Disease Modeling and Drug Discovery
Join the ISSCR in San Diego, USA.
Program | Registration | Abstracts | Sponsor | Ambassadors
Program Description: Stem cell–based models are transforming disease understanding and accelerating drug discovery. This three-day symposium brings together global leaders from academia, industry, and the clinic to explore these transformative platforms. Sessions will feature advances in organoid systems that integrate multiple cell types, innovations in bioengineering, patient-derived tumor models, and AI-driven analytical approaches. Applications span cancer biology, therapeutic screening, and even disease modeling in low-Earth orbit. The program will highlight the field’s maturation, from academic discovery tools to industry-standard screening systems and approved therapies, while addressing the remaining challenges to broad adoption of stem cell–derived disease models in drug development.
Who should attend?
Researchers and industry professionals from the global stem cell community who work with, or are interested in, novel stem-cell based models for disease modeling and drug discovery.
This program is co-sponsored by:
Program
Session Topics
Disease Modeling
Hans Clevers, MD, PhD, Utrecht University, Netherlands
Sally Temple, PhD, Neural Stem Cell Institute, USA
Discovery and Therapeutic Development I
Joshua Adam Bagley, PhD, a:head bio AG, Austria
Gay M. Crooks, MD, University of California, Los Angeles, USA
Discovery and Therapeutic Development II
Eduard Batlle, PhD, Institute for Research in Biomedicine (IRB Barcelona) & ICREA, Spain
Advanced Bioengineered Systems
Gordana Vunjak-Novakovic, PhD, Columbia University, USA
Complex In Vitro Human Models
Liuliu Yang, PhD, Institute of Hematology & Blood Diseases Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, China
Disease Modeling and Tissue Engineering in Low-Earth Orbit
Arun Sharma, PhD, Cedars-Sinai Medical Center & Center for Space Medicine Research, USA
Catriona H.M. Jamieson, MD, PhD, University of California, San Diego (UCSD), USA
ISSCR Consortium Update
Tumor Organoids and Cancer Modeling
Xiling Shen, PhD, University of Texas MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA
AI-Enabled and Scalable Disease Modeling
Organizers
Shuibing Chen, PhD
Weill Cornell Medical College, USA
Hans C. Clevers, MD, PhD
Utrecht University, Netherlands
Catriona H.M. Jamieson, MD, PhD
University of California, San Diego (UCSD), USA
Marie Engelene J. Obien, PhD
MaxWell Biosystems AG, Switzerland
Registration
Early Registration Rates (ends on 16 September 2026)
ISSCR Student Member - $315 USD
ISSCR Postdoc Member - $450 USD
ISSCR Full/Affiliate Members - $650 USD
Non-Members - $1150 USD
Regular Registration Rates
ISSCR Student Member - $350 USD
ISSCR Postdoc Member - $500 USD
ISSCR Full/Affiliate Members - $725 USD
Non-Members - $1150 USD
Countries identified by the World Bank as "low- and low-middle income countries"
receive a 50% reduction on registration rates. Eligible countries can be found here.
Cancellation & Refund Deadline: Wednesday, 11 November 2026
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To cancel your registration, a written request must be submitted to isscr@isscr.org before the deadline. Registration fees will be refunded minus a $150.00 USD cancellation fee. No refunds will be granted after 11 November 2026.
If the 2026 Disease Modeling and Drug Discovery International Symposium transitions to a fully virtual event, in-person registration will automatically be transferred to a virtual registration and the price difference will be refunded based on the time of registration. Should a registrant choose not to attend the fully virtual event, the registrant is eligible to request a full refund of the registration by providing a written request to isscr@isscr.org by 11 November 2026. After that time, all previously stated cancellation policies will apply.
If the event is transferred to a virtual event or cancelled in its entirety, ISSCR's responsibility is limited to only the registration fees paid. ISSCR is not responsible for other expenses incurred such as airfare and hotel accommodations.
Warning: Beware of false housing and registration sites. As a reminder, please only use the ISSCR website for trusted information regarding registration and housing. In doubt, please check with ISSCR (isscr@isscr.org).
