News Archives

Results of the 2008 ISSCR Election
- April 4, 2008
The 2008 elections, held to establish positions on the ISSCR Board of Directors and to ratify a proposed bylaw amendment, closed on March 13, 2008. We thank all those who participated and welcome the new and returning members of the Board of Directors. A special welcome is extended to Dr. Elaine Fuchs, incoming Vice President. View results.
-Archived April 11, 2008

2008 ISSCR Election Has Now Closed
-March 13, 2008
The 2008 election for positions on the ISSCR Board of Directors and the ratification of a proposed bylaw amendment closed today at 3 p.m. CDT USA. Election results will be announced in the April issue of The Pulse and on the elections pages of the ISSCR Web site. Learn more about the election process and meet the candidates.
-Archived April 9, 2008

ISSCR Congratulates Cell Stem Cell on Best New Journal Award
-February 7, 2008
The ISSCR congratulates Cell Stem Cell on receiving the award of 2007 Best New Journal in Science, Technology and Medicine from the Association of American Publishers. Cell Stem Cell launched in June 2007 in affiliation with the ISSCR, providing a dedicated high-end print forum for disseminating stem cell research and issues pertinent to the field. Read more.
-Archived March 17, 2008

The ISSCR Responds to President Bush's Final State of the Union Address
-January 29, 2008
In response to U.S. President Bush's comments on iPS cells and cloning in his final state of the union address yesterday, the ISSCR Government Affairs Committee has issued a statement reiterating its opposition to reproductive cloning and its strong support for nuclear transfer for therapeutic purposes and drug development as well as expanded federal funding for research for embryonic stem cell lines derived after August 9, 2001. Read the full statement.
-Archived February 7, 2008

ISSCR congratulates Ian Wilmut on his knighthood
- December 30, 2007
The ISSCR congratulates Dr Ian Wilmut on his knighthood for services to science, listed in the 2008 New Year Honours. His knighthood recognizes his key work in mammalian cloning which brought the world Dolly the sheep. The announcement of Dolly 10 years ago showed that mammalian cloning from adult cells was possible, and was both the culmination of and the opening for a great body of scientific research. Read more about the history of cloning.
-Archived January 29, 2008

ISSCR to Choose a New Site for 7th Annual Meeting in 2009 After Withdrawal of UK Governmental Co-Sponsorship Precludes London Venue
-December 3, 2007
The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) was disappointed last week to learn that three UK Research Councils have withdrawn their support for the ISSCR’s 7th Annual Meeting that was to be held in London in 2009. Learn more
-Archived January 29, 2008

ISSCR Statement on New Advances in Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Research
-November 20, 2007
New studies have been published in leading peer-reviewed scientific journals, demonstrating for the first time that human skin cells can be transformed into embryonic stem cell-like cells. While this technology holds great promise for creating patient- and disease-specific pluripotent stem cells, the ISSCR emphasizes that these findings do not obviate the need for research using human embryonic stem cells. Read the ISSCR statement and press release.
-Archived January 29, 2008

ISSCR jointly presents 2007 Shanghai International Symposium on Stem Cell Research
-November 6, 2007
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 ISSCR, and the Shanghai Institutes of Biological Sciences, Chinese Academy of Sciences and other research institutes in China. Read more.
-Archived December 4, 2007

Pioneering work on mouse embryonic stem cells wins the Nobel Prize
-October 9, 2007
The ISSCR congratulates Mario R. Capecchi, Martin J. Evans and Oliver Smithies on receiving the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine, 2007, for their groundbreaking work in mouse embryonic stem cells and DNA recombination in mammals. Their research led to the isolation of mouse embryonic stem cells and the development of powerful gene-targeting techniques in the laboratory mouse that have allowed researchers to study the function of individual genes and model human diseases. Read more.
-Archived November 20, 2007

