Regenerative medicine promises breakthroughs in diseases with great social, economic and medical impact

On 17 and 18 February, research and experts in advanced cell therapies will meet in Barcelona to debate the latest breakthroughs and discoveries in the field of regenerative medicine. These debate sessions are organized by B·Debate –an initiative of Biocat and the “la Caixa” Foundation– in collaboration with the Banc de Sang i Teixits in order to promote scientific debate.

Breakthroughs in regenerative medicine promise numerous applications for diseases with great medical, social and economic impact, above all in oncology, hematology and immunotherapy, like pathologies affecting the circulatory and musculoskeletal systems. Some of the top experts in this field will share their studies and the results obtained at the upcoming B·Debate Advanced Cellular Therapies and Regenerative Medicine. The promise in the 21st Century. 

The event is divided into two sessions. The first on 17 February, is a closed-door symposium at CosmoCaixa Barcelona. The session on 18 February, however, is open to the whole scientific community and will be held at the Banc de Sang i Teixits (BST), the scientific partner for this B·Debate. During this session, global experts will have the chance to visit the BST facilities in addition to continuing their scientific discussion.

The scientific leader for this debate is Joan García, director of Xcelia, the BST advanced therapies division. García says “Research in regenerative medicine has advanced a lot” but other things have also come up that must be discussed, “for example which type of cells are used and how to apply them to different diseases,” he explains.

The sessions will also feature other experts in the field, including José Maria Moraleda, coordinator of the Spanish network for basic and clinical research in cell therapy Tercel; Alejandro Madrigal, scientific director of Anthony Nolan; Massimo Dominici, head of one of the cell biology and advanced cancer therapies laboratories at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (Italy); and Bernat Soria, researcher in cell therapy for diabetes mellitus in the Stem Cells department at the Andalusian Molecular Biology and Regenerative Medicine Center (CABIMER).

All of them, along with other international researchers and experts, will debate the breakthroughs and future of regenerative medicine and try to answer questions posed in the sector, like what types of cells are best suited to cell therapy and regenerative medicine and which diseases can benefit most from cell therapy, both now and in the future.

Date: 17 and 18 February

Place: CosmoCaixa Barcelona · c/Isaac Newton, 26 (17 February) / Banc de Sang i Teixits · Passeig Taulat, 116 · Barcelona (18 February)

Time: 17 February from 9:00 am to 7:30 pm. 18 de February from 9:00 am to 1:10 pm

Top speakers: Joan García, director of Xcelia; José Maria Moraleda, coordinator of Tercel; Alejandro Madrigal, scientific director at Anthony Nolan; Massimo Dominici, head of one of the cell biology and advanced cancer therapies laboratories at the University of Modena and Reggio Emilia (Italy); and Bernat Soria, researcher in cell therapy for diabetes mellitus at the Andalusian Molecular Biology and Regenerative Medicine Center (CABIMER). 

See program 

Follow the debate on Twitter with the hashtag #BDebate and on @BDebate.

Organizers: