ISSCR News
Hideyuki Okano Starts New Position as President of the ISSCR
The ISSCR is delighted to announce Hideyuki Okano, MD, PhD, Distinguished Professor and Director of the Keio University Regenerative Medicine Research Center, as well as former Dean of the Keio University School of Medicine in Japan, as its President. His term of office begins today.
“I am deeply honored to serve as the next President of the ISSCR, a Society that has shaped my scientific journey and fostered countless connections across disciplines and borders,” said Prof. Okano. “As stem cell research accelerates from fundamental biology to translational and clinical research, our responsibility is to anchor this progress in the core principles of our field. Just as stem cells are defined by their multipotency and self-renewal, so too must the ISSCR champion inclusive excellence and cultivate the next generation of scientific leaders. Together, we will continue to advance discovery, strengthen ethical leadership, and ensure that the transformative promise of stem cell science benefits the world.”
Muscle in Space Sheds Light on Aging-Related Muscle Loss
To understand the changes of muscle in microgravity, Siobhan Malany, Maddalena Parafati, and their team from the University of Florida, USA, engineered skeletal muscle microtissues from donor biopsies and launched them to the International Space Station (ISS) aboard SpaceX CRS-25. Their findings were published today in Stem Cell Reports.
Stem Cell-Derived “Spinal Cord-Like” Microtissues Afford Personalized Drug Screening
Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fast-progressing neurodegenerative disease with an average survival time of three years and no effective treatments. In ALS, motor neurons in the spinal cord, which are required for muscle contractions, die off, leading to progressive muscle paralysis. The molecular causes of ALS are poorly understood, but neuroinflammation, a process of excessive inflammation fueled by immune cells in the spinal cord, is thought to contribute to motor neuron death in ALS. Reducing neuroinflammation may be a tractable way to treat ALS.
ISSCR Working Group Recommends Enhanced Oversight of Stem Cell-Based Embryo Models in Response to Rapid Technological Advances
The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Embryo Models Working Group has released updated recommendations for the oversight and regulation of stem cell-based embryo models (SCBEM), aiming to address rapid advancements and ensure responsible scientific progress. The proposed recommendations are detailed in a new paper published today in Stem Cell Reports.
SCBEMs are three dimensional structures that replicate key aspects of early embryonic development, offering unprecedented potential to enhance our understanding of human developmental biology and reproductive science.
The ISSCR Launches First Online Global Continuing Education Course on Stem Cell Medicine
The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) announces the launch of a new online continuing education course, Stem Cell Medicine: From Scientific Research to Patient Care. The comprehensive course comes at a pivotal moment, addressing the growing demand for evidence-based, expert-led education amid the proliferation of unproven and potentially harmful stem cell interventions that threaten patient safety around the world. The activity, jointly provided by Harvard Medical School and the ISSCR, is open access, available on demand, and offered at no cost to clinicians, nurses, medical students, scientists, and the public. It is also available in five languages.
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