Highlights from the UK Stem Cell Network Inaugural Meeting, Manchester

The first UK Stem Cell Network Conference was an inspiring showcase of collaboration and innovation in regenerative medicine. Wondering what to expect from a UKSCN event or whether it’s worth attending next time? Here’s Aarushi's experience from the inaugural meeting in Manchester.

Introduction

The UK Stem Cell Network (UKSCN) encourages inclusive collaboration and innovation for stem cell-based research. Since I have regularly attended the London Stem Cell Network (LSCN) symposium for the last 2 years, I was excited to hear about the formation of the UKSCN. The UKSCN functions as a “network of networks,” enabling collaboration between existing stem cell groups such as the LSCN and Mercia Stem Cell Alliance (MSCA) that represents the Midlands and Northwest. Representatives from both the LSCN and MSCA are part of the UKSCN team. The UKSCN team also has several industry representatives from Regen CTC, STEMCELL Technologies and Qkine. The UKSCN 2025 conference had talks from leaders in the field including Professor Tilo Kunath, University of Edinburgh and the Professor Paola Bonfanti, Francis Crick Institute. We also had the privilege to ask questions to a panel including leads of both the French and Canadian stem cell network. 

Poster Sessions!

Aarushi presenting her work during the poster session.

There were nearly 100 posters on display at the conference over the two days. It was great to hear PhD colleagues passionately discuss their work and to learn more about their projects. A huge diversity of topics were covered, including embryonic development, neuroscience and cardiac and tissue regeneration/engineering.  It was great to discuss my work and progress thus far and gain ideas for new experiments for the remaining 12 months of my PhD project. It was very encouraging to hear feedback and to discuss my poster with colleagues. It was particularly valuable to connect with other PhD students working on neuroscience-based-stem cell projects.

Talks and Networking sessions

Aarushi's supervisor's talk, featuring her!

The talks were divided into four sessions over the two days; they sparked very engaging discussions in the Q&A sessions, which also continued in the networking sessions. A highlight of the talks was the wide range of topics covered with excellent representation from both senior and early career stage researchers.  My supervisor, Dr Timothy Grocott, University of East Anglia gave a talk titled “Gastruloids “Over Easy”: building better models of early human development”. It was incredible to hear my colleagues’ work being presented and to gain feedback/ideas from other stem cell researchers. I also thoroughly enjoyed networking with representatives of industry partners that I had met at previous conferences including from Qkine and STEMCELL Technologies. It was great to meet the Chief Scientific Officer of Migration Biotherapeutics, Dr Davide Danovi - a company that works on developing therapies for glioblastoma. We discussed opportunities for PhD graduates to work at spin out companies. If you’re considering a career in biotechnology or a spin-out company, my advice is to network by reaching out to scientists and professionals in the industry. 

Evening Networking at Manchester Museum

The first day concluded with an evening networking event at the Manchester Museum (Fossils/Living World Gallery). This was a fantastic opportunity to interact with researchers and industry partners in a more relaxed atmosphere. There was a wide variety of grazing platters and drinks, as well as entertainment - including a magician and photobooth! It was a great end to the first day of the conference.

Meet the Experts Breakfast

The “Meet the Experts Breakfast” session aimed to provide guidance for early career researchers (ECR) about how to navigate opportunities after completing their degrees. I received some very encouraging advice from a Cell Line Development/Platform Operations Consultant: creativity and having novel ideas will help me to stand out in future job interviews. She also suggested that the culture of the company is very important, as this should align with your values. I was also advised that obtaining a PhD will enable me to undertake more senior leadership positions in industry.

Conclusion

To summarise, the aspect that I enjoyed most was the significant representation from both industry partners and academics, which encouraged me to network and explore career opportunities in both areas. The conference was extremely well organised, with a great venue and several opportunities to interact with more senior academics and industry partners. While I have been keen to attend international stem cell research (ISSER) conferences in the past, the UKSCN conference is more accessible as a UK based ECR. I thoroughly enjoyed the meeting and am looking forward to attending more UKSCN conferences/workshops in the future! A huge thank you to Zoe Hewitt, Regen CTC and UKSCN committee members for organizing a fantastic conference. It was great to represent the University of East Anglia and to put Norwich on the UKSCN map! 

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This article was written by Aarushi Vaidya and edited by Rebecca Pope, with graphics produced by Lilly Green. If you enjoyed this article, be the first to be notified about new posts by signing up to become a WiNUK member (top right of this page)! Interested in writing for WiNUK yourself? Contact us through the blog page and the editors will be in touch.