ABSTRACT SUBMISSION INSTRUCTIONS

The step-by-step instructions on this page guide you through the abstract submission process. Submitters should read them carefully in advance to have the right data on hand for submitting abstracts, applying for awards and choosing the desired mode of presentation and presentation topic area. Average submission may take up to 20 minutes when materials are pre-formatted, as outlined in the Abstract Submission Instructions

Abstract Submission Instructions PDF

Please review the Call for Abstracts, Deadlines, and Fees for general information.
Note that abstracts submitted are screened by the Program Committee to ensure that they meet these standards:

• Must include substantive results, whether experimental, calculated, or theoretical
• Clinical case studies will not be considered
• Promotion of a commercial product or service is not permitted

Failure to comply with these terms constitutes grounds for abstract rejection.

Read our helpful tips for writing a compelling abstract.

Please remember:

• Edits are allowed until submission deadline
• Abstracts are not peer-reviewed, but if included in the Program Guide or Abstract Book, are citable
• Only abstracts submitted by Deadline 1, not late-breaking abstracts, are evaluated for oral presentations and/or travel, merit, and poster awards
• Presenters MUST be registered by 21 April, 2021
• No changes to an abstract's presenting author will be accepted after 6 May, 2021. 
  
• Abstracts will be made available to registered meeting attendees at least two weeks prior to the meeting

Submission Themes and Topics

Each abstract must identify one of the five core themes and the best fitting topic for review and poster organization.

Abstracts for oral submission must identify a theme session.

Review the step-by-step instructions below for lists of these Themes and Topics.

Step-by-Step Instructions for Abstract Submission Site

Privacy Notice and Consent Form:

• The first time you log into the abstract submission site you will see a Privacy Notice and Consent Form from our third-party vendor, CadmiumCD. Please read over the form, check the box to agree, and electronically sign the agreement.

Title: 

• Must be in all uppercase letters (ALL CAPS)
  
• No more than 175 characters (including spaces)
• If a tissue type is in the title, it should include the species used (e.g. MOUSE RETINA, HUMAN MUSCLE)
  

Submission Type:

• Oral (submit 15 December, 2020 through 24 February, 2021)
  
  • A defined number of abstracts will be selected for oral presentations in theme sessions. Oral presentations are limited to 8 minutes for presentation and two minutes for discussion.
  • Accepted abstracts not chosen for oral presentation will automatically be considered for poster presentation, unless submitter opts out of a poster presentation.
  • Abstracts selected for an oral presentation are not presented as a poster
• Poster (submit 14 December, 2020 through 24 February, 2021)
• Posters are displayed online as PDFs for the entire meeting. The poster should display text and illustrative material (e.g. photos, tables, charts, etc.)
• Poster presenters will interact with attendees online.
• Late-Breaking (submit 10 March through 7 April, 2021) 
• Only poster presentations accepted

Presenter Trainee Status:

• For each abstract, the submitter must indicate if the presenting author is a trainee (post-doctoral fellow or currently enrolled in an undergraduate, graduate or medical degree program).

Task List for Each Submission

Abstract Submission Agreement:

• The submitter must indicate their understanding and acceptance of the Abstract Submission Agreement

Presenting Author: 

• Each abstract must identify one presenting author who will register and attend the meeting using first name, last name, city, state, country, email, gender, institution/company, and career status (select one option):
  • Trainee: post-doctoral fellow, graduate, undergraduate, or medical student
  • Early career investigator: independent group leader for seven (7) years or less
  • Senior investigator: independent group leader for eight (8) or more years
  • Other: technician, staff scientist, etc.

• A presenting author may present a maximum of three (3) poster presentations and one (1) oral presentation during the meeting
• The submitter will automatically be listed as the presenter. Verify all in demographic information of the presenter. If the abstract submitter is NOT the presenting author, you must remove the submitter's name in the submission system and update with the correct information
• A presenting author must register for the meeting by the date indicated on the Call for Abstracts, Deadlines, and Fees page 
• No changes to an abstract's presenting author will be accepted after 6 May, 2021
  

Co-Author(s):

• Each abstract may have a maximum of 24 co-authors and must list for each individual: first name, last name, city, state, country, email, and institution/company.
• Enter all co-authors first and then use the arrows to put them in the correct order.