ISSCR congratulates Alan Trounson on CIRM Presidency
-September 19, 2007
The ISSCR congratulates Dr Alan Trounson on his appointment as President of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). Dr Trounson, renowned for his in vitro fertilization and embryonic stem cell research, was a founding member of the ISSCR Board of Directors and instrumental in the decision to hold the 5th ISSCR Annual Meeting in Cairns , Australia earlier this year. Dr Trounson continues to serve on the Board of Directors and other committees, and was an integral member of the international taskforce that developed the ISSCR Guidelines for the Conduct of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research. The leadership of the ISSCR looks forward to working with Dr Trounson in his new position at the CIRM, in particular on the development of the 8th ISSCR Annual Meeting in San Francisco in 2010.
-Archived November 6, 2007

5th ISSCR Annual Meeting, Cairns, Australia
-July 26, 2007
Read a summary or view photographs of the ISSCR Annual Meeting. Registrants, the Final program, Poster Book and Program Addendum are now available for download.Go to the download page.
-Archived October 8, 2007

Dame Anne McLaren, DBE D.Phil. FRS FRCOG, 1927-2007
-July 10, 2007
We note with sadness the death of colleague Dame Anne McLaren this week and would like to extend our sympathy to her family and friends. Dame McLaren was a leading authority on mammalian genetics and helped to develop the techniques that led to human in vitro fertilisation (IVF). She was a member of the Warnock Committee, whose findings laid the groundwork for the Human Fertilisation and Embryology Act of 1990, and continued to be involved in efforts that sought to define the ethical and legal implications of new developments in biological science. Her contributions to the ISSCR Guidelines of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research were greatly valued. ISSCR President, Dr. George Daley, Children’s Hospital Boston, voices our sentiments, “Anne McLaren was a remarkably productive scientist and a highly influential policy-maker. Because of her wisdom and clarity of reason, she played a major role in shaping the oversight of reproductive biology and stem cell research. Our field owes her a huge debt of gratitude for her many contributions and her sage counsel.”
-ArchivedSeptember 18, 2007

ISSCR 2007 Annual Meeting Final Program Available for Download
-July 10, 2007
The Final Program, Poster Book, and Program Addendum are available for download as Adobe Acrobat (PDF) files to all registered attendees of the 2007 meeting. The password needed to access this page was recently sent to all attendees by ISSCR Headquarters. Go to the download page.
-ArchivedJuly 16, 2007

ISSCR Expresses Disappointment at White House Veto of S.5
-June 29, 2007
Following its passage in both houses of the U.S. Congress, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act that would have allowed expanded federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research, was vetoed by President Bush. The ISSCR is disappointed by the veto of this bill but thanks the U.S. legislators who provided their support for this important legislation. The ISSCR continues to advocate for human embryonic stem cell research as an important approach to study human disease and to develop new therapies.
-ArchivedSeptember 18, 2007

The ISSCR Applauds U.S. House of Representatives for their support of S. 5
-June 8, 2007
The U.S. House of Representatives voted in support of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007 (S. 5)., 247 to 176. The ISSCR thanks the U.S. legislators who provided their support for this important bill that would allow stem cell scientists to receive U.S. federal funding to study the many valuable human embryonic stem cell lines currently excluded from this support (those created after August 9, 2001). Read more.
-ArchivedJuly 16, 2007

The ISSCR announces results of the 2007 Election for Board of Directors
-April 19, 2007
At the 5th ISSCR Annual Meeting in June 2007, the ISSCR will introduce members of the ISSCR Board of Directors for the 2007-2008 term. The ISSCR welcomes Dr Irving Weissman as the newly elected vice-president of the ISSCR and Drs Thomas Graf, Sally Temple and Derek van der Kooy who will join the ISSCR Board of Directors as new appointments. Read more
-ArchivedJuly 16, 2007

The ISSCR Applauds U.S. Senators for their support of U.S. Senate Bill S. 5
-April 12, 2007
The U.S. Senate voted 63-34 yesterday in support of the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act of 2007 (S. 5). The ISSCR thanks the U.S. legislators who provided their support for this critical bill that would allow stem cell scientists to receive U.S. federal funding to study the many valuable human embryonic stem cell lines currently excluded from this support (those created after August 9, 2001). As S.5 differs slightly from H.R. 3 that passed the House in January, 2007, this particular version of the bill will return to the House. Read more about S5.
-ArchivedJune 8, 2007

