Stem Cell Therapies
"From the Lab to the Bedside"
Registration Open October 1 | |
| "Demystifying" innovations and advancing the commercialization of Alberta's emerging technologies |
Calgary November 25 - Kerby Centre 7- 9:30pm
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Co-Host: Bio Alberta and Alberta Council of Technologies
Co-organizers: the Alberta Council of Technologies and the LifeStar Institute Canada |
Each of the two public events
are designed to engage Albertans in a patient-focused dialogue to
demystify stem cell therapies. The forums have been designed to
resolve three objectives:
1) to increase public and patient awareness of stem cell therapies,
its implications on health care delivery and their potential in
preventing and treating degenerative diseases,
2) to establish Alberta's bio-tech sector as a world leader in the development of stem cell technologies, and
3) to prepare Alberta for the early delivery of stem cell therapy.
BACKGROUND
Because of an aging population and a reduction in infant mortality (due
to innovations in medicine and public health), society is faced with
an ever-increasing number of people suffering degenerative diseases
such as Alzheimer's, Parkinson's, Huntington's, Arthritis, etc.
In fact, the treatment of degenerative diseases resulting from aging is
currently consuming 80% of health care budgets of most developed
nations.
But while the costs of treatment are increasing, they pale in
comparison with the costs associated with the lost contributions and
productivity of patients and their caregivers.
According to recent studies (Milken 2007),
the combined cost of caregivers’ unpaid labour and the lost
productivity of those suffering chronic degenerative conditions
outweighed treatment expenditures FOUR FOLD in the U.S. during 2003!
By focusing solely on treatment costs, strategies for short term cost
cutting such as health care rationing have little effect. Why? Such
strategies merely focus on "managing" degenerative disease rather than
rehabilitation, which would reduce the devastating costs of lost
productivity.
Fortunately, solutions are in sight.
Bio-technology, by creating therapies that employ stem cells found in
one's own body, will be able to treat degenerative disease and restore
damaged and aged tissues, cells and organs.
Caution is warranted, however. While stem cell therapies have the
potential to transform health care and the features of aging, as we
know them, overly optimistic promises – too much, too fast - may impede
their adoption.
The two public forums being held in Calgary and Edmonton are designed
to address the realities underlying these technologies, identify
impediments to their commercialization and contribute to the health and
the economy of Alberta.
* * *
The Forums in Calgary and Edmonton will be broadcast live on the internet and are not to be missed! |
On-line Event Admission Registration - Opens October 1, 2009
- Free Admission
-
Refreshments
- Free Parking
On-line Event Broadcast Registration
FREE On-line Internet Simultaneous Video-broadcast
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Additional Information
Please click here for:
PPT Presentation
PDF Presentation
Sponsor Flyers
Stem Cell Blog
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SPONSORS
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Keynote Presentation
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Presenter: Robert Burrell, PhD
Realizing the Promise of Stem Cell Therapies in Alberta
An introduction to stem cells and their potential for the treatment of
degenerative disease highlighting the pathway and complexities of their
development from discovery through to their application
| Dr. Robert
Burrell is the winner of the National Award of the Ernest C. Manning
Awards Foundation. The Award recognizes Canadians who have demonstrated
innovative talent in developing and successfully marketing a new
concept, process or procedure. Read more...
Dr. Burrell is the Canada Research Chair in Nanostructured
Biomaterials and Chairman of the Department of Biomedical Engineering,
Faculties of Engineering and Medicine & Dentistry, at the
University of Alberta, with noteworthy achievements in the application
of silver and nanostructures in tissue regeneration. Recent interests
include the formation of BERRI as an Alberta-based,
multidisciplinary academic network for advancing biomedical
innovations, including stem cell therapeutics, from the laboratory to
the bedside. |
Event Program
| 7:10 |
Introductions and Objectives |
| 7:15 |
Keynote Presentation - Dr. Robert Burrell |
| 7:45 |
Moderated Response Panels
|
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- Patient representatives |
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- Specialized expertise |
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| 8:15 |
Audience O&A
|
| 8:55 |
Synthesis - "Where from here?" |
| 9:00 |
Refreshments - Mix and Mingle! |
| 9:30 |
Goodnight |
Simultaneous live Internet Broadcast of the Calgary and Edmonton events. |
Event Information
With these two events, ABCtech and LifeStar Institute Canada are
building on the success of two previous open public forums that were
held in Edmonton and Calgary in June 2009, during which keynote
presentations on the promise of stem cell therapies were discussed. The
audiences and expert response panels consisted of health care,
government, research, industry and finance interests.
The success of both previous forums led to the conclusion that further
meetings – focusing on patients, caregivers and the general public -
were warranted.
The result is two back-to-back public forums in Calgary and Edmonton
planned for November, 2009. The forums aim is to demystify stem cell
therapies and discuss their implications on the future of health care
and aging.
Planning sessions, which took place in Edmonton on Aug 4 and
Calgary on August 25 between patient groups, researchers, industry
representatives and commercial organizations, identified the need to
clarify and communicate the following messages:
1) There are ethical methods of producing stem cells that do not
involve embryos; stem cells have been found throughout the adult body.
2) The process of bringing stem cell therapy from the lab to the bedside is complex; the hurdles should be highlighted.
3) A realistic time frame for treatment delivery needs to be understood by those who are most anxious to see progress.
4) Emphasize that financing, while important to advance research, will
not alone increase the speed of stem cell therapy to the bedside.
5) Patients, caregivers, and the public should be engaged in pulling research to market.
6) It is important that the public understand the ramifications of such
a radically different therapy on aging, lifestyles and health care
delivery.
PUBLIC FORUM DESIGN
The 2-hour evening program will be broadcast over Internet and feature:
- A Presentation by Dr. Robert Burrell, a recognized expert in regenerative technologies and their commercialization
- A
Moderated dialogue between two Response Panels: One composed of
representatives of today's patients, caregivers and service
practitioners. The 2nd composed of experts in health economics, ethics
and theology, business development, biotech research and lifestyle
change.
- Open discussion with the audience posing questions to both Response Panels and the Presenter.
- A wrap-up summary of the Proceedings and "What comes next?"
Refreshments will follow with an opportunity to "mix and mingle" with the Presenter, Moderator and Panellists.
Based
on the two Forum's proceedings, the merit of conducting a
national/international stem cell therapeutics Conference in the fall of
2010 will be considered.
***
We believe that it is essential - and democratic - for the public to be
engaged in advance discussion on the implications of emerging
technologies. Such a dialogue is particularly relevant in the case of
stem cell therapeutics, which offer such extraordinary promise and
potential to transform health-care delivery and aging itself.
Our hope is that by engaging the public in an advanced discussion on
emerging technologies we will encourage public and private support and
collaboration for speeding up the safe development of these
technologies for Albertans, the economy and future generations.
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