Conference Program

    Session Co-Chairs are indicated below

Receptions

Opening Dinner Reception

The opening reception will be held on Friday evening (June 10th) in the Tripp Commons Room and Tripp Deck overlooking Lake Mendota waterfront. The floor, ornately painted ceilings and rich, wooden panel walls preserve the room's original look from 1928. Come enjoy dinner and drinks, and kick off the conference."

Evening Poster Receptions

The poster reception will be held on Sunday evening in the Tripp Commons Room and Tripp Decks.

Field Specific Sessions

  • Cell-Based Therapies and Regenerative Medicine
      Jacques Galipeau, MD | Associate Dean for Therapeutics Development, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, USA.
       Jorge Piedrahita, Ph.D. | Randall B. Terry, Jr. Distinguished Professor of Translational Medicine, North Carolina State University, USA.
  • Xenotransplantation
      Dixon Kaufman, MD, Ph.D., FACS | Ray D. Owen Professor | Director, UW Health Transplant Center, Division of Transplantation, Department of Surgery, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, USA.
       Eckhard Wolf, DVM | Professor and Director, Center for Innovative Medical Models, Ludwig-Maximilians-Universität München, Germany.
  • Neurology and Neurosciences
      Maxwell Boakye, MD, MPH, MBA, FACS, FAANS | Chief of Spinal Neurosurgery, University of Louisville School of Medicine, USA.
       Franklin D. West, Ph.D. | Associate Professor of Regenerative Medicine, Department of Animal and Dairy Science, University of Georgia, USA.
  • Oncology (Session 1)
      Ron Gaba, MD | Associate Professor and Vice Chair for Research, Departments of Radiology and Pathology | University of Illinois at Chicago, USA.
       Tatiana Flisikowska, Ph.D. | Section Head, Disease Models, Livestock Biotechnology, Technical University of Munich, Germany.
  • Oncology (Session 2)
      Zachary Morris, MD, Ph.D. | Vice Chair, Human Oncology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, USA.
       Tatiana Flisikowska, Ph.D. | Section Head, Disease Models, Livestock Biotechnology, Technical University of Munich, Germany.
  • Orthopedics
      Matthew A. Halanski, MD | Divison Chief, Pediatric Orthopaedics and Sports Medicine, University of Nebraska Medical Center, USA.
       Matthew B. Fisher, Ph.D. | Director, Translational Orthopaedic Research Lab, Department of Biomedical Engineering, North Carolina State University, USA.
  • Pain
      Susan G. Dorsey, Ph.D., RN, FAAN | Professor and Chair, Pain and Translational Symptom Science | Co-Director, Center to Advance Chronic Pain Research, University of Maryland School of Nursing, USA.
       Rajesh Khanna, Ph.D. | Interim Director, Comprehensive Pain and Addiction Center, University of Arizona College of Medicine, USA.
  • Cardiovascular Diseases
      Timothy A. Hacker, Ph.D. | Director, Cardiovascular Physiology Core Facility, Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, USA
      Eric Schmuck, Ph.D. | Associate Scientist and Director of Translational Research, Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, USA
  • Pig Models of Pediatric Development (Sessions 1 and 2)
      Sharon M. Donovan, Ph.D. | Professor and Melissa M. Noel Endowed Chair in Nutrition and Health | Director of the Personalized Nutrition Initiative, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA.
       Teresa A. Davis, Ph.D. | Professor, Pediatrics-Nutrition, Baylor College of Medicine, USA.
  • Surgical Innovation
      Mark A. Carlson, MD, FACS | Professor, Department of Surgery | Director, Center for Advanced Surgical Technology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, USA.
       Jason MacTaggart, MD, FACS | Associate Professor, Department of Surgery, Division of Vascular Surgery, University of Nebraska Medical Center, USA.
  • Immunology / Immunotherapy
      Christian M. Capitini, MD | Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, USA.
       Harry Dawson, Ph.D. | Diet, Genomics and Immunology Laboratory, Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture, USA.
  • Medical Imaging
      Ali Pirasteh, MD | Associate Chief, MRI | Clinical Director, PET/MRI, Department of Radiology, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, USA
       Ryan N. Dilger, Ph.D. | Associate Professor, Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, USA.
  • Obesity, Metabolic Disorders
      Michael Sturek, Ph.D. | Professor of Anatomy, Cell Biology & Physiology, Indiana University School of Medicine, USA.
       Mouhamad Alloosh MS, MD | Research Associate Professor of Anatomy, Cell Biology & Physiology | Indiana University School of Medicine, USA.
  • Infectious Diseases
      Jeniel Nett, MD, Ph.D. | Associate Professor, Division of Infectious Disease, Department of Medicine, University of Wisconsin School of Medicine and Public Health, USA.
       Luis G. Gimenez-Lirola, Ph.D. | Associate Professor, College of Veterinary Medicine, Iowa State University, USA.
  • Rare Diseases
      Jill Weimer, Ph.D. | Scientist, Pediatrics and Rare Diseases Group, Senior Director of Therapeutic Development, Sanford Research, USA.
      Denia Ramirez-Montealegre, MD, MPH, Ph.D. | Pediatric Neurology, University of Tennessee Medical Center, USA.
  • Drugs and Devices
      Ron Gaba, MD | Associate Professor and Vice Chair for Research, Departments of Radiology and Pathology, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA.
       Steven Van Cruchten DVM, Ph.D., MSc | Professor, Comparative Perinatal Development, Department of Veterinary Sciences University of Antwerp, Belgium.

