TEHRAN The fourth international congress of West Asian and North African (WANA) countries is scheduled to be held from May 3-4 in the Persian Gulf island of Kish.Royan Institute in cooperation with Kish Free Zone Organization, domestic and international universities, scientific centers as well as knowledge-based companies will organize the event which aims to lay the ground for joint scientific research in the regional countries, ISNA reported.The fourth congress will mainly center around Stem Cells in Regenerative Biomedicine, focusing on the latest scientific achievements in the globe, particularly in the WANA countries.The themes of the two-day event include organoids and disease modeling, novel approaches in cancer treatment, bioengineering in regenerative biomedicine, cell therapy and gene therapy in regenerative biomedicine, artificial intelligence, and computational biology in regenerative biomedicine.It also aims to expand the science communication network among students, professors, and researchers in WANA countries.
The congress will be held in person for national attendees.
International participants can attend both in person and online.The third WANA international congress was held in the city of Urmia, northwestern West Azarbaijan province, from May 16 to 17, 2024.It mainly focused on Assisted Reproductive Technology (ART) Outcomes at the global level focusing on the WANA countries.Moreover, it served as a platform for boosting synergy among scientific and commercial professionals in infertility treatment, as well as an opportunity for the presence of domestic and foreign knowledge-based companies involved in the production of medicines.The congress featured presentations and discussions by 30 noted Iranian, and 10 foreign lecturers on the consequences of Infertility treatment and its related challenges.The themes included monitoring the children born as a result of infertility treatment, ethical and legal issues, the role of imaging, the impact of environmental factors and lifestyle, enhancing the outcome of assisted infertility: challenges, management and options, preserving fertility in patients suffering from cancer, and the role of surgery in improving assisted reproductive outcome technology.Establishing the WANA Scientific NetworkThe main objectives of establishing this scientific association include:- Facilitating the exchange of scientific knowledge by building connections with research institutions, scientists, and centers in the WANA region globally.- Identifying opportunities for collaboration within the region and expanding communication networks.- Enhancing networking among knowledge-based companies in the WANA region to boost interactions and trade of scientific products.- Offering a comprehensive range of knowledge-based services (total solution), such as training, expert consulting, and project implementation in biotechnology, to countries seeking assistance from knowledge-based companies.Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology, TechnologyRoyan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology (RI-SCBT), formerly known as the Department of Stem Cells, was first established in 2002 to promote research on general stem cell biology in Iran.Thereafter, the Department of Stem Cells was promoted to the Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology which included three departments with multiple research groups that conduct studies on stem cells and developmental biology, regenerative medicine, personalized medicine, cancer medicine, biomedical engineering, and the brain and cognitive sciences.Currently, the institute departments are Department of Stem cells and Developmental Biology; Department of Cell Engineering; and Department of Regenerative Medicine.The mission of RI-SCBT is to generate insights into the biology of stem cells through basic research and to provide the foundation needed for novel therapies by means of regenerative medicine.MT/MG