NEW ORLEANS ý The first medical conference to focus on the emerging field of stem cells for tissue transplant will be held in New Orleans March 22 - 24. The conference, entitled ýMesenchymal and Nonhematopoitic Stem Cells: Recent Progress and Current Controversies,ý will be co-hosted by the Tulane Center for Gene Therapy, St. Jude Childrenýs Research Hospital, and the International Society for Hematotherapy and Graft Engineering.

Recently researchers have recognized that stem cells exist for tissues other than blood. This suggests that stem cell transplantation and replacement of diseased tissue may someday treat diseases of many tissues, such as muscle, bone or possibly the brain, with healthy cells newly developed from the transplanted stem cells.

This meeting will bring together the leading investigators from around the world to discuss the therapeutic potential of stem cells derived from healthy volunteers. Presenters include Darwin Prockop, director of the Tulane Center for Gene Therapy.

The Tulane Center for Gene Therapy, part of Tulane University Health Sciences Center, held its grand opening and ribbon cutting on March 7. It is the first gene therapy center in the country dedicated to using adult stem cells for treating diseases. The center occupies 14,000 square feet of renovated laboratories in the J. Bennett Johnston Health and Environmental Research Building in downtown New Orleans. To take a virtual tour of the center visit: ww w.som.tulane.edu/pr/releases/0307genetherapy.htm.