The ISSCR Guidelines for the Conduct of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research
-Posted February 1, 2007
Today, the ISSCR made its Guidelines for the Conduct of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research available for download. View the Guidelines and accompanying sample informed consent documents for the procurement of materials for human embryonic stem cell research and a sample material transfer agreement.
-Archived May. 1, 2007

ISSCR Expresses Support of National Legislation Review to the Australian Government
-Posted 8.14.2006
The ISSCR urges the Australian government to adopt the recommendations of a legislation review conducted by a team of legal, ethical and scientific experts headed by the late John Lockhart. The report includes the recommendation that federal law allow nuclear transfer for the generation of human embryonic stem cell lines, a technique that could generate disease-specific cell lines, providing powerful research and therapeutic tools. Read the letter of support. Read the legislation review.
- Archived 9.29.06

ISSCR Expresses Disappointment at White House Veto of H.R. 810
-7.26.2006
Following passage in the Senate, Bill H.R. 810, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act that would have allowed expanded federal funding for human embryonic stem cell research, was immediately vetoed by President Bush. The ISSCR is disappointed by the defeat of this bill but thanks the US legislators who provided their support for H.R. 810. The ISSCR continues to advocate for human embryonic stem cell research as an important approach to study human disease and to develop new therapies.
- Archived 9.29.06

Current human clinical applications using adult stem cells-myths and reality
-6.27.2006
Adult stem cell therapies are powerful, but they are not as wide-ranging as claimed. Some who oppose embryonic stem cell research have provided a list of conditions putatively treated by adult stem cells, with the implicit message that adult stem cell therapies are sufficient. Outlined in this article are the benefits and limitations of adult stem cell therapies and why adult and embryonic stem cells are complementary subjects of research and studying them side by side offers the greatest potential to rapidly generate new therapies. Read the full article.
- Archived 8.4.06

ISSCR Urges U.S. Senators to support passage of H.R. 810
-7.12.2006
ISSCR has sent a letter to all 100 U.S. senators urging their support for H.R. 810, the Stem Cell Research Enhancement Act. Passage of H.R.810 would allow the use of U.S. federal funds to study the many valuable human embryonic stem cell lines currently excluded from this support (those derived after August 9, 2001). The U.S. Senate will vote on three stem cell bills including H.R.810, with all action to be completed by Tuesday, July 18. The ISSCR strongly supports H.R.810, and believes this is the only bill before the Senate that will accelerate research dedicated to finding better therapies for patients suffering from a wide variety of diseases.Read the complete letter.
- Archived 7.26.06

ISSCR supports decision by Italian Minister of Research and University
-Posted 6.12.2006
The ISSCR, along with the European Consortium for Stem Cell Research, endorse the stance of the Italian Minister of Research and University and the new Government of Italy on the removal of Italy’s signature from a "declaration of ethics" objecting to the use of European Union funds for human embryonic stem cell research. Read the letter of support.
- Archived 7.12.06

Ira Black, M.D., Ph.D., 1941-2006
-Posted 1.19.2006
Members of the ISSCR note with sadness the death of colleague Ira Black last week and would like to extend their sympathy to his family and friends. Dr. Black, a clinical neurologist and neuroscientist, studied the molecular mechanisms of brain function and cognition. He was a strong advocate for stem cell research, with a particular interest in the development of treatments for neurological diseases. He was an active member of the ISSCR, serving as chair of the Publications Committee for three years. Dr. Black was professor and chair of the Department of Neuroscience and Cell Biology at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, and the first director of the Stem Cell Institute of New Jersey. ISSCR board member Dr. Ihor Lemischka from Princeton University, N.J., voices our sentiments, “Dr. Black’s enthusiasm and leadership in stem cell research, as well as his commitment to the efforts in the state of New Jersey will be sorely missed by his many colleagues and friends.”
- Archived 4.20.06

ISSCR to Launch an International Embryonic Stem Cell Research Guidelines
Task Force
-Posted 11.30.2005
Recent announcements by Professor Woo Suk Hwang of Korea have drawn considerable attention to the ethical challenges of practicing somatic cell nuclear transfer to produce customized, patient-specific embryonic stem cells. To provide members of the global stem cell community with standards that can be endorsed internationally, the ISSCR will launch an International Embryonic Stem Cell Research Guidelines Task Force to consider a set of ethical guidelines. Read the full statement.
- Archived 2.06.06

