disease modeling
and drug discovery
The ISSCR improves how stem cell science is conducted and applied in drug discovery and development. By aligning academia, industry, and regulators, we support validation, benchmarking, and adoption of more predictive, human-relevant models. This work is driven largely by the Consortium on Advanced Stem Cell-Based Models in Drug Discovery and Development.
KEY AREAS
Guidelines and Benchmarking
Establishing shared standards for evaluating stem cell-based models.Cross-Sector Collaboration
Bringing together academia, industry, and regulators to align approaches.Translational Case Studies
Demonstrating the predictive value of advanced models in real-world contexts.Data & Knowledge Integration
Building shared resources and tools to support adoption and decision-making.
Consortium on Advanced Stem Cell-Based Models in Drug Discovery and Development
A global organization of industry and academic scientists working with regulatory experts to establish standards, develop tools, and build the collaborative infrastructure needed to accelerate responsible integration of stem cell-derived models, alongside the complementary use of informative animal models, into the drug development pipeline. This effort aligns with recent policy and regulatory shifts toward developing new approach methodologies (NAMs) as part of an integrated evidence framework that strengthens and enhances established drug discovery and development approaches.
Consortium Steering Committee & Working Groups
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Co-Chair - Shuibing Chen, PhD
Weill Cornell, USACo-Chair - Daniela Cornacchia, PhD
AstraZeneca, SwedenLuigi Aloia, PhD
AstraZeneca, UKErica Bello, PhD
Milner Institute, University of Cambridge, UK Kapil Bharti, PhD
NEI/NIH, USAHans Clevers, MD, PhD
Hubrecht Institute, NetherlandsDavid Gnutt, PhD
Bayer AG, GermanyMagdalena Kasendra, PhD
Cincinnati Children’s, USAChristine Mummery, PhD
LUMC, NetherlandsSteve Murray, PhD
The Jackson Laboratory, USAHideyuki Okano, MD, PhD
Keio University, JapanLi Pang, MD
FDA, USACharis Segeritz-Walko, PhD
Novo Nordisk, Denmark Lee Rubin, PhD
Harvard University, USAClive Svendsen, PhD
Cedars-Sinai, USACarlos Tristan, PhD
NCATS/NIH, USAJoseph Wu, MD, PhD
Stanford University, USAMatthias Zilbauer, MD, PhD
University of Cambridge, UK -
Co-Chair - Todd Herron, PhD
Greenstone Biosciences, USACo-Chair - Emelyne Teo, PhD
MSD, SingaporeCo-Chair - Joseph Wu, MD, PhD
Stanford University, USALuigi Aloia, PhD
AstraZeneca, UKVanesa Ayala, PhD
Swiss Federal Laboratories for Materials Science and Technololgy, SwitzerlandHaiqing Bai, PhD
Xellar Biosystems, USAChristoper Carman, PhD
Bayer, GermanyShuibing Chen, PhD
Weill Cornell, USARyan Conder, PhD
STEMCELL Technologies, CanadaMaheswara Reddy Emani, PhD
Genentech, USABenjamin Freedman, PhD
University of Washington and Plurexa, USAAaron Goldman, PhD
Harvard & BroadOak Investments, USAHenning Kempf, PhD
GEM CELL hub at Novo NordiskWalter Koroshetz, MD
National Institute of Neurological Disorders and Stroke (retired), USAMelissa Little, PhD
reNEW and Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, AustraliaPinar Mesci, PhD
Axiom Space, USALisa Mohamet, PhD
GlaxoSmithKline, UKChristine Mummery, PhD
LUMC, NetherlandsPeter Reinhardt, PhD
AbbVie, USALee Rubin, PhD
Harvard University, USACharis Segeritz-Walko, PhD
Novo Nordisk, DenmarkAbbas Shafiee, PhD
University of Queensland, AustraliaMichael Stauske, PhD
AstraZeneca, SwedenPaul Tesar, PhD
Case Western Reserve University, USAZhiyong Wang, PhD
ADS Biosystems, USA -
Co-Chair - David Belaire, PhD
AbbVie, USACo-Chair - Cristine Mummery, PhD
Leiden University Medical Center, NetherlandsSonja Beken, PhD
Federal Agency for Medicines and Health Products, BelgiumDaniela Cornacchia, PhDAstraZeneca, Sweden
Rhiannon David, PhD
AstraZeneca, SwedenRicard Davis, PhD
Leiden University Medical Center, NetherlandsBrian Johnson, PhD
Michigan State University, USAYasujiro, Kiyota, MS
Nikon, JapanStephan Krieg, PhD
Merck, GermanyWilliam Murphy, PhD
University of Wisconsin, USAJessica Palmer, MS
Labcorp, USADavid Pammies, PhD
University of Lausanne, SwitzerlandLi Pang, MD
FDA, USAIvan Rusyn, MD, PhD
Texas A&M, USATadahiro Shinozawa, PhD
Takeda, JapanLena Smirnova, PhD
Johns Hopkins University, USABlerta Stringa, PhD
Johnson & Johnson, USABob van de Water, PhD
