ISSCR News


ISSCR Joins Coalition Effort to Support Advocacy for NIH Funding
Announcements, Policy Kym Kilbourne Announcements, Policy Kym Kilbourne

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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The ISSCR Calls for Science Serving the Public Good to be of the Highest Quality and Integrity
Policy, Announcements Kym Kilbourne Policy, Announcements Kym Kilbourne

The ISSCR Calls for Science Serving the Public Good to be of the Highest Quality and Integrity

“The ISSCR joined more than 90 scientific, academic, and professional organizations to emphasize that science serving the public good should be of the highest quality, integrity, and utility. In a letter sent to White House Office of Science and Technology Policy Director Michael Kratsios, signatories urged policymakers to recognize that any efforts to strengthen scientific integrity, including those outlined in the recent Executive Order “Restoring Gold Standard Science”, must build upon, rather than undermine, the existing foundational pillars of gold standard science that have driven decades of scientific and technological progress. These principles, including empirical rigor, objectivity, peer review, and reproducibility have been central to the advancement of stem cell science and the development of cell-based therapies.

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New Podcast Episode. Cancer Neuroscience, Tumor Organoids, and Understanding the Role of the Nervous System in Human Glioblastoma
Announcements Megan Koch Announcements Megan Koch

New Podcast Episode. Cancer Neuroscience, Tumor Organoids, and Understanding the Role of the Nervous System in Human Glioblastoma

The role of neuronal influences on cancer pathogenesis and progression is increasingly appreciated in the nervous system. Neurons have been shown to enhance the proliferation and migration of gliomas, a glial-derived tumor of the CNS, via diffusible paracrine factors or synaptic inputs onto tumor cells. In glioblastomas, a highly aggressive glioma, mostly glutamatergic inputs have been identified. While the potential for glioblastomas to receive projections from neurons of other neurotransmitter subtypes, such as from cholinergic neurons, has recently been discovered in xenotransplantation models, whether synapses can form between human cholinergic neurons and glioblastoma cells and consequences of these inputs and other non-synaptic mechanisms are still unknown.  

 Human induced pluripotent stem cell-based models have been emerging as a powerful platform for studying human-specific disease mechanisms. Today’s guests developed a co-culture model for the study of neuron-tumor interactions by combining patient derived glioblastoma organoids and hiPSC-derived cholinergic neurons. They will discuss their recent findings and what it means for understanding and potentially treating a tumor for which there is no known cure. 

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New Podcast Episode. Stem Cells in Space: Muscle Regeneration in Microgravity
Announcements Megan Koch Announcements Megan Koch

New Podcast Episode. Stem Cells in Space: Muscle Regeneration in Microgravity

Skeletal muscle is one of the most abundant tissues in the human body, representing approximately 40% of body weight. Under certain circumstances, skeletal muscle can be regenerated through satellite cells, a reservoir of quiescent muscle stem cells, that can be activated with injury or in certain diseases and give rise to newly formed multi-nucleated myotubes and myofibers. However, the regenerative potential of muscle is diminished or is completely absent in the course of normal aging, certain diseases, and space travel. For example, time spent in microgravity can have a profound impact on human physiology, especially the muscular system, as astronauts lose up to 20% of their lean muscle mass and up to half of their strength.  

The identification of countermeasures against the effects of muscle regeneration, including microgravity, is an increasing priority for an aging population and continued space travel. Experiments in microgravity, conducted on the International Space Station, offer a unique opportunity to understand muscle regeneration and the effects of microgravity. Our guests today will discuss muscle regeneration, their muscle-on-a-chip platform that mimics salient aspects of impaired muscle regeneration, and the feasibility of drug screening in microgravity.

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