Happy New Year 2026 To All Members of the ISSCR Community
I sincerely hope that this new year will be a fulfilling and inspiring one for each of you.
As we begin 2026, the world continues to face profound and interrelated challenges—escalating natural disasters driven by climate change, rising geopolitical tensions, and evolving disease landscapes associated with global aging. In the midst of these uncertainties, I am reminded daily of the enduring mission of the ISSCR: to advance stem cell science in order to overcome disease, safeguard human health worldwide, and nurture the next generation of scientists who will carry this mission forward.
Before turning to the priorities and challenges that lie ahead for ISSCR in 2026, I would like to briefly reflect on our collective achievements in 2025 and on the broader state of global stem cell research. I wish to emphasize that 2025 was not only a year of significant scientific progress, but also one in which our society demonstrated remarkable resilience, cohesion, and shared purpose across borders.
At the level of basic research, major advances were made in our understanding of the relationship between pluripotent stem cells and early development. Researchers are now able to reproduce and experimentally manipulate key aspects of early mammalian—and even human—development in vitro. In parallel, organoid technologies spanning multiple organs continued to mature, opening new avenues for analyzing complex, multi-organ interactions in both physiological and pathological contexts.
Translational and clinical research also advanced at an impressive pace. CAR-T–based approaches achieved notable success not only in oncology but increasingly in autoimmune diseases. In addition, numerous Phase 1/2 clinical trials utilizing pluripotent stem cell-derived products progressed worldwide. Particularly encouraging were the promising results reported in major journals from clinical trials targeting type 1 diabetes and Parkinson’s disease. At the same time, disease modeling and drug discovery using iPSC technologies expanded rapidly, further strengthening the bridge between fundamental biology and therapeutic innovation.
Looking ahead to 2026, a central priority for ISSCR in basic research will be to articulate and share a coherent, long-term global vision—one that is firmly grounded in ongoing advances in bioethical research and responsive to rapidly evolving frontier technologies such as stem cell-based embryo models and brain organoids. In the clinical domain, although ISSCR published the Best Practices for the Development of Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Therapies last year, the field is advancing even faster than anticipated. With societal implementation clearly in view, we will continue in-depth discussions on the design, necessity, and infrastructure of pivotal Phase 3 clinical trials using pluripotent stem cell-derived products, as several pioneering efforts are now emerging. It is our intention to actively share these perspectives with our membership and the broader community.
Importantly, 2026 marks the 20th anniversary of Professor Shinya Yamanaka’s groundbreaking development of iPSC technology. To commemorate this milestone, numerous international events will be held, including the ISSCR International Symposium and the Keystone Symposium. iPSC-related science and technology will naturally also constitute a central theme of ISSCR 2026 in Montreal, Canada 8-11 July. We aspire to make this anniversary year a defining moment—one in which the collective wisdom of outstanding researchers from around the world converges to lay a renewed foundation for stem cell research, enabling even greater contributions to human health and well-being in the decades to come.
-Hideyuki Okano