In the interest of improving world health we urge the NIH to open discussions on funding research carried out with human pluripotent stem cell lines derived from sources other than excess reproductive IVF embryos, including SCNT embryos, if they become available and are derived under rigorous ethical standards.

The ISSCR congratulates two board members who were named recipients of two of the nation’s top science awards, Shinya Yamanaka, MD, PhD (Kyoto University), and Elaine Fuchs, PhD (Rockefeller University).

The ISSCR is concerned and saddened by the recent report of nervous system tumors that developed in a child who had previously received injections of cell preparations referred to as “neural stem cells.” This illustrates the concerns that prompted the ISSCR to develop Guidelines for the Clinical Translation of Stem Cells, released in December 2008.

The ISSCR applauds President Barack Obama’s decision to expand federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research by rescinding the policy of Aug. 9, 2001, which restricted federally-funded researchers to using only the small number of cell lines created before that date.

The ISSCR shares in the excitement generated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration‘s landmark decision to approve the first clinical trials using the products of human embryonic stem cells, yet advises the public to maintain realistic expectations at this early stage.

The ISSCR releases Guidelines for the Clinical Translation of Stem Cells, defining a roadmap for medical researchers and doctors, outlining what needs to be accomplished to move stem cells from promising research to proven treatments for patients

In a ceremony today ISSCR President-Elect Irving L. Weissman (USA), Board Member Shinya Yamanaka (Japan) and Member Hans Schöler (Germany) were awarded the prestigious Robert Koch Prize by the Robert Koch Foundation. The International Society for Stem Cell Research congratulates them for earning this honor.

The ISSCR, representing the world’s leading stem cell scientists, urges President-Elect Barack Obama to restore federal funding for embryonic stem cell research in the first 100 days of his presidency.

On Tuesday, Michigan voters were asked to support Michigan’s Proposal 2, a state initiative to accelerate medical research and develop new stem cell treatments for currently incurable diseases. The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), representing some of the world’s leading stem cell researchers, along with other leading scientists works to support all types of stem cell research. The vote was 53% in favor and 47% opposed to Proposal 2.

The University of Michigan launched a new channel on YouTube.com this week (http://www.youtube.com/UMStemCell) to highlight and share advances in stem cell science. This educational effort is supported by the University’s stem cell research programs and commended by the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR).

Sally Temple, an International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Board Member was one of 25 individuals honored by the 2008 MacArthur Foundation’s Fellows program. Temple, scientific director of the New York Neural Stem Cell Institute, has served on the ISSCR board for two years and has been a member of the society since 2004.

The ISSCR joined with other leading scientists today to issue an open letter to reiterate the urgent need for U.S. support for all types of stem cell research. The Society is the world’s preeminent professional organization of stem cell researchers.

The ISSCR and the ISSCR Government Affairs Committee writes to offer support of your important initiative to amend the constitution of the state of Michigan to permit the derivation of embryonic stem cells from human embryos using approaches that are being used throughout much of the rest of the world.

At the sixth annual meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research, a task force of leaders in the field announced a draft set of guidelines to ensure that rigorous best practices are applied to the clinical translation of stem cell research from the laboratory to human subjects.

The ISSCR today holds its inaugural Global Forum, bringing together the newly established ISSCR Global Advisory Council with members of the ISSCR leadership and other outside experts to survey the current state of stem cell science, to evaluate the opportunities and challenges facing the field and to develop strategic directions for the ISSCR.

The International Society for Stem Cell Research, together with co-sponsors the Centre for Genomic Regulation (CRG) and the Center of Regenerative Medicine in Barcelona (CMRB), announce the 7th ISSCR Annual Meeting will take place at the Centre Convencions Internacional Barcelona (CCIB) in Barcelona, Spain, July 8-11, 2009.

The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) invites you to attend the ISSCR Global Forum Press Conference, held from noon – 1 p.m. March 19, 2008, at the Ritz Carlton at Half Moon Bay in California. More than 30 of the foremost scientists, business leaders, governmental and industry officials are gathering examine the current state of stem cell research around the world.

As representatives of the Board of Directors of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), we urge you to accept the recent recommendations of the German Research Foundation (DFG) regarding revisions to the 2002 Stem Cell Act.

Cell Stem Cell, the official affiliated journal of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), was awarded the honor of “2007 Best New Journal - Science, Technology & Medicine” by the Professional and Scholarly Publishing Division (PSP) of the Association of American Publishers during the PSP Annual Conference yesterday in Washington, DC.

In his State of the Union address, President Bush acknowledged the landmark achievement of stem cell scientists who have demonstrated for the first time that human skin cells can be converted into induced pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells), which behave like embryonic stem cells. The ISSCR applauds the President’s direction to Federal agencies to provide additional funding for this important research.

Today, new studies by two research groups were published in leading peer-reviewed scientific journals, Cell and Science, demonstrating for the first time that human skin cells can be transformed into embryonic stem cell-like cells.

More than 300 scientists gathered in Shanghai today for the opening of the 2007 Shanghai International Symposium on Stem Cell Research, jointly organized by the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), and the Shanghai Institutes of Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences (SIBS/CAS) and other research institutes in China.

Local students from Cairns State High School CSHS will have the opportunity to experience first-hand the high-level discussions and presentations at the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) 5 th Annual Meeting.

ISSCR released its Guidelines for the Conduct of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research, calling for special scrutiny of human embryonic stem cell research and specify rigorous ethical standards for scientists working with human embryonic stem cells, and seeking to promote responsible, transparent and uniform practices worldwide.