Pioneers of Stem Cell Research Honored with Prestigious Lasker Award
-Posted 09.21.2005
ISSCR congratulates Drs. Ernest McCulloch and James Till of the Ontario Cancer Institute and the University of Toronto, recipients of the 2005 Lasker Award for Basic Medical Research. Till and McCulloch, the first to discover stem cells in the blood forming system, are considered the true pioneers of stem cell biology. Learn more.
- Archived 1.19.06

ISSCR Statement on the Importance of Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research
-Posted 12.16.2005
Recent news accounts have questioned the validity of a paper describing the derivation of 11 patient-specific human embryonic stem cell lines (Hwang et al., 2005, Science 308: 1777-1783). The controversy that surrounds the first reported isolation of such cells is unfortunate. Human embryonic stem cells remain invaluable research tools with enormous promise for medicine, and it is critical that scientists continue their research into the derivation of such cells, including those from patients with specific diseases. Read the full statement
- Archived 1.19.06

ISSCR's New Science Editor Seeks to Establish ISSCR in Global Research Community
-Posted 08.22.2005
The International Society for Stem Cell Research is pleased to announce the appointment of Heather Rooke, PhD as ISSCR Science Editor. Rooke will assist in the management and production of the ISSCR Web site, Pulse Newsletter and serve as the ISSCR representative for stem cell research within the global stem cell research community. Read more.
- Archived 12.16.05

ISSCR Applauds Sen. Frist's Support of HR 810
-Posted 08.16.2005
The International Society for Stem Cell Research praises the decision by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist (R-Tenn.) to support stem cell research and HR 810, the Stem Cell Enhancement Act pending before the Senate. Read the story.
What is HR 810? Read the Bill.
- Archived 11.30.05

CAMR Statement on hESC Alternatives
-Posted 08.02.2005
The Coalition for the Advancement of Medical Research (CAMR) responds to a bill being considered in the U.S. Congress that would fund studies to determine the feasibility of alternative methods for deriving pluripotent stem cells. The ISSCR reiterates its support of HR 810, which proposes to allow federal funds to be used to study hESC derived after August 9, 2001. Read the full statement.
- Archived 11.30.05

ISSCR Leaders Make Case for U.S. Federal Funding of hESC Research
-Posted 07.28.2005
Read ISSCR Vice President George Daley, Government Affairs Chair Lawrence Goldstein and Nobel Laureate Paul Berg's thoughtful article that appeared in the Washington Post July 19, 2005. Read the article.
Read George Daley's July 12 testimony before a U.S. Senate's Subcommittee Hearing on an Alternative Method for Obtaining Embryonic Stem Cells
- Archived 08.22.05

ISSCR Board Endorses Oversight for U.S. hESC Research
-Posted 07.28.2005
The ISSCR Board of Directors passed a resolution on Regulatory Oversight for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research at its June 2005 meeting. Read the resolution.
- Archived 08.22.05

Derivation of Human Embryonic Stem Cells (hESC)
-Posted 07.12.2005
The Ethics Advisory Board of the ISSCR reflects on the ethics of several new kinds of research to produce hESC. Read the ISSCR Ethics Advisory Board's report.
- Archived 08.22.05

ISSCR Applauds U.S. House of Representatives for Passage of HR 810
-Posted 05.27.2005
Read the statement.
- Archived 08.01.05

NAS Guidelines on hESC Research
-Posted 05.05.05
ISSCR President Leonard I. Zon, M.D., praises National Academies of Science guidelines for hESC research. Read the ISSCR press release or view the guidelines.
- Archived 06.14.05

hESC Culture Conditions
-Posted 03.09.05
In the March issue of Nature Methods, Xu et al. report culture maintenance of hESC in absence of feeder layer and conditioned medium. Nature Methods has agreed to provide open access to the paper until end of March. To read the full text you have to register on their Web site. Link to the paper.
- Archived 05.20.05

