ISSCR Advocates for Stem Cell Research

Dear members:

The ISSCR is deeply committed to supporting and defending stem cell research by advocating for science-based legislative and regulatory policies. Our society has been a steadfast advocate for our international community for many years. The investment in our advocacy work, led by Public Policy Committee Chair Sean Morrison, offers the ISSCR increasing opportunities to shape conversations and inform policy. As stem cell science advances and the public becomes more aware of sensitive, emerging research, advocating on behalf of our research community remains one of our highest priorities.

In early March, ISSCR members will gather in Washington, D.C. for our first Congressional Advocacy Day since the COVID-19 pandemic shut down the Capitol Hill complex to visitors. Meetings with influential lawmakers offer ISSCR leaders access and opportunity to discuss the significance of investment in biomedical research, the value of emerging therapies, concerns surrounding the marketing of unproven stem cell-based treatments, and the importance of continued access to fetal tissue for research, among other key topics. Look for more on the outcomes of this event in the coming months.

In addition to the society’s legislative activity, ISSCR leaders met with more than 50 US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) professionals virtually in early December to discuss challenges with developing stem cell therapies. This well attended meeting highlights how important it is for us to engage with regulatory authorities to share scientifically informed recommendations on screening technology for prion diseases, risk mitigation for genomic heterogeneity, and risk assessments for developing safe hypoimmune therapies. For more about this meeting, I encourage you to take a look at the comprehensive report prepared by the ISSCR’s policy team and members of the ISSCR Manufacturing, Clinical Translation, and Industry Committee.

The ISSCR has a strategically important role to work with policymakers as stem cell research advances into the clinic and issues surrounding emerging therapies surface. We want to ensure that our members have opportunities to learn more about this work on behalf of the field – which is one reason we initiated a new Ethics, Policy, and Standards concurrent track at the ISSCR 2023 Annual Meeting this June. The Global Policy Initiatives session included in this new track will identify, explain, and offer solutions to some of the policy challenges confronting the field. Not only is this an opportunity to learn about the society’s advocacy work, but short talks selected from abstract submissions will be included in this session as well. Explore additional details about the sessions in this new concurrent track, which include Ethics and Public Engagement Regarding the 14-Day Rule and Standards for Stem Cell Research.

For more on the ISSCR’s policy work, please visit www.isscr.org/policy. Hope to see you this June in Boston for ISSCR 2023, where you can learn more about advocating for stem cell research.

Haifan