Abstracts
Important Dates:
16 September 2026 11:59 PM EDT (USA) | Abstract Submission Closes
13 October 2026 | Oral and Poster Presentation notifications will be sent.
20 October 2026 | Abstract-selected oral and poster presenters MUST REGISTER and accept for “in-person” attendance. If you do not register by the deadline, your abstract will be removed from the program.
20 October 2026 4:00 PM EDT (USA) | Any changes to the abstract's presenting author need to be submitted by this date. The new presenter must be a co-author on the submitted abstract and must be a registered attendee.
For inquiries regarding abstracts, please direct them to abstracts@isscr.org
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Disease Modeling
Use of stem cell- and organoid-based systems to study human disease mechanisms and pathogenesis.
Drug Discovery and Therapeutic Development
Stem cell–based platforms for target identification, drug screening, and preclinical testing.
Advanced Bioengineered Systems
Engineered tissues and microphysiological platforms (e.g., organ-on-chip, organoid-on-chip) that recapitulate human organ structure and function.
Complex In Vitro Human Models
Integration of multiple cell types, immune or microbial components, and inter-organ communication to recreate human physiological systems in vitro.
Tumor Organoids and Cancer Modeling
Patient-derived and engineered tumor organoids to study cancer biology, tumor microenvironment, and therapeutic approaches.
AI-Enabled and Scalable Disease Modeling
Application of AI, machine learning, and automation to enhance fidelity, reproducibility, and scalability of stem cell-based model systems.
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Oral submissions will be considered for a ten (10) minute presentation during a session.
Posters will be displayed in person in the poster area for one assigned day.
Refer to these detailed Abstract Submission Instructions
There is a non-refundable $45.00 USD abstract submission fee for each abstract submitted. This is NOT the meeting registration fee. All presenters must be registered for the meeting.
All submitted abstracts are evaluated by the Program/Organizing Committee to ensure that they meet submission standards:
Abstracts must include substantive results, whether experimental, calculated, or theoretical.
Clinical case studies will not be considered.
Abstracts of commercial products must include experimentally derived quantitative data.
Research described must adhere to the principles in the ISSCR Guidelines for Stem Cell Research and Clinical Translation.
Results are the work of the listed author(s).
Submitters must adhere to Abstract Submission Agreement.
Ambassadors
The ISSCR is accepting applications for the ISSCR Disease Modeling and Drug Discovery Symposium Ambassador Program. Applications are due 17 April 2026.
ISSCR Disease Modeling and Drug Discovery Symposium Ambassadors will receive:
Recognition on the event webpage, on a dedicated social media post, and on a walk-slide onsite at the meeting as an official ISSCR Disease Modeling and Drug Discovery Symposium Ambassador
10% registration rate discount for the ISSCR Disease Modeling and Drug Discovery Symposium
An official ISSCR Ambassador Certificate and Formal Letter of Recognition from the ISSCR President
ISSCR Disease Modeling and Drug Discovery Symposium Ambassadors must have an active ISSCR membership through 2026.
Sponsor & Exhibit
This ISSCR event provides a fantastic opportunity to raise your company’s visibility and develop connections with the global scientific community advancing the stem cell field! Share your products, tools, and services that can help support and accelerate their research.
Contact exhibits@isscr.org to partner with us at this event!
This program is made possible by:
Official Meeting Journal
Stem Cell Reports is an open access forum communicating basic discoveries in stem cell research, in addition to translational and clinical studies. Stem Cell Reports focuses on manuscripts that report original research with conceptual or practical advances that are of broad interest to stem cell biologists and clinicians.
If you are curious about whether your research is a fit, submit a pre-submission inquiry form. When your research is ready for submission, submit your latest work to the journal for consideration.
Logo Toolkit for Sponsors & Exhibitors
Sponsors and exhibitors and welcome to use the below meeting logos to promote their participation in the event. However, attendees, speakers, presenters, sponsors, exhibitors, and partners may not use or edit the corporate, main ISSCR logo in any promotions. If you would like a custom graphic, please contact ISSCR’s Marketing Team at marketing@isscr.org.
