The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) is just that, an international organization. We work across the globe to promote excellence in stem cell science and applications to human health. The society advances international initiatives including: policy and advocacy, professional standards, building working relationships to stay abreast of emerging areas of interest, and of course educational meetings.

The ISSCR and the Guangzhou Institute of Biomedicine and Health held a two-day workshop in Guangzhou, China. A small group of scientists and ethicists from around the world met to discuss ethical, scientific, and societal challenges in regenerative medicine.

Stem cell science, its clinical application, and the ethical issues surrounding it have rapidly advanced since the release of the 2016 ISSCR Guidelines for Stem Cell Research and Clinical Translation. The latest update will address important scientific, ethical, and regulatory issues, including embryo models, organoids, chimeras, genome editing, and the regulation and economics of cell therapies.

The ISSCR submitted comments to Brazil’s health regulatory agency (ANVISA) regarding the proposed regulations for advanced therapy medicinal products that urge national governments to “maintain rigorous review pathways to ensure that stem cell-based products conform to the highest standards of evidence-based medicine.”

The ISSCR is pleased to announce the recipients of the inaugural Lawrence Goldstein Policy Fellowship, Mohamed Abou El-Enein, PhD (Charité Universitätsmedizin, Berlin, Germany) and Zubin Master, PhD (Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN, U.S.).

Polices created by legislators and regulators can have a profound impact on stem cell and biomedical research and the development of new treatments. The ISSCR has been working on several fronts to advocate for responsible stem cell research and its application. Read more about the recent ISSCR-led fly in to Washington D.C. for discussions with government officials and our consultations with Google to prevent the marketing of unproven stem cell therapies.

The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) today released the following statement regarding Google’s new policy that bans advertisements from unproven stem cell clinics and other speculative medical interventions.

The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) today released a professional standard of informed consent for stem cell-based interventions performed outside of formal clinical trials, such as the unapproved and unproven “treatments” offered by clinicians at direct-to-consumer clinics. The standard is meant to help ensure that patients are informed about the potential benefits and risks of stem cell-based medical interventions, and was developed with input from clinicians, ethicists, researchers, and regulators from around the world.

The ISSCR honored longtime member Lawrence Goldstein for his years of science policy advocacy, and announced a new program in his name that will train ISSCR members to become stem cell policy advocates. The tribute and introduction of the Lawrence Goldstein Science Policy Fellowship program was part of the opening plenary session of the ISSCR annual meeting, 26-29 in Los Angeles, Calif., U.S.

The ISSCR and other medical, scientific, educational, and healthcare groups sent a letter to members of the U.S. Congress supporting an amendment that would prevent the implementation of a new policy to restrict and delay federal funding for fetal tissue research.

The ISSCR commends the U.S. District Court ruling that confirms the FDA’s authority to regulate clinics marketing and selling unproven therapies as stem cell products. The clinic, U.S. Stem Cell, has injected cells derived from fat into the eyes of several patients, resulting in at least three being blinded.

The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), the largest professional organization of stem cell researchers from around the world, opposes the new U.S. Health and Human Services policy to eliminate federal funding for fetal tissue research in the National Institutes of Health (NIH) intramural research program. This research has long been viewed as good public policy to improve human health and has proceeded with public support.

The ISSCR has submitted comments to China's National Medical Products Administration regarding China's draft regulations for the Management of Clinical Research and Transformation Applications for Somatic Cell Therapy.

The ISSCR welcomes the new policy guidance from Health Canada that clarifies the regulation of autologous cell products in Canada. The new policy guidance aligns Canada’s regulations with the U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s 2017 Regenerative Medicine Framework and the Australian Therapeutic Goods Administration’s 2018 Autologous human cell and tissue product regulations.

With the rapid growth of the stem cell field and advances in regenerative medicine, it is critically important that researchers earn and retain the public trust. To that end we must operate under agreed-upon guidelines that ensure ethical activities, transparency, and sound science.