Transforming the Potential of Stem Cell Research
The field of stem cell science is advancing at an extraordinary pace, and yet the question remains: how do we ensure these innovations truly reach patients? To explore this, I spent much of August in the United States—Boston and the San Francisco Bay Area—meeting with leaders across academia (MIT, the Broad Institute, Tufts, Massachusetts General Hospital, McLean Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Gladstone, Stanford), major pharmaceutical companies (Novartis, Sanofi, Eisai), and emerging biotech ventures (Cellino, GC Therapeutics, Shinobi Therapeutics). Through lectures and exchanges, I gained a clearer view of the progress being made, the obstacles still ahead, and the breakthroughs most urgently needed. These conversations reminded me that the ISSCR’s most vital role is to serve as a trusted platform where such knowledge can be shared globally and effectively.
Looking forward, the success of our field depends on bridging basic discovery, translational research, and clinical application. While advances have been remarkable, we continue to face challenges of reproducibility, scalability, and the ethical and regulatory questions that accompany rapid innovation. The ISSCR must remain the forum where academia, industry, clinicians, and patient advocates come together to address these issues responsibly and collaboratively.
In 2025, the ISSCR International Symposia series—including the focused meeting “Accelerating PSC-Derived Cell Therapies: Starting with the End in Mind” in Boston—will provide unique opportunities around the world to examine how stem cell–based therapies can be brought to patients both efficiently and responsibly. These initiatives will lead into the ISSCR 2026 Annual Meeting in Montréal, where we will highlight cutting-edge science and chart the course for the decades ahead.
Our mission is clear: to transform the potential of stem cell research into tangible benefits for patients worldwide. I invite all of you to contribute your ideas, energy, and passion to this shared endeavor.
Hideyuki Okano