Leiden University Medical Center, NetherlandsOzlem Vural, PhD
Bayer AG, GermanyNicole Zur Nieden, PhD
University of California, Riverside, USA -
Co-Chair - Kapil Bharti, PhD
National Eye Institute/National Institutes of Health, USACo-Chair - Sandra Lubitz, PhD
Evotec, GermanyRaeka Aiyar, PhD
Institute for Glial Sciences, USASadaf Atarod, PhD
Novo Nordisk, DenmarkErica Bello, PhD
Milner Institute, University of Cambridge, UKKristen Brennand, PhD
Yale University, USADaniela Cornacchia, PhD
AstraZeneca, SwedenRodrigo Cristofoletti, PhD
University of Florida, USAInsoo Hyun, PhD
National University of Singapore, SingaporeRosario Isasi, PhD
University of Miami, USAAbigail Mariga, PhD
Bristol Myers Squibb, USARebecca Mathew, PhD
Merck, USAJoseph Powell, PhD
Garvan Institute, USALee Rubin, PhD
Harvard University, USALidia Taglioferro, PhD
GlaxoSmithKline, USANathalie Saurat, PhD
Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute, AustraliaJanine Scholefield, PhD
Council for Scientific and Industrial Research, South AfricaLuciani Silveira de Carvalho, MD, PhD
University of Sao Paulo, BrazilJeremy Sugarman, MD
Johns Hopkins, USASjoukie van der Stegen
Chan Zuckerberg Foundation, USAChristine Wells, PhD
University of Melbourne, AustraliaStephanie Willerth, PhD
University of Victoria, CanadaSu-Chun Zhang, MD, PhD
BrainXell, Sanford Burnham Prebys, USABastian Zimmer, PhD
Evotec, Germany -
Co-Chair - Kim Homan, PhD
Genentech, USACo-Chair - Magdalena Kasendra, PhD
Cincinnati Children’s, USALuigi Aloia, PhD
AstraZeneca, UKOscar Abilez, PhD
Stanford University, USAIvana Barbaric, PhD
The University of Sheffield, UKDaniela Cornacchia, PhD
AstraZeneca, SwedenSerah Kang, PhD
Genentech, USAHenning Kempf, PhD
GEM CELL hub at Novo Nordisk, DenmarkSrivatsan Kidambi, PhD
National Institutes of Health Standardized Organoid Modeling Center, USAThomas Hartung, MD, PhD
Johns Hopkins University, USADarrell Kotton, MD
Boston University, USALi Pang, MD
Food and Drug Administration, USAMilica Radisic, PhD
University of Toronto, CanadaCourtney Sakolish, PhD
Texas A&M, USACharis Segeritz-Walko, PhD
Novo Nordisk, DenmarkJason Spence, PhD
University of MichiganSally Temple, PhD
Neural Stem Cell Institute, USASilvia Velasco, PhD
Murdoch Children’s Research Institute, Australia -
Silvia Albert, PhD
Radboudumc, NetherlandsTom Allison, PhD
Trailhead Biosystems, USALaura Andres-Martin, PhD
The Jackson Laboratory, JAX-NYSCF, USAJing Bai, PhD, DABT
Xellar Biosystems, USAAnita Bhattacharyya, PhD
University of Wisconsin - Madison, USALexi Bounds, PhD
Xaira Therapeutics, USALucas Chase, PhD
FUJFILM Cellular Dynamics, Inc., USAJoel Cresser-Brown, PhD
Bio-Techne, UKDecio Eizirik, MD, PhD
Universite Libre de Bruxelles (ULB) Diabetes Research Center, BelgiumAnai Gonzalez Cordero, PhD
Children's Medical Research Institute (CMRI), The University of Sydney, AustraliaLyn Healy, PhD
Kings College, UKEverardo Hegewisch-Solloa, PhD
R&D Systems by Bio-Techne, USAAndrew Khalil, PhD
University of Minnesota - Twin Cities, USAKarl Koehler, PhD
Boston Children's Hospital, USAHanna Lammertse, PhD
hDMT, NetherlandsYingxin Li, PhD
Acrobiosystems, USAHannah Maple, PhD
Bio-Techne, UKFlorian Merkle, PhD
University of Cambridge, UKMirko Messa, PhD
AstraZeneca Translational Genomics, Centre for Genomics Research, Discovery Sciences BioPharmaceuticals R&D, SwedenJutta Meyer, DR, habil
Bayer, GermanyJeffrey Millman, PhD
Washington University School of Medicine, USAJenna Moccia, PhD
STEMCELL Technologies, CanadaMarie Obien, PhD
MaxWell Biosystems, SwitzerlandAnca Pasca, MD
Stanford University, USAChristoph Patsch, PhD
Merck Healthcare KGaA in Darmstadt, Germany, GermanyMartin Pera, PhD
The Jackson Laboratory, USAOle Pless, PhD
Fraunhofer ITMP, GermanyMarimelia Porcionatto, PhD
Unifesp, BrazilCara Rieger, PhD
Trailhead Biosystems, USASilke Schwengberg, PhD
Ncardia Services B.V., NetherlandsMichael Sheldon, PhD
Sampled, USARafael Soares Lindoso, PhD
Bayer AG, GermanyXin Tang, PhD
Boston Children's Hospital, USAAdrian Teo, PhD
IMCB/A*STAR; NUS, SingaporeMarija Usenovic, PhD
Johnson & Johnson, USATao Wang, MD, PhD
The University of Manchester, UKShafagh Waters, PhD
UNSW Sydney, AustraliaRosanna Zhang, BS
AcroBio, USA
This work is made possible by the Consortium on Advanced Stem Cell-Based Models in Drug Discovery and Development.
Explore all of our committees, working groups, and people.