A New Frontier
Message from the President, Christine Mummery
We are entering a new frontier of stem cell science and regenerative medicine. With it, comes new technology, insight, and greater biological understanding. So too, comes tough questions and challenges — ethics, regulation, equitable access to name a few.
At the heart of the ISSCR Annual Meeting is a spirit for pushing forward. We gather to share excellent science, but also to take on the most provocative and complex of challenges. To that end, as registration for ISSCR 2021 opens, I am pleased to announce several special sessions addressing the timeliest of topics: modeling the human embryo, regulation of and reimbursement for new treatments, manufacturing at scale, and the delivery of bioengineered products to the clinic.
A new frontier also requires us to look inward — to strengthen the community from which great science starts. To accomplish this, we will hold our third-annual Women in Science panel, this year focused on achieving career independence. Further, we will host a Diversity and Inclusion panel to gain a better, global, understanding of underrepresentation in stem cell science.
Finally, amidst such important considerations for the future, we ask ISSCR members to elect our 2021 Board of Directors. I encourage all current full and trainee members to review the candidates and vote, using the email instructions provided last week. The ISSCR Board of Directors, working with the society’s committees, guides the direction of scientific programs as well as vital advocacy and public policy initiatives that ensure evidence-based science and the value of stem cell research is represented worldwide. If you have not joined the ISSCR yet in 2021, explore all of the benefits of membership including monthly ISSCR Digital scientific programs offered free to members, educational resources, the development of international guidelines for our field, and preferred pricing for the ISSCR Annual Meeting and to submit to our society journal, Stem Cell Reports.
In the spirit of new frontier, I hope you will join us for this year’s Annual Meeting, enjoy all that ISSCR membership offers, and take a moment to vote.
The future starts here.