Oral Consideration Information (Oral Submissions Only):

Oral type abstract submissions will be considered for a short talk (8 minute) in a theme session at the ISSCR annual meeting. There will be four sessions in each theme as listed here. Submitters must choose one session and if desired can identify a second session where the abstract will be considered for presentation:

THEME SESSIONS

Theme: Cellular Identity (CI) 
Cell State Transitions in Development and Cancer 
Epigenetic Regulation of Cell Identity 
Metabolism and Cell Identity 
Pluripotency Dynamics 

Theme: Clinical Applications (CA) 
Complex 3D Systems for Therapy and Drug Discovery 
Engineering Tissue and Organs 
Road to Clinic I (Regenerative medicine) 
Road to Clinic II (Drug discovery) 

Theme: Modeling Development and Disease (MDD) 
Aging 
Comparative Early Development 
Modeling Development 
Modeling Disease 

Theme: New Technologies (NT) 
Bioengineering 
CRISPR Based Technologies 
Imaging 
Single Cell omics 

Theme: Tissue Stem Cells and Regeneration (TSC)
Hematopoietic Stem Cells 
Stem Cells and Cancer 
Tissue Development and Maintenance 
Wound Healing, Stress and Aging 

Abstracts not selected for oral presentations will be considered for a poster presentation unless indicated that the presenter will not present a poster. 

Abstract details

Submission Theme: There are five core themes will be carried out through the program. Please choose the best fitting theme for the abstract:

• (CA) Clinical Applications: highlighting the cellular therapy and tissue engineering research that is moving toward the clinic; includes ethical and societal issues not specific to other themes 
• (CI) Cellular Identity: understanding the basis of cell state and type, epigenetic and genetic regulation, and the mechanisms of reprogramming 
• (MDD) Modeling Development and Disease: examining advances using stem cells in vivo and in vitro to model development and disease with applications for drug discovery and therapeutics 
• (NT) New Technologies: exploring the application of emerging technologies to stem cell research 
• (TSC) Tissue Stem Cells and Regeneration: exploring tissue stem cells in development, maintenance, and regeneration, stem cell-niche interactions, and stem cells in cancer 

Submission Subtopic: These are the 14 subtopics for review and poster organization. Choose the best fitting subtopic for your abstract. Your abstract will be reviewed in this area and if presented as a poster, this is the section where your poster will appear.

• Adipose and Connective Tissue 
• Cardiac
• Early Embryo
• Endodermal Lineage - Pancreas, Liver, Kidney
• Endothelial Cells and Hemangioblasts 
• Epithelial
• Ethical, Legal and Social Issues; Education and Outreach 
• Eye and Retina
• Germline 
• Hematopoietic System 
• Immune System 
• Musculoskeletal 
• Neural 
• Placenta and Umbilical Cord Derived Cell

Additional Abstract Questions:

Be prepared to answer these questions:

1. Does the research described include a clinical trial or other experimental treatment?  This excludes research using cell lines or tissues obtained using proper consent.
   
2. Does this abstract include work with non-mammalian model organisms? This question is for information gathering only, it does not affect abstract review.
   

Travel Awards (Trainees only):

The ISSCR Travel Awards in 2021 will be dispersed based on the quality of the abstract submission and will cover the virtual meeting registration fee. To be considered for a travel award, candidates must be an ISSCR member by 3 March, 2021.

• Only trainee submitters (post-doctoral fellow, graduate, undergraduate, or medical students) who submit abstracts before Deadline 1 and are ISSCR trainee members are eligible.
• To apply, select your interest for Travel Award consideration during the online abstract submission process.

Abstract Text:

• Abstracts must be no more than 2,000 characters, not including spaces and written as one condensed paragraph.
• Abstract text should NOT include section titles (e.g., methods, results, etc.), tables, graphs, charts, diagrams, authors, references, or acknowledge funding sources.
  

Funding Source:

• Limited to 200 characters with spaces, submitters may include funding source information that will appear in the print and electronic abstract publication.

Keywords:

• Include 3 keywords to describe the research in the abstract. These will be published with the abstract to help attendees navigate the abstracts.

Payment:

All prices in USD. Non-refundable. 

The ISSCR abstract submission payment is for abstract processing and does NOT include meeting registration.

• Payment must be made via credit card
  • Each regular abstract submission is $75
  • Late-Breaking Abstract submission fee is $75