The inaugural summit of the Sanford Integrated Space Stem Cell Orbital Research (ISSCOR) Center at the University of California San Diego will convene an unprecedented multidisciplinary gathering dedicated to shaping the future of human space exploration and translational efforts in space. Guided by ISSCOR’s ambitious mission to establish the first stem cell laboratory in space — and to translate discoveries made in space into transformative therapies for people on Earth — the conference will bring together pioneers from fields including anthropology, translational medicine, biology, engineering, architecture and space sciences. 

Highlights include Bruce Damer, PhD, who will discuss the origins of life and how his work is informing NASA’s search for life on Mars, and Cameron Smith, PhD, who will explore the societal dynamics of future extraterrestrial colonies through the lens of space anthropology. Joel Sercel, PhD, will lead a conversation with Danica Vallone and Hillary Coe on space design and architecture and space resource technologies such as asteroid mining when imagining the future of space exploration. ISSCOR’s Aline Martins, PhD, will host a fascinating session on space medicine featuring Afshin Beheshti, PhD; Erik Antonsen, MD, PhD; and Catriona Jamieson, MD, PhD, deputy director of ISSCOR and director of the UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Institute, which houses ISSCOR. The program will also showcase several ISSCOR fellows, including the pioneering investigators who helped launch the initiative. There will be a special guest session starring Meenakshi Wadhwa, PhD, on her time at NASA and relation to her current role as Vice Chancellor for Marine Sciences. Brian Keating, PhD, will present on the first lights of the Universe and future of life in space. The summit will conclude with a presentation by ISSCOR director Alysson Muotri, PhD, on recent efforts to bring ancestral knowledge from Amazonian tribes to the International Space Station in the search for novel neuroprotective therapies for aging-related conditions.

Working as a team, the ISSCOR researchers make invaluable discoveries, with the goal of diagnosing, treating and curing cancer and other age-related degenerative diseases. In particular, they focus on the study of stem cells from the blood, liver and nervous system, and the modeling of tumors in space.

Unique in scope and vision, this summit represents a first-of-its-kind opportunity for scientists, innovators and space enthusiasts to collectively imagine and discuss the future of science beyond Earth.

Join us at the reception for a special limited-quantity giveaway and book signing of Into the Impossible, Volume 2 with author and closing keynote speaker Brian Keating.

We look forward to seeing you! 🚀

8:30 a.m. Registration and Networking

9-9:05 a.m. Summit Welcome and Opening Remarks | Director of ISSCOR: Alysson Muotri, PhD

9:05-10:15 a.m. Session 1 | Insights from Origin-of-Life Progenitor Systems; Opening Keynote: Bruce Damer, PhD

10:15-10:30 a.m. Coffee Break

10:30-11:00 a.m. Session 2 | Human Biocultural Adaptation Beyond Earth; Speaker: Cameron Smith, PhD

11:00-12:00 p.m. Session 3 | ISSCOR Fellow Awards; Natália Chermont, PhD, Luisa Coelho and  Jessica Pham

12:00-1:00 p.m. Lunch

1:00-1:35 p.m. Special Session | Meenakshi Wadhwa, PhD

1:35-2:40 p.m. Session 4 | Imagine the Future; Joel Sercel, PhD, Danica Vallone and Hillary Coe

2:40-3:55 p.m. Session 5 | Space Medicine; Aline Martins, PhD, Erik Antonsen, MD, PhD, Afshin Beheshti, PhD and Catriona Jamieson, MD, PhD

3:55-4:05 p.m. Coffee Break

4:05-4:50 p.m. Session 6 | From the First Light of the Universe to the Future of Life in Space; Closing Keynote: Brian Keating, PhD

4:50-5 p.m. Closing Remarks | Amazonian Story and ISSCOR Female STEM Space Award "The Aurora Laurels"; Alysson Muotri, PhD and Aline Martins, PhD

5 p.m. Event concludes

5-6 p.m. Reception and Book Signing by closing keynote Brian Keating, PhD