Meray Serdar
Meray Serdar Dr Meray SerdarPostdoctoral Researcher Department of Pediatrics I/Neonatology & Experimental Perinatal Neurosciences, University Hospital Essen (Germany) Session: Cell based therapies in animal studies – Wednesday 14 May (1.30-3pm) Meray Serdar studied biochemistry and completed a master’s degree in electrophysiology. In 2012, she began her PhD at the Department of Pediatrics I/Neonatology & Experimental Perinatal Neurosciences at University Hospital Essen, under the supervision of Professor Ivo Bendix and Professor Ursula Felderhoff-Müser. Their research investigated hyperoxia-induced preterm brain injury and the effects of fingolimod in vivo and in vitro. Since 2017, Meray has been a postdoctoral researcher in the same lab, focusing on developing a clinically relevant experimental model for preterm brain injury, incorporating prenatal inflammation and postnatal hyperoxia. Their current research examines the potential of intranasal mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy as a treatment.
Courtney McDonald
Courtney McDonald Dr Courtney McDonaldNHMRC EL2 Investigator The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research (Australia) Session: Using large animal translational models and how to do it better – Wednesday 14 May (8.30-10am) Courtney McDonald is an NHMRC EL2 Investigator and leads the Cell Therapies and Neuroinflammation Research Group at The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research. Courtney’s research has generated new knowledge in how cell therapies work to reduce brain injury. Courtney has shown that different cell therapies, including umbilical cord blood (UCB), mesenchymal stromal cells and amnion epithelial cells (AECs) are effective therapies for brain injury in small and large animal models of perinatal brain injury, multiple sclerosis, and spinal disc repair. Courtney’s preclinical research has been the basis for four ongoing clinical trials at Monash Health using umbilical cord blood cells highlighting the translational impact of her research.
Sanne Claassen
Sanne Claassen Dr Sanne ClaassenPhD studentDepartment of Pediatrics, Maastricht University Medical Center+, MosaKids Children’s Hospital, Maastricht (The Netherlands) Session: Using large animal translational models and how to do it better – Wednesday 14 May (8.30-10am) Sanne Claassen is a medical doctor and PhD student in the Pediatric Department at Maastricht University, the Netherlands. The paediatric lab of Tim Wolfs focuses on innovative therapies for children born with a challenging start in life. During her PhD, she will explore the role of the immune system in prenatal brain injury and the therapeutic effects of stem cells in the context of perinatal inflammatory stress.
Enrique Conches
Enrique Conches Enrique ConchesCreative Innovation LeaderFounder, Punk Design (Spain) Session: Learnings from co-creation: involving external stakeholders in research – Thursday 15 May (8.30-10am) Enrique Conches is the founder of Punk Design, where he leads projects that ignite Innovation Culture and equips teams to overcome Friction through bold, Human-Centred strategies. An expert in Design Thinking, Enrique served for nearly 7 years as a Course Facilitator at IDEO U, created by IDEO—the originators of the methodology. He is also a graduate of the prestigious Stanford LEAD program in Leadership and Innovation Strategy. For almost 25 years, Enrique has helped start-ups, research consortia, and global organisations turn complexity into clarity— blending creativity, strategy, and play to make innovation not just possible—but inevitable.
