Bridging the gap in regenerative medicine
A scientific home for the ECM community, carried forward from the SIS Symposium.
Excelmat Learning Collaborative is an Indiana nonprofit formed to continue the biennial scientific and clinical meeting that began as the SIS Symposium and grew into Biologic Scaffolds for Regenerative Medicine. The science, the camaraderie, and the focus on real solutions for patients remain the same.
Excelmat Learning Collaborative (ELC) exists to advance the science and clinical practice of extracellular matrix (ECM) biomaterials by convening researchers, clinicians, and industry in an independent, peer-reviewed forum. For more than two decades, the ECM community has gathered every other year to share bench findings, device development, and clinical experience in one room. ELC was formed in June 2026 to give that gathering a permanent, mission-driven home.
ELC is a nonprofit educational initiative, organized as an Indiana nonprofit corporation, and its application for federal 501(c)(3) recognition is in progress. A four-member board governs the organization, and an independent Program Committee shapes the scientific content of each meeting. Written policies on gift acceptance, corporate sponsorship, and conflicts of interest keep the program’s scientific judgment separate from its funding.
The lineage
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The SIS Symposium
Born from the first small intestinal submucosa (SIS) research programs, the symposium brought together the scientists and surgeons who established that acellular ECM could be remodeled into functional, site-appropriate tissue.
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Biologic Scaffolds for Regenerative Medicine
As the field broadened beyond a single source tissue, the meeting grew with it, covering ECM from many tissues, new physical forms, and an expanding clinical footprint.
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Excelmat Learning Collaborative
Incorporated in 2026 as a nonprofit so the meeting belongs to the community rather than to any one company. The inaugural ELC meeting convenes in May 2027.
The inaugural ELC meeting follows the format regulars will recognize: a welcome reception on Thursday evening, two full days of podium sessions on Friday and Saturday, a poster session running alongside the talks, and a modest exhibit area for company booths. The program closes at 6:00 PM on Saturday.
Dates
Thursday, May 13 through Saturday, May 15, 2027
Venue
To be announced; a resort or hotel setting in keeping with past meetings
Podium program
Seven sessions of 15-minute talks, roughly 42 presentations selected by peer review
Posters and exhibits
A poster session parallel to the sessions and a small exhibit area for sponsors
Abstract deadline
January 15, 2027, with Program Committee decisions by February 6, 2027
Who attends
Academic and industry scientists, surgeons and clinicians, regulatory and translational professionals, and trainees
The meeting centers on biomaterials built from the extracellular matrix itself. As a working definition, the Program Committee considers submissions in scope when the material contains at least two distinct ECM components, in any physical form and serving any of its principal roles.
- Physical forms: sheets and laminates, particulates and powders, hydrogels and injectables, and composites that combine ECM with other materials
- Functions: structural scaffolding and tissue reinforcement, delivery of drugs and biologics, and the biological signaling that drives host remodeling
- Study types: basic mechanism research, materials characterization and manufacturing science, preclinical models, and clinical studies that use in-scope materials
- Clinical areas: wound care, hernia and soft tissue repair, cardiovascular and valvular applications, orthopedics and spine, urology and gynecology, neurosurgery, and surgical oncology
Work on single-component materials (collagen or hyaluronic acid alone, for example) is welcome as basic mechanism research. Non-ECM polymers such as chitosan or plant-derived cellulosics fall outside the meeting’s scope. A detailed Program Scope Statement and the abstract review rubric will be published with the call for abstracts.
Board of Directors
A four-member board governs ELC. Scientific content for each meeting is set by an independent Program Committee, a majority of whose members hold no position with ELC or its sponsors, as the bylaws require.
- Sharon KrebsPresident and Chief Executive Officer
- Michael Hiles, PhDDirector; Program Committee Chair
- George Hussey, PhDDirector
- Rob Matheny, MDDirector
Sponsors make the meeting possible and keep registration within reach of trainees and smaller labs. Sponsorship supports the event as a whole; program content is chosen by the independent Program Committee under ELC’s Corporate Sponsorship Policy, so sponsors gain visibility and access to the community without influence over the science.
Sponsorship is offered at four levels: Platinum, Gold, Silver, and Supporter. Named items such as the welcome reception, meals, and keynote sessions may be co-sponsored. The full prospectus and commitment form are available on request, and an online sponsorship page is coming soon.
Whether you want to present, sponsor, help plan, or simply be kept informed as the program takes shape, we would like to hear from you.