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 is pleased to announce Deepak Srivastava, MD, Gladstone Institutes, as the incoming president of the ISSCR and its board of directors. Srivastava assumed the post immediately following the 17th ISSCR Annual Meeting in Los Angeles, 26-29 June, 2019.

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 International Society for Stem Cell Research annual meeting, 26-29 June at the Los Angeles Convention Center, will bring together more than 3,500 scientists, bioethicists, clinicians, industry professionals, and others from over 50 countries to share the latest developments in stem cell science and regenerative medicine.

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.

The Appropriations Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives has approved a $2 billion increase for the National Institutes of Health (NIH) and defeated an amendment that would have prohibited federal funding for fetal tissue research.

Stem cell research is leading to potential new therapies to treat disease, with several applications in clinical trials or expected to enter trials in the coming months. These new discoveries are transforming how we think of medicine and will be key to discussions at the International Society for Stem Cell Research annual meeting, 26-29 June at the Los Angeles Convention Center.

The ISSCR supports research using human-animal chimeras conducted under appropriate review and oversight (ISSCR Guidelines Recommendation 2.1.5) and applauds the new Japanese rules enabling research on chimeric embryos.

ISSCR has elected its next leadership slate, with leaders beginning their terms after the 2019 annual meeting. On behalf of all members, we extend congratulations to newly-elected officers Melissa Little, vice president; and Kenneth Zaret, treasurer, and re-appointed board members Marianne Bronner, Valentina Greco, and Arnold Kriegstein.

Top scientists and researchers from academia, medicine, and industry will gather to share groundbreaking stem cell science and its translation to clinical application at the annual meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), 26-29 June in Los Angeles, Calif.