NeoStem to co-host stem-cell conference at the Vatican, Tommy Thompson to speak

NeoStem (AMEX:NBS) will co-host a conference at the Vatican in Rome, Italy, next month to discuss the social and political challenges of stem cell research, with special guest speaker Wisconsin GOP Senate candidate, Tommy Thompson.
The conference is part of NeoStem's partnership with the Vatican's Pontifical Council for Culture (PCC). The partnership, originally forged in May 2010, is intended to advance the use of adult stem cells by fostering scientific research and exploring the cultural, ethical and human implications of their use.
Scheduled for November 9 - 11, 2011, and driven by NeoStem's charitable Stem for Life Foundation and the Council's Science Theology and the Ontological Quest International, will also feature experts in adult stem cell research.
The event will be attended by Church leaders, policymakers, ethicists, representatives from the stem cell business community and ministers of health from around the world, among others. Attendees will take part in a variety of events, including keynote speakers, discussion panels, patient case studies and breakout sessions.
Thompson, who acted as the U.S. secretary of Health and Human services in 2011, will discuss the social and political challenges of stem cell medicine.
Neostem, a biopharmaceutical company with a focus on adult stem cell research and regenerative and cell-based therapies, called its collaboration with the Vatican "historical."
NeoStem CEO, Dr. Robin L. Smith, said the company hopes to demonstrate "that faith and technology can work together to find ethical solutions to human kind's most ancient problems."
Since starting out as a provider of adult stem cell collection and storage services, New York-based NeoStem has since branched out into cell therapeutics, focused on using stem cells to help cure disease.
NeoStem shares rose 0.78 percent as of 3:05 pm EDT, trading at $0.645.