Day 1
6 August 2026 (Thursday)
| Time | Programme |
|---|---|
| 8:00 – 8:30 am | Registration |
| Symposium 1: Biology of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (Chairperson: Prof Dr Tunku Kamarul Zaman Tunku Zainol Abidin), (Co-Chairperson: Asst Prof Dr Amy Saik Yi-Hsan) |
|
| 8:30 – 9:00 am | Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (MSCs): Historical Overview and ISCT Minimal Defining Criteria Dr Vijayendran Govindasamy (CryoCord Sdn Bhd) |
| 9:00 – 9:30 am | Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (MSCs): Comparative Evaluation of Bone Marrow, Umbilical Cord, Adipose, and iPSC-Derived Sources Prof Dr Jonathan Loh Yuin-Han (National University of Singapore) |
| 9:30 – 10:00 am | Mesenchymal Stromal Cells: Mechanisms of Action Prof Dr Chin Sze-Piaw (Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman) |
| 10:00 – 10:20 am | Tea Break |
| 10:30 – 11:30 am | Welcome Address and Introduction of the Guest of Honour Academician Emeritus Prof. Dato' Dr. Cheong Soon Keng (Congress Co-Chair) Opening Address Official Declaration of the Opening of the Cell & Gene Therapy Congress 2026 Official Launch of iPSC Cell Line Tan Sri Dato' Dr Abu Bakar Suleiman (Guest of Honour) |
| 11:30 am – 12:30 pm | Keynote Lecture – MSCs: Celebrating Achievement, Confronting Reality, and Charting the Voyage Ahead Prof Dr John Rasko AO (Peking University & Macau University of Science and Technology) Chairperson: Dr Then Kong-Yong (Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman) |
| 12:30 – 2:00 pm | Lunch Break Featuring Lunch Symposium (12:45 - 1:30 pm) Lunch Symposium - Use of Mesenchymal Stem Cells in Immune-Mediated Blood Disorders Prof Dr Bee Ping-Chong (Universiti Malaya) |
| 2:00 – 2:45 pm | Plenary Lecture 1: Immune Dynamics in Tissue Regeneration and Repair Prof Dr Shi YuFang (Soochow University) Chairperson: Prof Dr Thong Meow-Keong (Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman) |
| Symposium 2: Approved Clinical Applications of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (Chairperson: Prof Dato’ Dr Hanafiah Harunarashid), (Co-Chairperson: Dr Alia Suzana Asri) |
|
| 2:45 – 3:05 pm | Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in Inflammatory Disorders Dr Tan Sen-Mui (Subang Jaya Medical Centre) |
| 3:05 – 3:25 pm | Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in Osteoarthritis and Knee Cartilage Injury Dato' Dr Lee Joon-Kiong (Beacon Hospital) |
| 3:25 – 4:00 pm | Tea Break / Booth Visit |
| 4:00 – 4:20 pm | Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in Fistula Prof Dato' Dr April Camilia Roslani (Universiti Malaya) |
| 4:20 – 4:40 pm | Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in Chronic Limb Threatening Ischemia (CTIL) Dr (Lt Col) Pawan Kumar Gupta (Stempeutics Research Pvt Ltd) |
| 4:40 pm | Booth Visit |
Day 2
7 August 2026 (Friday)
| Time | Programme |
|---|---|
| 8:30 – 9:15 am | Plenary Lecture 2: Engineering Smart Mesenchymal Stromal Cells: Emerging Strategies for Next-Generation Cell Therapies Assoc Prof Dr Teoh Hoon-Koon (Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman) Chairperson: Assoc Prof Dr Leong Pooi-Pooi (Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman) |
| 9:15 – 10:00 am | Plenary Lecture 3: Providing Cell-Based Therapy in a Hospital Setting Prof Dr Fu Kun (Qingdao Yinghai Hospital) Chairperson: Assoc Prof Dr Leong Pooi-Pooi (Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman) |
| 10:00 – 10:30 am | Tea Break / Booth Visit |
| Symposium 3: Emerging Applications of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells (Chairperson: Clinical Assoc Prof Dr Lee Bee-Sun) (Co-Chairperson: Clinical Assoc Prof Dr Kang Waye-Hann) |
|
| 10:30 – 10:50 am | Application of Perinatal-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Prof Dr Tan Geok-Chin (Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz UKM) |
| 10:50 – 11:10 am | Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in Neurodegenerative Disorders Prof Datin Dr Norlinah Mohamed Ibrahim (Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz UKM) |
| 11:10 – 11:30 am | Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in Cardiac Disorders Dato' Dr Oteh Bin Maskon (Hospital Pakar An-Nur) |
| 11:30 – 11:50 am | Mesenchymal Stromal Cells in Eye Disorders Dr Then Kong-Yong (Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman) |
