TEHRAN - The Royan Institute is playing host to the 17th International Summer School in Tehran to examine the growing role of the microbiome in regenerative medicine.

Bringing together researchers, physicians, faculty members and students, the event opened on August 15 and will come to an end on 19.

Titled “The Symphony of Therapy: Unlocking Regenerative Potential through the Microbiome,” it will focus on recent scientific advances and clinical applications of microbiome research, IRNA reported.

According to the Royan Institute, the program will explore how the human microbiome influences immune regulation, chronic diseases, tissue repair and regeneration, while highlighting emerging therapeutic approaches and translational research.

The five-day event will feature sessions on stem cells and the microbiome, intestinal stem cells and microbial ecology, reproductive health, inflammation and tissue repair, and microbiome-based therapies, including prebiotics and postbiotics.

Participants will also discuss advanced research technologies such as organoids, omics platforms and co-culture systems, alongside the ethical and clinical challenges of translating laboratory discoveries into medical practice.

The Summer School is open to physicians, researchers, faculty members and undergraduate and postgraduate students in medicine, biology, biotechnology, nutrition and related fields.

Organizers said the event aims to strengthen interdisciplinary collaboration, promote scientific networking and showcase global developments in microbiome science and regenerative medicine.

In 2002, the research fields at Royan Institute also extended into stem cell studies. Afterward, the research findings were adjusted for application in regenerative medicine and cell therapy approaches.

After three decades, the Royan Institute focuses on increasing the success rate of infertility treatment alongside embryo health and the level of public health through cell therapy clinical services.

During these twenty years of active involvement in sharing and exchanging scientific knowledge and expertise with renowned scientific institutes and scientists, the Royan Congress has helped to form many shared scientific projects and exchanges.

International Reproductive Medicine Congress

The 27th Royan International Reproductive Medicine Congress and the 22nd Royan International Stem Cell Technology Congress will be held in Tehran from September 2 to 4, 2026.

This year, seven specialized workshops and a pre-congress symposium on obesity were held a few weeks before the event for students and researchers, which was well received.

Offering Continuing Medical Education (CME) credits for various medical, paramedical, and midwifery disciplines, the scientific event provides a valuable opportunity for professionals and specialists to update their knowledge in the field.

A total of 515 out of 600 submitted articles are accepted; these involve 129 articles in Reproductive Biomedicine Congress, 195 posters and 16 lectures, 237 articles in Stem Cell Biology and Technology Congress, 220 posters and 17 lectures, and 67 articles in Nursery and Midwifery Seminar, 63 posters and four lectures.

Six selected best articles will be awarded at the opening ceremony of the Congress, which will be held both in person and online.

The event will host 36 lecturers from 19 foreign countries, including Germany (Prof. Janems Adjaye), Qatar (Dr. Mohammad Mostafa Arafa), France (Prof. Laurent David), Austria (Dr. Victori Deneke), Spain (Dr. Nicholas Garrido Pushalt), Italy (Dr. Local Gianiroli), Japan (Prof. Kazuhiro Kawamura), Russia (Dr. Daria Kuznetsova), New Zealand (Prof. Bjorn Oback), and China (Dr. Zhen Liu), as well as 59 national lecturers.

In 2024, a total of 33 international scientists and researchers from the U.S., England, Germany, Austria, Italy, Belgium, Turkey, China, Russia, Japan, Sweden, Switzerland, Qatar, and India presented lectures in the Congress.