ISSCR on Alternatives to Human Pluripotent Stem Cell Derivation
-Posted 02.02.05
Recently, alternative approaches have been proposed to derive human embryonic stem cells while avoiding destruction of human embryos. While seeking alternative ways to pursue human embryonic stem cell research is commendable, it is essential not to withdraw scarce resources from an underfunded field in order to pursue the proposed research alternatives. Read the entire statement.
- Archived 05.20.05

ISSCR Statement on hESC Contamination Findings
-Posted 01.31.05
The report by Martin et al. (Nature Medicine online Jan. 30, 2005) demonstrating the expression of immunogenic nonhuman sialic acid residues at the surface of human embryonic stem cell lines derived on murine feeder cells has triggered media interest and prompted ISSCR to issue a statement. Read the statement.
- Archived 04.14.05

United Nations on Nuclear Transfer
-Posted 02.22.05
On February 18, 2005, the Sixth Committee (Legal) of the United Nations recommended to the General Assembly the adoption of a declaration on human cloning. Read the details. When it became known that the vote was to be held within a few days, the ISSCR Government Affairs & Policy Committee swiftly sent a letter to the members of the United Nations General Assembly. Read the letter.
- Archived 03.09.05

New Boston Stem Cell Program
- Posted 11.22.04
On Friday November 19, Children's Hospital presented its new Stem Cell Research Program, directed by Leonard I. Zon. Once fully staffed, the program will have 35 to 50 investigators, a dedicated laboratory to develop new human embryonic stem cell lines and to investigate development into various tissues, and a laboratory dedicated to stem-cell genomics. Read more.
- Archived 02.28.05

California 's Proposition 71 passes
- Posted 11.09.04
On November 2nd , voters in California approved Proposition 71, which will provide significant state funding for stem cell research. Read more about the proposition.
- Archived 01.31.05

No Global Ban on Nuclear Transfer
- Posted 11.22.04
On November 19, the United Nations decided not to pursue a global ban on
all forms of human cloning, including Nuclear Transfer. A treaty proposed
by Costa Rica and the U.S. banning all forms of cloning lacked support. A
working group of member countries will be convened over the next several
months to form consensus on a compromise declaration submitted by Italy .
- Archived 12.03.04

Harold Varmus Appeals for Comment on Open Access Publication
- Posted 11.11.04
The NIH posted for comment an "Enhanced Public Access Policy." This policy
would make NIH-funded research results freely available to scientists and
the public through PubMed within six months of publication. Please submit
your comments in support of this proposal right away, deadline is November
16th. More information.
- Archived 11.22.04

ISSCR Appeals to United Nations
- Posted 10.18.04
The ISSCR Board of Directors issued a letter to the members of the United Nations General Assembly to oppose a proposed global ban on nuclear transfer (NT). Read the statement.
- Archived 11.22.04

ISSCR Has Expanded Its Public Education Platform
- Posted 10.12.04
We have expanded and reorganized the Public platform on this Web site to include many new items on a variety of stem cell issues including advances in stem cell research, potential future cures, and movies, images and interviews with scientists and California Proposition 71. Go to: http://www.isscr.org/public
-Archived 11.09.04

ISSCR Recommends Nomenclature Changes
- Posted 09.02.04
Confronted with the scientific inaccuracy and negative connotation of the term "therapeutic cloning" ISSCR members and leadership have voted to replace this misleading terminology with "nuclear transfer" (NT) and to name the cells NT stem cells, or NTSC. For more information.
- Archived 11.09.04

Nuclear Transfer Experiments Have Been Approved in the United Kingdom
- Posted 08.11.04
The British HFEA (Human Fertilization and Embryology Authority) has approved performance of human nuclear transfer to derive stem cell lines at the Newcastle University. For more information.
- Archived 10.19.04

2nd Annual ISSCR Meeting in Boston
- Posted 06.16.2004
June 10-13, 1435 stem cell researchers gathered in Boston to discuss the latest advancements in stem cell research, after an opening address given by Senator Arlen Specter. Many exciting new findings were presented including some 70 newly derived human embryonic stem cell lines and several cell lines derived from blastocysts screened out by pre-implantation genetic diagnosis (PDG) during IVF treatment. These cell lines will be valuable tools to study the genetic disease carried by these lines and to develop potential cures for these diseases.
- Archived 09.03.04

