active Bioscience (AB) / PeptiGrowth (PG) Travel awards
15:50 – 16:00 Plenary Hall	Closing remarks by the GSCN president Heiko Lickert
	End of GSCN Conference 2025
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