ISSCR News

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.

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.

The ISSCR Launches First Online Global Continuing Education Course on Stem Cell Medicine
The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) announces the launch of a new online continuing education course, Stem Cell Medicine: From Scientific Research to Patient Care. The comprehensive course comes at a pivotal moment, addressing the growing demand for evidence-based, expert-led education amid the proliferation of unproven and potentially harmful stem cell interventions that threaten patient safety around the world. The activity, jointly provided by Harvard Medical School and the ISSCR, is open access, available on demand, and offered at no cost to clinicians, nurses, medical students, scientists, and the public. It is also available in five languages.

The ISSCR Launches Consortium to Support Adoption of Stem Cell-Derived Disease Models for Drug Discovery and Development
Advances in human stem cell-derived disease models have the potential to augment our predictive power for the efficacy and safety of new drugs. This technology, which complements existing approaches, is poised to reduce R&D costs and accelerate the development of new therapies for patients.
The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) has assembled an international consortium of cross-sector thought leaders from industry, academia, and regulatory science to enable the widespread, responsible adoption.

Exercise Enhances Stem Cell Transplant Function in Parkinson’s Disease
A research team led by Clare Parish from The Florey Institute of Neuroscience and Mental Health (in Melbourne) and Lachlan Thompson from the University of Sydney, Australia has now tested whether exercise enhances transplant function in PD rats. In their study, rats received a stem cell-derived transplant to replace lost dopaminergic neurons and some of the rats were given free access to a running wheel. Their work was recently published in Stem Cell Reports.

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