ISSCR News
Global Stem Cell Research Community Gathers in Kyoto, Japan to Celebrate 20 Years of iPSC Discovery and Innovation
Sold-out ISSCR symposium underscores extraordinary global interest in stem cell science, from fundamental discoveries to clinical translation and emerging stem cell therapies
The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) today opens its international symposium celebrating the 20th anniversary of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cell technology, bringing together scientists, clinicians, and innovators from around the world to reflect on two decades of transformative discoveries and explore the future of stem cell research and regenerative medicine.
The three-day symposium, held 20–22 October in Kyoto, Japan, is organized in partnership with the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) and co-sponsored by the Japanese Society for Regenerative Medicine (JSRM).
The extraordinary response to the symposium underscores the strength and momentum of stem cell science worldwide. Registration reached capacity twice, even after the ISSCR expanded the meeting to a larger venue to accommodate growing demand. This remarkable level of interest reflects both the profound impact of iPSC technology over the past two decades and the expanding opportunities ahead, from fundamental discoveries in human biology to advances in disease modeling, drug discovery, clinical translation, and the development of stem cell-based therapies.
Early Nicotine Exposure Leaves a Lasting Effect on the Immune System
Nicotine exposure during pregnancy and shortly after birth caused lasting changes to the blood-forming stem cells and the developing immune system in mice, including a more damaging response to influenza infection later in life, researchers found.
The research team, led by Camilla Forsberg at the University of California, Santa Cruz, USA, exposed pregnant mice to nicotine to investigate the effects of perinatal nicotine exposure (PNE) to the blood building system. The researchers found that offspring exposed to nicotine had fewer blood-forming stem cells, the cells that produce mature effector immune cells and altered patterns of immune regulatory genes within these cells. These changes persisted into adulthood, even though nicotine exposure ended shortly after birth. The findings were published today in Stem Cell Reports.
Stem Cell Reports Named Official Meeting Journal of ASSCR 2026 Annual Scientific Meeting
Stem Cell Reports, the official journal of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), has been named the Official Meeting Journal of the Australasian Society for Stem Cell Research (ASSCR) 2026 Annual Scientific Meeting, taking place 9-11 November 2026 at The Glasshouse in Melbourne, Australia.
Under the theme “Brewing Innovation,” ASSCR 2026 will bring together researchers and leaders in stem cell science and regenerative medicine to share new discoveries, explore emerging technologies, and foster scientific collaboration across the Australasian research community and beyond.
ISSCR 2027 Annual Meeting Opens Registration and Abstract Submissions
The field’s premier convening returns to San Francisco, 15-18 June 2027, spanning breakthroughs in basic biology, advances in disease modeling and drug discovery, and new clinical data on cell-based therapies, with AI advancing work across all three.
The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) has opened registration and abstract submissions for the ISSCR 2027 Annual Meeting, taking place 15-18 June 2027 at Moscone West in San Francisco, California, USA. Marking the 25th anniversary of the ISSCR Annual Meeting, this hallmark event will bring together the global stem cell community to share groundbreaking discoveries, explore transformative technologies, and advance the future of stem cell science and regenerative medicine.
New Podcast Episode. Two Decades of iPS Cells: Perspectives from the Field
In 2006, Kazutoshi Takahashi and Shinya Yamanaka at Kyoto University published their landmark paper showing that mouse skin cells could be reprogrammed to an embryonic-like state using just four transcription factors. Over the past two decades, this finding has taken the field of stem cell research in many new directions, opening new ways to study human development, understand and engineer cell fate, model disease, and explore new stem cell–based approaches to medicine. As part of the 20th anniversary celebration of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, we invite leaders in the field to reflect on how the discovery of iPS cells has impacted their own research and the field of stem cell research and its applications more broadly. Together, their stories offer personal insights into how iPS cells have changed stem cell research forever.
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