Stem cells shine in Shanghai.

From November 6 to 9, 2007, more than 500 scientists from 20 countries and regions gathered in Shanghai, China, to attend the 2007 Shanghai International Symposium on Stem Cell Research. This dynamic meeting was jointly organized by the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), the Shanghai Institutes for Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (SIBS/CAS), and other institutes in China. For the first time, the ISSCR added its name to a conference other than its own annual meeting, embracing this opportunity to learn more about research that is happening in China and providing a platform for local researchers who do not always have the opportunity to travel internationally to the ISSCR annual meetings. Here we present a sampling of the diverse research presented by the local and international participants during the science-packed 4 day meeting.