ISSCR News
Professor Brings Global Stem Cell Medicine Course to PhD Scholars in Pakistan
Dr. Asmat Salim, a faculty member at the University of Karachi, recently adapted the ISSCR’s continuing education course, Stem Cell Medicine: From Scientific Research to Patient Care, into a three-week interactive program for 34 Ph.D. students. Combining lectures, discussions, quizzes, and student presentations, the course provides a strong foundation in stem cell medicine while fostering critical thinking and collaboration.
Students described the program as “highly informative, engaging, and inspiring,” highlighting that it opened new research directions and offered “valuable insights into how stem cells hold potential for treating diseases.”
New Podcast Episode. Movin’ On Out: Mobilizing HSCs from the Bone Marrow
Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) normally reside in the bone marrow niche but can traffic across the bone marrow endothelium into the bloodstream to populate different niches. This process of HSC mobilization from the bone marrow to the blood, is an increasingly favored procedure to obtain HSCs for hematopoietic cell transplantation therapy. Though mobilization is robust in many donors due to years of refined protocols and drug combinations, the process remains difficult or contraindicated among substantial patient subgroups. Using the current standard of care, up to 30% of patients fail to mobilize HSCs and some patients cannot tolerate the current mobilization procedures. Today’s guests will discuss their research using vascular endothelial growth factor, known as VEGF, as an alternative method of mobilization, the mechanisms underlying it, and the implications for improving patient outcomes.
Member Spotlight: Carolyn Sangokoya, MD, PhD
I enjoy problem-solving and designing molecular/genomic tools that help us to gain a new lens on biology. It's rewarding to do science with my team and see them gain skills, succeed, and find their niche.
The ISSCR Holds Inaugural Regulatory Meeting with Japan’s Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency and South Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety
On 7 November 2024, the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) held its first meeting with Japan’s Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA) and Korea’s Ministry of Food and Drug Safety (MFDS). Held at PMDA’s Tokyo headquarters, the meeting brought together senior officials from PMDA and MFDS alongside ISSCR leaders based in Japan, Korea, and the United States.
At this inaugural meeting, participants convened to discuss key topics related to the:
1) manufacture of human Pluripotent Stem Cell (hPSC) banks as starting materials for allogeneic, PSC-based therapies, and
2) genetic assessment of hPSCs, 3) jurisdictional differences in guidelines for biological Ancillary Materials (AM).
The participants also had the opportunity to gain insights into the regulatory approaches of the PMDA and MFDS regarding PSC-based products.
ISSCR Joins Coalition Effort to Support Advocacy for NIH Funding
The ISSCR is proud to join a broad coalition of scientific societies in affirming the essential role of the National Institutes of Health in advancing biomedical discovery and sustaining a robust research enterprise. As part of this effort, ISSCR members in the targeted states of Kansas, North Carolina, Pennsylvania, and Utah have been invited to share stories that illustrate the vital importance of research investment. Additional opportunities for members in all states will be available in September. This campaign is led by our alliance partner, Research!America.
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