Dear Colleagues:

Welcome to Tainan, Taiwan, for the 5th Annual Meeting of Taiwan Society for Stem Cell Research. It is remarkable how stem cell research in Taiwan have progressed over the past several years. At our first annual meeting 2005, even though we had invited three distinguished speakers including the now famous Professor Shinya Yamanaka, we did not have poster presentation from local researchers at all. But, this year we will present more than one hundred posters and 36 lectures/short talks from local and especially young investigators, in addition to the 13 invited presentations from preeminent stem cell researchers in the global community.

The theme of the 5th Annual Meeting 2009, “Stem Cells and Bioengineering” highlights the increasing need for researchers to collaborate and conduct team science in order to achieve further progress in stem cell research. Recent several important policy meetings in Taiwan also reflect governmental efforts and desire to foster unique cross-disciplinary approach for Taiwan’s stem cell research. We realize that the challenges for research on this small island are how to use limited resources and manpower to focus on a few selected niches of stem cell research to compete internationally.

In this meeting, it is expected that over 450 stem cell researchers from all over Taiwan will gather, creating vast opportunities to network and form new collaborations. Now more than ever, as breakthroughs in basic research are making their way to translational medicine, it is important that we start to train the next generation so that progress will not slow. At this Annual Meeting, many keynote and special lectures, “Education Workshop”, and networking sessions will be held especially for these young investigators.

This is an extraordinary time for stem cell research around the world. We are on the cusp of an exciting era where new discoveries and breakthroughs will increasingly translate into clinical trials for regenerative medicine. The TSSCR Annual Meeting 2009 will help you keep informed of many of these rapidly developing advances.

This is also truly an exiting time for stem cell research in Taiwan. We welcome you all to Tainan, and especially those coming from abroad. We hope that your time at this Annual Meeting will be productive and enjoyable.

Sincerely,

John Yu, M.D., Ph.D.
President
Taiwan Society for Stem Cell Research