UC Davis Researchers Lecture at International Stem Cell Conference

Several members of the UC Davis School of Veterinary Medicine’s Veterinary Institute for Regenerative Cures (VIRC) lectured at the 2025 North American Veterinary Regenerative Medicine Association (NAVRMA) Conference, including keynote addresses. The 3-day conference is a gathering of some of the leading minds in stem cell and other regenerative medicine research in veterinary and human medicine.

Dr. Natalia Vapniarsky gave a keynote lecture entitled “Match-Making and Genetic Immuno-Engineering in Regenerative Medicine.” Her laboratory at UC Davis focuses on the relevance of immunological compatibility in regenerative medicine.

Additional lectures by UC Davis researchers included:
•    Dr. Jennifer Cassano, Assistant Professor, presented “Comparing the Benefit of Intra-Articular Autologous Protein Solution Versus Corticosteroid for Treatment of Distal Interphalangeal Joint Osteoarthritis” and “Autologous Intra-Articular Mitotherapy Did Not Have an Effect on Cytology, Cytokine Protein Expression, or Gene Expression in an Induced LPS Model of Synovitis.”
•    Dr. Kazuto Kimura, Post Doctoral Fellow in Dr. Amir Kol’s laboratory, presented “Development of a Canine-Specific Cardiomyocyte Differentiation Platform for Precision Modeling of Dilated Cardiomyopathy.”
•    Dr. Amir Kol, Associate Professor, presented a work from his Ph.D. student, Aadhavan Balakumar, entitled “Development and Characterization of Canine Cortical Organoids as a Platform for Modelling Neurodevelopment and Neurological Disease.”

Joining the veterinary team at the conference was Dr. Satya Dandekar, Distinguished Professor and Chair of the Department of Medical Microbiology and Immunology at the UC Davis School of Medicine. Dr. Dandekar delivered a keynote address entitled “Mesenchymal Stem Cells at the Crossroads of Immunity and Infection.”

Professor Boaz Arzi, director of VIRC, and Kol sit on the NAVRMA Board of Directors.

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