The ISSCR has responded to the European Commission proposal and the European Parliament's amendments for Horizon Europe, the seven-year research and innovation funding program to follow Horizon 2020.

In mid-September, the U.S. Senate debated and passed a spending bill that included an increase in funding for the Department of Health and Human Services but did not include a ban on federal funding for fetal tissue research. ISSCR treasurer Arnold Kriegstein visited Senate and House leaders and staff on Capitol Hill shortly after the vote to voice appreciation for the Senate effort.

The ISSCR is troubled by the HHS decision to “conduct a comprehensive review of all fetal tissue research.” The directive appears to come after intensive lobbying efforts by special interest groups with the goals of delaying or curtailing scientific research that relies on fetal tissue.

The ISSCR has always had strong female leaders, and many of them are featured in the September and October editions of Stem Cell Reports.

Many of us find time in the summer to reflect on work and recharge our batteries. Vacations, visits with friends, and time with family all help get away from everyday concerns in the lab and gain some perspective to inform the scientific path for the year ahead.

The ISSCR is soliciting nominations to honor exceptional and innovative research and support for young scientists, through its extensive awards program. It also invites members to nominate candidates to serve on the ISSCR board of directors.

The ISSCR 2018 Annual Meeting went “down under” to Melbourne, Australia where 3,000 stem cell scientists, clinicians, and professionals from 52 countries gathered to share their latest research, network with colleagues, and explore the latest technologies driving the field forward.

The ISSCR is pleased to announce Douglas A. Melton, PhD, Harvard University, as the incoming president of the ISSCR and its board of directors. Melton assumed the post on 23 June, 2018, immediately following the 16th ISSCR Annual Meeting in Melbourne, Australia.

The ISSCR has appointed Martin F. Pera, professor at the Jackson Laboratory, U.S., as the next editor-in-chief of Stem Cell Reports, the organization’s open-access journal. Pera will succeed Christine Mummery, who led the journal since its launch in 2013. Pera will assume the post in January, 2019.

The ISSCR opposes the U.S. House of Representatives proposal to ban federal funding for fetal tissue research. ISSCR President Hans Clevers released a statement on the issue.

The ISSCR will hold its 2021 annual meeting in Hamburg, Germany, the first time the organization will be meeting in that city. The meeting is expected to draw 4,000 stem cell researchers and professionals from around the globe to the Congress Center Hamburg, scheduled to open in 2019. The meeting will be held 23-26 June, 2021.

The ISSCR is disappointed with the enactment of the ‘Right to Try’ law. Along with more than 100 patient and research groups opposing the bill, we believe it will put patients at risk and undermine the effective FDA Expanded Access Program already in place to give seriously ill patients access to experimental treatments.

The ISSCR is pleased that federal prosecutors in the U.S. have taken action to halt the marketing and delivery of unproven stem cell treatments at clinics they allege are operating outside of FDA regulation.

Scientific progress requires that legislators and regulators around the world recognize and appreciate the value of research and actively support pro-science policies. The ISSCR, through its policy program, champions the advancement of stem cell research and its translation to medicine.

Progress in stem cell research and its translation to medicine is the focus of the International Society for Stem Cell Research annual meeting 20-23 June at the Melbourne Convention & Exhibition Centre in Melbourne, Australia.