New Approaches, New Opportunities at the 2019 ISSCR Annual Meeting

The stem cell field is rapidly propelling forward, with recent research revealing novel insights into developmental and cellular biology, underlying disease processes, and potential therapies to treat life-altering diseases and injuries. Stem cell science is at the leading edge of biomedicine. The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) annual meetings are key to highlighting the latest in the field: new findings and innovative technologies that advance the field in both basic and clinical research. This year, we are modifying the scientific program at the meeting, with the goal of underscoring the continuum of research between the lab bench and clinical application. Each plenary session in 2019 will be organized around tissue type and will feature speakers who approach questions about development and disease from a variety of angles. For example, researchers looking at the molecular mechanisms of cardiac development might share the stage with those trying to treat coronary heart disease. By connecting the different disciplines, we contextualize the breadth of research for the audience and speakers alike. The new format embraces and highlights the diversity of the ISSCR constituency and allows increased interdisciplinary interactions, which we hope will foster meaningful discussions. The talks will also be shorter to accommodate more speakers and to encourage speakers to present more focused stories. Attendees from diverse specialties will see and appreciate the arc of research from bench to bedside in all major tissue types. We’ve also developed a new approach that will showcase the talents of the next generation of scientists. For the first time, 15 plenary speaking spots will be dedicated to