Organiser: Centre for Stem Cell Research (CSCR), UTAR
Date: 4 - 6 September, 2017
Venue: FMHS Postgraduate Laboratories

The Centre for Stem Cell Research (CSCR), UTAR, is a small research centre with only five regular academic members, but over a dozen postgraduate students. Being small, CSCR needs to focus on the research being done. One of the focuses is that of understanding regulation of gene expression in stem cells.
The important role of microRNAs (miRNAs) in post-transcriptional regulation of target genes has clearly been demonstrated over the past decades. miRNAs have also been developed as disease biomarkers and even as therapeutic targets, in particular, for cancers.
The goal of the UTAR MicroRNA Workshop 2017 was to present to interested researchers principles of miRNA regulation of gene expression, and the major methodologies involved in miRNA research. In the three-day workshop, Day 1 was devoted to lectures (opened to 60 participants), while Day 2 & Day 3 were for hands-on practical sessions (limited to 20 participants). Covered in the hands-on sessions were miRNA quantification, bioinformatics prediction of target genes and possible biological functions, and luciferase assays needed to experimentally verify miRNA-target mRNA interactions.

Workshop flyer

Event Photos

Group photo of workshop participants and Lecture session by Prof. Huang CJ

Lecture session by A/P Dr. Alan OHK and Lecture session by Ms Nguyen NPN

Lecture session by Prof Choo KB and Lecture participants from Day 1

Question and answer session (1) and Question and answer session (2)

Briefing on workshop by facilitators and Workshop facilitators

 
Attentive workshop participants (1) and (2)

Bioinformatics exercise (1) and (2)

Bioinformatics exercise (3) and Sponsors exhibition.

Organised by: National Yang Ming University (NYMU) 
Symposium Date: 16 – 17 October (Mon-Tues), 2017
Venue: International Conference Building, National Yang Ming University, Taipei, Taiwan
Organised by: National Yang Ming University (NYMU) 

In 2015, the Centre for Stem Cell Research (CSCR) organised the First UTAR-UST (Taiwan) Symposium on Stem Cell Research in the Sungai Long campus, UTAR. It was then agreed that the bilateral symposium would be conducted every second year, rotating between UTAR and UST. In 2017, the second symposium was held in Taiwan, and the theme of the symposium was extended to include both cancer and stem cell research.

2nd Joint UTAR-UST (Taiwan) Symposium on Cancer and Stem Cell Research was held from the 16-17 October (Mon-Tues), 2017, at the International Conference Building, National Yang Ming University, in Taipei, Taiwan. The event was organized by National Yang Ming University (NYMU) and was co-organised by the Centre for Stem Cell Research (CSCR) and Centre for Cancer Research (CCR), UTAR. The theme for the second symposium was “Topics related to the biology and cellular/molecular processes and clinical applications and implications of cancer and stem cells”. The symposium was open to the pulic and had a total of 174 attendees on the two days.

Symposium poster

Photos of the symposium