4th Annual GSCN Conference

Evening Panel Debate on Modern Cell Therapies

Stem cells and their potential for application in modern cell therapies are of growing interest, not only for the scientific community, such as the participants at the 4th Annual Conference of the German Stem Cell Network, but also for patients and the general public. This interest is reflected in the many questions surrounding the topic of cell therapies, such as "Can these therapies offer an alternative to organ transplantation?", "How is research using patient stem cells regulated in terms of ethics and the law?", "Why does it take so long for stem cell therapies to become available for use in the clinic?". These and other questions were the subject of an expert panel debate organised by Hannoverische Allgemeine Zeitung at the Anzeiger Hochhaus on 14th September 2016, at which Prof. Dr. Axel Haverich (HTTG, MHH), Prof. Dr. Ulrich Martin (LEBAO), Prof. Dr. Michael Manns (Department of Gastroenterology, Hepatology and Endocrinology, MHH) and Prof. Dr. Nils Hoppe (Center for Ethics and Law in the Life Sciences, LUH) discussed the various opportunities and limitations to stem cell therapies with a mixed audience of scientists and the general public. A short film on the relevant work of each of the panel members was shown as an introduction to the topic with the ensuing discussion moderated by Dr. Stefanie Seltmann from the German Cancer Research Center. Despite the warm weather being more conducive to an evening in the beer garden than an indoor debate, the event drew a large number of attendees who, together with the expert panel, contributed to an evening of interesting and lively discussions.