We are pleased to host the second meeting on Stem Cell Engineering and Cell-Based Therapies, which will begin on Wednesday, November 19, 2014 at 7.30 pm on and run through lunch on Saturday, November 22. The recent availability of human pluripotent stem cells and progress in the genetic engineering of these stem cells, somatic stem cells, and their progeny creates new prospects for advancing cell-based therapies. This meeting will focus on emerging paradigms in cellular reprogramming, directed differentiation and therapeutic cell engineering. Its purpose is to foster scientific exchange and discussion of current challenges to the generation of progenitor and differentiated cell types that are safe and suitable for transplantation, as well as strategies to achieve high fidelity genetic engineering. The ultimate goal of these discussions is to identify and evaluate promising paths for clinical translation of emerging cell-based therapies. Individual sessions will focus on current and developing “hot topics”, including advances and obstacles to directed differentiation in mesodermal, endodermal or neuroectodermal cell types, targeted gene delivery, immune engineering, barriers to effective cell transplantation and graft acceptance, and other relevant themes.