General Sessions

  • Identifying Unmet Clinical Needs and Gaps in Research
    This session will focus on understanding unmet needs from both clinical and research perspectives to prioritize future models and areas of research.
      Angelika Schnieke, Ph.D. | Chair, Livestock Biotechnology, TUM School of Life Sciences, Technical University of Munich, Germany.
       Dhanansayan Shanmuganayagam, Ph.D. | Co-Director, Center for Biomedical Swine Research and Innovation | Assistant Professor, Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison.

  • Developing New Porcine Tools
    Although the availability and utilization of porcine biomedical models has increased in recent years, the availability of porcine resources and reagents has lagged in comparison to those available for human and rodent research. This session will focus on how we can address current limitations in resources and reagents to meet the needs of porcine biomedical researchers.
      Kevin D. Wells, Ph.D. | Co-Director, National Swine Research and Resource Center | Associate Professor, Animal Science Research Center, Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, USA.
       Kyle B. Schachtschneider, Ph.D. | Research Assistant Professor, Department of Radiology, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA.

  • Genetic Engineering and Embryology
    This session will focus on recent advances in genetic engineering and embryology technologies, and how they are being applied to efficiently develop the next generation of biomedical swine models.
      Matthew B. Wheeler, Ph.D. | Professor, Department of Animal Sciences, University of Illinois, USA.
       C. Dustin Rubinstein, Ph.D. | Director of Genome Editing & Animal Models, Biotechnology Center, University of Wisconsin – Madison, USA.

  • Panel Session: Consortium of Research Centers
    Due to the significant infrastructural requirements for performing porcine biomedical research, there is a need to develop porcine biomedical research centers—similar to the National Primate Research Centers—to more broadly serve biomedical researchers. This session will focus on the rationale for and challenges of developing a consortium of centers to advance scientific discovery and reduce barriers to entry for researchers interested in utilizing biomedical swine models.
      Lawrence B. Schook, Ph.D. | Edward William and Jane Marr Gutgsell Professor Emeritus, Departments of Animal Sciences and Radiology, University of Illinois, USA.
       Dhanansayan Shanmuganayagam, Ph.D. | Co-Director, Center for Biomedical Swine Research and Innovation | Assistant Professor, Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA.
       Kevin D. Wells, Ph.D. | Co-Director, National Swine Research and Resource Center | Associate Professor, Animal Science Research Center, Division of Animal Sciences, University of Missouri, USA.

  • White Paper Session: State of the Field and Future Direction
    With the advances of gene editing technologies comes a renewed interest in biomedical swine models. This session will focus on developing a white paper describing the current state of the field, unmet needs and opportunities and challenges that lie ahead.
      Dhanansayan Shanmuganayagam, Ph.D. | Co-Director, Center for Biomedical Swine Research and Innovation | Assistant Professor, Department of Animal and Dairy Sciences, University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA.
       Kyle B. Schachtschneider, Ph.D. | Research Assistant Professor, Department of Radiology, University of Illinois at Chicago, USA.
       Lawrence B. Schook, Ph.D. | Edward William and Jane Marr Gutgsell Professor Emeritus, Departments of Animal Sciences and Radiology, University of Illinois, USA.

Breakfast Sessions

    Lawrence B. Schook, Ph.D. | Edward William and Jane Marr Gutgsell Professor Emeritus, Departments of Animal Sciences and Radiology, University of Illinois.
     Fabiana Kömmling Seixas, Ph.D. | Professor, Molecular and Cellular Oncology Research Group, Laboratory of Cancer Biotechnology |
Technology Development Center | Federal University of Pelotas, Brazil.

  • Biomedical Minipigs
    Minipigs are commonly used in biomedical research for their human-like size and ability to better replicate human pathophysiology. The session will focus on recent advances in biomedical minipig models and the unique advantages they provide.

  • Model Validation: Defining Phenotyping and Pathology Standards
    It is important to validate that swine models effectively mimic human disease. This session will focus on best approaches for defining phenotyping and pathology standards for biomedical porcine models.

  • Oinkology: Techniques for Biomedical Swine Research
    Research utilizing porcine models holds great promise for improving patient outcomes; however, the lack of experience and expertise may be a barrier to entry for many researchers. This session will introduce and discuss methodological and programmatic considerations for efficient and effective use of porcine models.

  • Regulatory Requirements for Building Domestic and Global Collaborations
    This session will focus on regulatory considerations for porcine biomedical models that need to be taken into account when collaborating on both the national and international stage.