ISSCR News


Stem Cell-Derived “Spinal Cord-Like” Microtissues Afford Personalized Drug Screening
Press Release Kym Kilbourne Press Release Kym Kilbourne

Stem Cell-Derived “Spinal Cord-Like” Microtissues Afford Personalized Drug Screening

Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a fast-progressing neurodegenerative disease with an average survival time of three years and no effective treatments. In ALS, motor neurons in the spinal cord, which are required for muscle contractions, die off, leading to progressive muscle paralysis. The molecular causes of ALS are poorly understood, but neuroinflammation, a process of excessive inflammation fueled by immune cells in the spinal cord, is thought to contribute to motor neuron death in ALS. Reducing neuroinflammation may be a tractable way to treat ALS.

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ISSCR Working Group Recommends Enhanced Oversight of Stem Cell-Based Embryo Models in Response to Rapid Technological Advances
Press Release Kym Kilbourne Press Release Kym Kilbourne

ISSCR Working Group Recommends Enhanced Oversight of Stem Cell-Based Embryo Models in Response to Rapid Technological Advances

The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) Embryo Models Working Group has released updated recommendations for the oversight and regulation of stem cell-based embryo models (SCBEM), aiming to address rapid advancements and ensure responsible scientific progress. The proposed recommendations are detailed in a new paper published today in Stem Cell Reports.

SCBEMs are three dimensional structures that replicate key aspects of early embryonic development, offering unprecedented potential to enhance our understanding of human developmental biology and reproductive science.

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Message from the President | Year in Review: 2024-2025
Message from the President Kym Kilbourne Message from the President Kym Kilbourne

Message from the President | Year in Review: 2024-2025

As I reflect on this past year as ISSCR President, I feel gratitude for what I have learned and the outlook it has given me on the Society and on the field it represents. I will share a few reflections below. 

 As I began in my role, I realized that I had only a superficial understanding of the work of more than 200 volunteers and ISSCR team members. With Director of Media and Strategic Communications Kym Kilbourne, I have embarked on monthly interviews and email correspondence with colleagues in leadership roles to learn about the work of the ISSCR committees, task forces, and working groups. It has been humbling to listen to them and to experience the passion and commitment each of them brings to our Society. Their work spans large subfields of regenerative biology and medicine allowing us to form public and regulatory policy priorities, educate ourselves and others, participate in manufacturing innovations, and wrestle with important ethical questions, to name just a few. It was a privilege to report on their work monthly in my president’s messages.  

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New Podcast Episode. Parkinson’s Disease, Cell Therapy, and Exercise
Announcements Megan Koch Announcements Megan Koch

New Podcast Episode. Parkinson’s Disease, Cell Therapy, and Exercise

The potential of pluripotent stem cells and the ability to scale and differentiate them to generate large numbers of enriched cell populations has created new opportunities and approaches to treat human disease. Preclinical proof-of-principle data demonstrates that stem cell-derived neural grafts can be used to reverse symptoms of multiple neurological conditions, including Parkinson’s Disease. Cell grafts enriched with dopaminergic neurons, can structurally and functionally integrate in the brain of Parkinson’s Disease models to reverse motor deficits, a finding which has launched several clinical trials. While the results in animal models is essential proof-of-concept, the survival and integration of these cells is suboptimal compared to treatments from fetal-derived ventral midbrain grafts.  An area of preclinical and clinical research showing promise in influencing neuronal survival and plasticity is exercise. The benefits of exercise on neural function and disease progression have been widely reported and they have also been shown to enhance the survival and integration of transplanted cells in models of some neurological diseases. However, there is limited data on the benefit of exercise on the functional outcomes of neural grafts in Parkinson’s Disease models. The guests on today’s program will discuss their recent study looking at the effect of exercise on cellular engraftment and functional recovery in animal models of Parkinson’s Disease and the implications for clinical outcomes.

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