ISSCR News
Delivering Impact as Stem Cell Technologies Advance
In early November, I attended a gene and cell therapy meeting in Los Angeles, USA where the city was still celebrating the L.A. Dodgers’ World Series championship. Amid that energy, I engaged in lively discussions with ISSCR members and leading scientists from around the world. The atmosphere—intense and exhilarating—was reminiscent of a championship game itself. It was clear that advances in stem cell and gene-editing technologies are rapidly accelerating translational research and its societal impact.
Member Spotlight: Catharina Brandsten, PhD, DDS
The ISSCR has played an important role for me in terms of networking and connecting with other stem cell scientists around the world. Priceless!
Human Stomach Cells Tweaked to Make Insulin to Treat Diabetes
Type 1 diabetes is caused by an insufficient production of the hormone insulin by cells in the pancreas called beta cells and estimated to affect 9.5 million people worldwide. Low insulin levels allow glucose levels to remain elevated, which in the long term can damage organs such as the kidneys, the eyes, and the cardiovascular system. People with diabetes require lifelong monitoring of blood sugar levels coupled with insulin injections to keep blood sugar levels at a stable, healthy level.
A potential new treatment option for those patients is the replacement of lost or dysfunctional pancreatic beta cells, either by cell transplantation, or by the generation of new beta cells from existing cells within the body. This latter strategy was pursued by the team of Xiaofeng Huang from Weill Cornell Medicine, USA and Qing Xia from Peking University, China who previously discovered that cells in the mouse stomach can be transformed into pancreatic beta cells by genetic engineering.
The ISSCR and Stem Cell Network Launch Global Workforce Development in Stem Cell Research and Regenerative Medicine Partnership
The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) and the Stem Cell Network (SCN) are pleased to partner to lead a joint initiative and a global conversation on workforce development in regenerative medicine. Through this collaboration, the organizations will examine current challenges and opportunities in trainee career development, identify skills gaps and future needs, and discuss strategies to help the field build the talent required for continued discovery, innovation, and health impact.
Registration and Abstract Submission Open for “20 Years of iPSC Discovery: A Celebration and Vision for the Future,” 20-22 October 2026, Kyoto, Japan
The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) today announced that registration and abstract submission are open for the ISSCR International Symposium: 20 Years of iPSC Discovery: A Celebration and Vision for the Future, co-sponsored by the Japanese Society for Regenerative Medicine. The symposium will take place 20–22 October 2026 in Kyoto, Japan.
Developed in partnership with the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA) at Kyoto University, the scientific program is chaired by Shinya Yamanaka, recipient of the 2012 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for the discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs), an honor he shared with the late Sir John Gurdon.
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