Alishia Ballintine
Alishia Ballintine Alishia BallintinePatient/parent representative (Australia) Session: Learnings from co-creation: involving external stakeholders in research – Thursday 15 May (8.30-10am) Alishia Ballintine is a passionate patient and consumer advocate committed to advancing patient partnerships in medical development. Her advocacy is deeply personal, driven by her youngest daughter’s experience as a late preterm baby who suffered a perinatal stroke, resulting in right hemiplegic cerebral palsy and epilepsy. This experience fuels Alishia’s dedication to seeing novel regenerative therapies emerge in the field of neurodevelopmental injury. Professionally, Alishia leads consumer advisor and partnership initiatives within clinical trial research, ensuring that patient perspectives are central to the process. She is also a regulatory lawyer at a world-class clinical trial centre, where she combines her legal expertise with her commitment to see impactful research translation and drug development. Throughout her career, Alishia has gained extensive knowledge of the complex ethics and regulatory processes that shape…
Sidhartha Tan
Sidhartha Tan Dr Sidhartha TanProfessor of PediatricsWayne State University (USA) Session: Novel and innovative approaches to screening – Tuesday 13 May (2-3.30pm) Dr Sidhartha Tan is presently Leslie Helppie Endowed Professor in Urban Health, Department of Pediatrics, Wayne State University School of Medicine. His research focuses on Big Data analytics in neonatal intensive care, advanced neonatal nursing, olfactory memory testing, neuroimaging, neuroprotective drugs, and neonatology education. His basic science research explores mechanisms of brain injury in newborns, with his lab continuously funded since 1992, currently holding three NIH R01 grants. Using rabbit models of cerebral palsy, his work investigates hypoxia-ischemia at various gestational ages, mimicking acute placental insufficiency. His studies examine free radicals, reactive oxygen and nitrogen species, grey and white matter injury, oligodendroglial damage, brain cell death, and epigenetics. He has also pioneered MRI biomarkers to predict motor deficits in foetuses and developed the first transgenic knockout and knock-in…
Gaurav Verma
Gaurav Verma Dr Gaurav VermaResearcherUniversity of Gothenburg (Sweden) Session: In vitro studies of stem cell activities – Thursday 15 May (10.30am-12pm) Gaurav Verma is a passionate researcher specialising in mitochondrial biology and bioenergetics, with a focus on mitochondrial function in neurological disorders. Gaurav’s current work explores mitochondrial transplantation in brain injury models, investigating how transplanted mitochondria can restore cellular respiration and support neuronal recovery. By analysing oxygen consumption rates (OCR) in isolated mitochondria using Seahorse Flux Analyser, his aim is to unravel new insights into mitochondrial metabolism and neuroprotection, paving the way for potential therapeutic strategies. Beyond his research, Gaurav has contributed to the scientific community through a recently published book chapter with IntechOpen, titled Fundamentals of Stem Cells and Application in Complex Disorders. His interdisciplinary interests extend to forensic science and clinical trials, reflecting a deep curiosity for scientific discovery. Driven by a commitment to advancing mitochondrial research, Gaurav…
Researchers to showcase research into neonatal brain repair at the PREMSTEM Conference
The brain injury in the premature born infant: stem cell regeneration research network (PREMSTEM) is holding its final conference from 13 to 15 May 2025. The meeting will take place in Hotel SB Diagonal Zero in the Poblenou area of Barcelona, Spain. Since 2020, PREMSTEM has been focused on investigating human mesenchymal stem cells from donated umbilical cord tissue as a potential therapy to treat brain injury related to preterm birth. Now in the final year of the project, the consortium invites medical professionals, members of the scientific community, policy makers, professionals working in regulatory bodies, and parent and patient associations to hear the latest research related to improving outcomes for children and families affected by brain injury. Keynote speaker Associate Professor Atul Malhotra, a senior neonatologist at Monash Children’s Hospital, and a research academic in the Department of Paediatrics at Monash University in Melbourne, Australia will talk about his…
Nicolas Zucker
Nicolas Zucker Nicolas ZuckerPhD student Physics for Medicine Paris (France) Session: Imaging modalities – Thursday 15 May (12.30-2pm) Nicolas Zucker is a PhD student in physics working on ultrasound neuroimaging. During his PhD he is exploring how functional ultrasound localisation microscopy can detect and quantify hemodynamic response at the microscopic scale. From preclinical to clinical imaging, this research is paving the way for a better understanding and monitoring of cerebral small vessel diseases.
Sara De Palma
Sara De Palma Sara De PalmaPhD candidateDepartment for Developmental Origins of Disease, University Medical Center Utrecht Brain Center and Wilhelmina Children’s Hospital, Utrecht University, Utrecht (The Netherlands) Session: From pre-clinical work to an approved therapy – Wednesday 14 May (10.30am-12pm) Sara De Palma studied at the Polytechnic University of Turin, completing both a bachelor’s and master’s degree in biomedical engineering. During the final year of the master’s program, she moved to Utrecht for an internship at the Laboratory of Neuroimmunology and Developmental Origins of Disease under the supervision of Caroline de Theije. This experience led to pursuing a Marie Curie PhD in regenerative medicine at University Medical Center Utrecht in the group of Cora Nijboer, focusing on optimising mesenchymal stem cell therapy for neonates with hypoxic-ischemic brain injury. In 2023 Sara received a PhD Research Grant from the Cerebral Palsy Alliance which enabled a research stay at the University of…