| 11:50 am – 2:00 pm | Lunch Break Featuring Lunch Symposium (12:00 - 12:45 pm) Lunch Symposium - Enabling Reliable Cell Therapies Through Intelligent Biobanking and Automated Cell Culture Tiffany Lena Wong, RPh. (Cynotex Sdn Bhd) |
| 2:00 – 3:00 pm | Current Clinical Trial Report: Chairperson: Dato' Dr Ding Lay-Ming (Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman Hospital) Co-Chairperson: Prof Dr Abdul Halim Bin Abdul Gafor (Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia) Wound Healing Properties of Local Implantation of Autologous Peripheral Blood Mononuclear Cells and Allogeneic Cord-derived Mesenchymal Stem Cells: A Randomized Clinical Trial Prof Dr S Fadilah Abdul Wahid (Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz UKM) Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cell Therapy in Acute Ischemic Stroke Assoc Prof Dr Wan Nur Nafisah Wan Yahya (Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz UKM) |
| Symposium 4: Regulatory, Ethics and Patient Safety (Chairperson: Mr James Then Khong-Lek), (Co-Chairperson: Dr Zalina Mahmood) |
|
| 3:00 – 3:30 pm | 2026 Global Regulatory Landscape Prof Dr John Rasko AO (Peking University & Macau University of Science and Technology) |
| 3:30 – 4:00 pm | Tea Break / Booth Visit |
| 4:00 – 4:30 pm | 2026 Regulatory Landscape in Malaysia Ms Hazureen Binti Mohd Halimi (National Pharmaceutical Regulatory Agency) |
| 4:30 – 5:00 pm | 2026 Regulatory Landscape in India Dr (Lt Col) Pawan Kumar Gupta (Stempeutics Research Pvt Ltd) |
| 5:00 – 5:30 pm | 2026 Regulatory Landscape in China Prof Dr Fu Kun (Qingdao Yinghai Hospital) |
Day 3
8 August 2026 (Saturday)
| Time | Programme |
|---|---|
| 8:30 – 9:30 am | Plenary Lecture 4: Development of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells-sEV Therapeutics: Progress and Update Assoc Research Prof Dr Lim Sai-Kiang (National University of Singapore) Chairperson: Assoc Prof Dr Teoh Hoon-Koon (Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman) |
| Symposium 5: The Rise of Cell-free Therapies - Extracellular Particles (Chairperson: Dr Tan Sik-Loo), (Co-Chairperson: Dr Shwe Sin) |
|
| 9:30 – 9:50 am | Therapeutic Development of Mesenchymal Stromal Cells
Extracellular Particles Assoc Prof Dr Foo Jhi-Biau (Taylor’s University) |
| 9:50 – 10:10 am | Clinical Applications and Translational Challenges of Extracellular Vesicles Assoc Prof Dr Law Jia-Xian (Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia) |
| 10:10 – 10:40 am | Tea Break / Booth Visit |
| Symposium 6: Mesenchymal Stromal Cells: From Bench to Bedside (Chairperson: Academician Emeritus Prof. Dato’ Dr Cheong Soon-Keng), (Co-Chairperson: Asst Prof Dr Nam Hui-Yin) |
|
| 10:40 – 11:00 am | Mesenchymal Stromal Cells: Rediscovery in Malaysia Assoc Prof Dr Rachel Mok Pooi-Ling (Universiti Putra Malaysia) |
| 11:00 – 11:20 am | Mesenchymal Stromal Cells: Production and Commercialisation Dr Then Kong-Yong (Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman) |
| 11:20 – 11:40 am | Mesenchymal Stromal Cells: Clinical Trials to Market Authorisation Prof Dr Chin Sze-Piaw (Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman) |
| 11:40 am – 12:10 pm | Oral Presentation Session Chairperson: Asst Prof Dr Nam Hui-Yin (Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman) Co-Chairperson: Asst Prof Dr Shwe Sin (Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman) Functional recovery effects of growth factor-stimulated mesenchymal stromal cells in a Wistar rat model of ankle sprain injury Dr Gan Quan-Fu (Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman) Reprogramming Human Osteosarcoma Cells Reveals Osteosarcoma Pathogenesis during Mesenchymal and Osteogenic Redifferentiation Ts Teh Hui-Xin (Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman) Development of an ICH Q2(R2)-Compliant, IDO-1-Based Potency Assay for Quality Control Release Testing of GMP-Grade Umbilical Cord-Derived Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Ms Tharishini A/P Subramaniam (CryoCord Malaysia) |
| 12:10 – 1:30 pm | Lunch Congress Debate: Cell based Immunotherapy for Autoimmune Disorders: MSCs vs CAR-T Chairperson: Prof Dr Chin Sze-Piaw (Universiti Tunku Abdul Rahman) MSCs Prof Dr Gan Gin-Gin (Universiti Malaya) CAR-T Prof Dr S Fadilah Abdul Wahid (Hospital Canselor Tuanku Muhriz UKM) |
| 1:30 – 2:00 pm | Closing Ceremony |
| 2:00 – 5:30 pm | Visit to Cell Processing Centre in Bio-X Centre, Cyberjaya (Separate registration on Day 1 is required) |