U.S. Congressmen and Senators Ask President Bush to Relax Stem Cell Restrictions
- Posted 06.10.2004
In response to President Bush's embryonic stem cell policy that effectively restricts U.S. federal funding to 19 embryonic stem cell lines, a bipartisan group of 206 congressmen in April presented the president with an open letter asking him to relax those restrictions. A similar letter has now been submitted by a bipartisan group of 58 senators. Read the Senators' letter and view the list of signers. Read the Congressmen's letter and view the list of signers.
- Archived 09.03.04

ISSCR Sends Letter to the President of the United States
- Posted 06.22.04
Today , ISSCR sent a letter to President Bush asking for a relaxation of his current restrictions on federal funding, which are effectively stifling rapid scientific advances in human stem cell research. The letter was created as an outcome of ISSCR's second annual meeting in Boston, where the data presented made it clearer than ever that research on all types of stem cells should be pursued with the goals of reducing human suffering and better understanding human physiology.

The letter asks for increased federal funding for research in all types of stem cells, including derivation of new pluripotent stem cell lines by nuclear transfer, while reproductive cloning should be prohibited. Appropriate regulation should be developed by scientists and regulators to provide ongoing scientific and ethical oversight and to establish norms for good basic research, clinical investigation and laboratory practices. Read the entire letter.
- Archived 08.11.04

17 New Human Embryonic Stem Cell Lines Available                            
- Posted 03.03.2004
On March 3, in a publication in the New England Journal of Medicine, Cowan et al. report derivation of 17 new human embryonic stem cell lines. The cell lines are being made available by Dr. Douglas Melton's laboratory to investigators under a material transfer agreement. For more information go to: http://mcb.harvard.edu/melton/hues/. The New England Journal of Medicine kindly provides full-text access to the paper and supplemental materials
- Archived 06.29.04

South Korean Human Nuclear Transfer Experiments Prompt ISSCR Call for Ban on Human Reproductive Cloning
- Posted 02.12.2004
On February 12, 2004, a South Korean team reported the first successful nuclear transfer of human adult somatic nuclei into human eggs in Science Magazine (Hwang et al., Science Online). Promptly, ISSCR issued a statement calling for a complete ban on human reproductive cloning, while expressing enthusiasm about the potential of nuclear transfer technology for discovery and therapeutic purposes. Read the entire statement.
- Archived 06.29.04

Appeal by ISSCR to the U.S. Government
- Posted 03.24.2004
On March 3rd, Professor Douglas Melton and his team reported 17 new well-characterized human embryonic stem cell lines, which they make freely available to the research community. This may lower entry barriers for new investigators eager to join the stem cell research field, but are hampered by scarce availability and high cost of the NIH-approved cell lines. ISSCR urges the U.S. government to make those new cell lines eligible for federal funding and thus ensure the fastest possible advance of the stem cell research field. Read the entire statement.
- Archived 05.13.04

ISSCR Calls for Ban on Human Reproductive Cloning
-Posted 02.12.2004

Responding to the successful nuclear transfer of a human adult somatic nucleus into a human egg by a team of South Korean researchers, the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) has called for a ban on human reproductive cloning. Read the entire statement.
- Archived 05.03.2004

Recent Progress and Future Promise of Human Embryonic Stem Cells: Remarks By NIH Director Dr. Elias Zerhouni
- Posted 11.01.03
Read the transcript of opening remarks made by NIH Director Dr. Elias Zerhouni at an NIH Stem Cell Symposium in June 2003.
- Archived 03.22.04

Science Academies Ask For Ban On Reproductive Cloning
- Posted 11.01.03
Academies from 66 countries have signed a statement calling for a worldwide ban on reproductive cloning, excluding therapeutic cloning. Learn More
- Archived 03.22.04

AMA/ASRM Statement on Therapeutic Cloning
- Posted 11.01.03
The American Medical Association and American Society for Reproductive Medicine both endorsed stem cell research both endorse therapeutic cloning, while condemning reproductive cloning. Read a synopsis of their statements.
- Archived 02.12.04

Updated: April 15, 2008