TEHRAN – The vice presidency for science and technology plans to address coordination among interdisciplinary fields as a main challenge in the field of science of technology in the country, VP Sourena Sattari announced, IRNA reported on Saturday.

He made the remarks in the closing ceremony of the 3rd National Festival and the International Congress on Stem cells and Regenerative Medicine on Saturday.

The vice presidency’s Council for Stem Cell Sciences and Technologies was established to coordinate different sections of the stem cell technology and commercialization and also to develop knowledge cutting edges.

Iran is a pioneer in stem cell ecosystem with several knowledge-based companies active in this field, he said.
Over 120 Iranian companies are active in the field of stem cell technology in Iran, he said.

The knowledge-based companies can create value added, jobs and boost exports in order to develop knowledge economy, he said.

According to the U.S. National Library of Medicine, stem cell technology is a rapidly developing field that combines the efforts of cell biologists, geneticists, and clinicians and offers hope of effective treatment for a variety of malignant and non-malignant diseases. 

Stem cells are defined as totipotent progenitor cells capable of self-renewal and multilineage differentiation. Stem cells survive well and show stable division in culture, making them ideal targets for in vitro manipulation.

The congress was held from November 28 to December 1 in Tehran.

SB/MQ/MG