All for stem cells, stem cells for all
Published 09/10/2024 in Scholar Travel Stipend
Written
by Camila Ceballos Paredes |
09/10/2024
This summer, I had the amazing opportunity to attend the International Society for Stem Cell Research Annual Summit in Hamburg, Germany to present my first leading author poster about the research I have been conducting at the Cheng Lab in the Columbia Stem Cell Initiative. During this conference, stem cell scientists from around the world come together to discuss the latest breakthroughs in developmental and regenerative research and medicine, all from new organoid models to study disease and forthcoming clinical trials to treat rare conditions.
My research focuses on using intestinal stem cells to culture tumor colon organoids as a model to study colorectal cancer (CRC) development and progression while focusing on the key metabolic regulators of this disease. This research is particularly important since CRC is a leading cause of death and it is projected that more young people will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in the upcoming years with the incidence rate doubling by 2030.
Our lab had previously found that levels of a tumor-suppressive enzyme in the intestine can be increased with a ketogenic diet. If high expression of this metabolic regulator can effectively prevent the initiation of tumors in the colon, then a ketogenic diet may potentially help with preventing CRC. The main mission of the Milken Family Foundation is to help people help themselves, and while many medical advances have been focused on treatment-based therapies, recommending patients to take on a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet offers a proactive and cost-effective approach. By giving individuals the power to adopt a healthy diet, they can take steps to prevent this aggressive disease, reducing the need for expensive drugs and/or chemotherapy treatment. Furthermore, the Milken Institute is committed to tackling global health issues, and given the growing incidence of colorectal cancer, we should also focus on synthesizing more effective drugs for those individuals who already suffer from CRC. Knowing the molecular mechanism through which this tumor-suppressive enzyme may protect against CRC can aid us in finding a more specific drug target and as a result, improve patients’ outcomes and survival. 
I was thrilled to present this research during the poster session and hear other scientists talk about their research in various categories, such as Disease Modeling and Drug Discovery, Clinical Applications, New Technologies, and more. However, the day I had to present my poster was very nerve-wracking as this was the first international conference I had ever attended and most of the audience were post-doctoral trainees and principal investigators. I tried memorizing every piece of data that was in my poster in case anyone asked a very specific question. When I got to my poster session, I set up in my booth and waited for someone to come and ask me to recite my findings. When someone did come, I was so nervous I forgot the script I had in my head and just started talking about the research and story we were trying to convey. It was after that first interaction I realized that presenting a poster was more of an active conversation with a peer rather than lecturing on a stage. I received very interesting questions, feedback, and ideas on how to move forward with the research. I even explained to some post-docs we were having issues with our current organoid staining protocol and they kindly offered some advice and their contact information in case we needed any help. At the end of the session, I came out with a deeper understanding of the scientific community, realizing how collaboration and curiosity are essential pillars in the field.
Besides the opportunity for trainees to present their research, the highlight of the summit was the opportunity to hear principal investigators and companies present their most recent breakthroughs and future directions. One of the most interesting panels I attended was the Stem Cells in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) session where various scientists from different institutions talked about conducting stem cell research in the International Space Station.
My research focuses on using intestinal stem cells to culture tumor colon organoids as a model to study colorectal cancer (CRC) development and progression while focusing on the key metabolic regulators of this disease. This research is particularly important since CRC is a leading cause of death and it is projected that more young people will be diagnosed with colorectal cancer in the upcoming years with the incidence rate doubling by 2030.
Our lab had previously found that levels of a tumor-suppressive enzyme in the intestine can be increased with a ketogenic diet. If high expression of this metabolic regulator can effectively prevent the initiation of tumors in the colon, then a ketogenic diet may potentially help with preventing CRC. The main mission of the Milken Family Foundation is to help people help themselves, and while many medical advances have been focused on treatment-based therapies, recommending patients to take on a low-carbohydrate, high-fat diet offers a proactive and cost-effective approach. By giving individuals the power to adopt a healthy diet, they can take steps to prevent this aggressive disease, reducing the need for expensive drugs and/or chemotherapy treatment. Furthermore, the Milken Institute is committed to tackling global health issues, and given the growing incidence of colorectal cancer, we should also focus on synthesizing more effective drugs for those individuals who already suffer from CRC. Knowing the molecular mechanism through which this tumor-suppressive enzyme may protect against CRC can aid us in finding a more specific drug target and as a result, improve patients’ outcomes and survival.
I was thrilled to present this research during the poster session and hear other scientists talk about their research in various categories, such as Disease Modeling and Drug Discovery, Clinical Applications, New Technologies, and more. However, the day I had to present my poster was very nerve-wracking as this was the first international conference I had ever attended and most of the audience were post-doctoral trainees and principal investigators. I tried memorizing every piece of data that was in my poster in case anyone asked a very specific question. When I got to my poster session, I set up in my booth and waited for someone to come and ask me to recite my findings. When someone did come, I was so nervous I forgot the script I had in my head and just started talking about the research and story we were trying to convey. It was after that first interaction I realized that presenting a poster was more of an active conversation with a peer rather than lecturing on a stage. I received very interesting questions, feedback, and ideas on how to move forward with the research. I even explained to some post-docs we were having issues with our current organoid staining protocol and they kindly offered some advice and their contact information in case we needed any help. At the end of the session, I came out with a deeper understanding of the scientific community, realizing how collaboration and curiosity are essential pillars in the field.
Besides the opportunity for trainees to present their research, the highlight of the summit was the opportunity to hear principal investigators and companies present their most recent breakthroughs and future directions. One of the most interesting panels I attended was the Stem Cells in Low Earth Orbit (LEO) session where various scientists from different institutions talked about conducting stem cell research in the International Space Station.
Though it sounds a little unconventional, growing cells and organoids in space can provide many advantages, such as microgravity. Organoids are 3D cell models of tissues that aim to accurately mimic the structure and function of an organ. The problem is that, on Earth, the force of gravity is not ideal for these three-dimensional shapes to form and the microgravity in LEO helps to recapitulate how cells naturally form a structure in the body. Furthermore, the environment in outer space causes cells to experience high stress, which leads to accelerated stem cell aging.
This can be helpful because we could study the process of aging and the development of neurodegenerative diseases with brain organoids, or the progression of different cancers with tumor organoids as there are also more spontaneous mutations in space.
The summit concluded with an award ceremony where they recognized the accomplishments of many scientists who have continuously contributed to the stem cell research community and whose research has great potential. The talk that stuck with me was the Momentum Award talk by Dr. Sergiu Pașca on studying neurodevelopment with stem cell-derived organoids and assembloids. The brain is a very complex organ with many specialized cells that behave differently. Therefore, to better understand the development of the brain, Dr. Pașca’s team worked to develop both human cortical spheroids and human striatal spheroids and observed how, when put together in a dish, these two organoids representing different parts of the brain started communicating with each other. This is what they call an assembloid, which is a structure with two or more different types of organoids joining together. Furthermore, they were the first team to develop a cortical motor pathway using organoids resembling the cerebral cortex, spinal cord, and muscle, which when stimulated at the cortex causes the muscle to contract. These assembloids have great potential to allow for more intricate studies on neurodegenerative diseases.
Overall, this was a very gratifying experience – getting to know a new country, learning more about the field I want to do research on in the future, and presenting my first leading author poster were the highlights of my summer!
References:
https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC10011966/#:~:text=In%20terms%20of%20fu ture%20predictions,an%20important%20public%20health%20issue. https://www.nytimes.com/2024/03/27/well/colon-cancer-symptoms-treatment.html