A Great Match

Abstract

It is hard to believe that the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) is 10 years old, and that coincident with this is the fifth-year anniversary of Cell Stem Cell. Having participated in the creation and development of the society and the journal, the success of both has made me appreciate my matchmaking skills.When I founded the ISSCR, I was responding to a call from stem cell researchers to bring investigators together and form a community. The annual meeting served this purpose from its fledgling initial meeting in Washington, D.C., with about 550 people, to this year's meeting in Yokohama with about 4,000 individuals. There is a tremendous need for scientific interactions, and the community is vibrant and operates at a very high level.One of my initial thoughts for the ISSCR was that it needed a journal. A key driver was the stem cell research community's call for a dedicated forum to publish stem cell research and to discuss issues faced by the field—a high-quality and high-visibility journal to give the field credibility and capture the highest profile papers. In this endeavor, after a long negotiation, we affiliated with Cell Press to start Cell Stem Cell. I am pleased to have been integral in the discussions that resulted in the strong partnership between ISSCR and Cell Stem Cell.Cell Stem Cell has accomplished all of its goals admirably from its initiation, and Debbie Sweet has been a pioneering editor with great vision. With a 2010 impact factor of 25.9, it is clearly a high-end journal that publishes impactful papers. The reviews are fantastic and comprehensive. The ISSCR section of the journal is one of its unique features, presenting key undertakings of the society such as committee activities, task force initiatives, and professional guidance. The ISSCR meeting reviews are greatly welcomed.When Cell Stem Cell needed to become nimble, decisions were made to create new sections that reflect the progress in the field. I am particularly interested in the Clinical Progress section that allows data to be put into the journal that bridges basic research and clinical application. There is also a diversity of articles in Cell Stem Cell. This includes the tremendous literature on induced pluripotent stem cells (a field in itself and one that will greatly contribute to science and medicine in the future). The journal, in short, has been a great success, has had wonderful interactions with the ISSCR, and has moved the field forward in a palpable and self-renewing manner.The ISSCR has tackled many issues in its first 10 years. One of the most important aspects was mentoring. It is clear that young investigators have found a home in the ISSCR. The society has a special committee for junior investigators and there is a formal mentoring session at each annual meeting. I remember the time period before induced pluripotent stem cells were available when young investigators were unclear if any funding would be available for human pluripotent stem cell studies on the only available technology, human embryonic stem cells. It was hard to have the courage to start a lab working on pluripotent cells, and now with many advances, the field is vibrant with many junior investigators.The ISSCR has highlighted ethical questions in various ways, including having Laurie Zoloth make a presidential session speech at one of the annual meetings. The society has also made a strong effort to reach out to patient advocates and policy-makers, and few will forget the powerful speech that one such advocate, Charles Sabine, gave at the 2011 meeting. The ethics of working with stem cells were brought to the forefront because of a Presidential executive order. Many of us from the leadership of the ISSCR have appeared on radio, on TV, and in other contexts to inform and educate the public about stem cell research.The stem cell field has also had to deal with some difficult issues over the past 10 years. We found out that human cloning was not in fact performed in Korea despite prior publication. In Europe, a landmark legal decision about patenting of human embryonic stem cells changed the landscape for future research and commercial development. U.S. researchers weathered considerable uncertainty when a judicial process based on a lawsuit brought by investigators who do not support research on embryonic stem cells shut down federal funding for a period of time. The society responded by defining its role in embryonic stem cell research (a role that not everyone in the field embraces, but one that is practical and informative). At this point, it seems as though embryonic stem cells are becoming less of a “big issue” and there is broader recognition that they are important for the future of the field. In vitro fertilization was once a huge source of ethical disagreement, but is now mainstream. I hope that embryonic stem cells will achieve a similar status.The ISSCR has also provided information and expert opinions to help many governments address their stem cell issues. As part of that effort, the society produced an international document on the practical use and ethical use of stem cells. In addition, counseling of individual governments facilitated the set-up of stem cell institutes in various countries. Government policy has been strongly influenced by the advice of several ISSCR presidents and leaders.The public efforts of the ISSCR revolve around a single topic chosen every year by the president. In my case, I focused on education of the public. More recently, there has been a decision to examine questionable clinics that do stem cell research. Such “snake oil salesmen” often promise major clinical success for therapies that are not scientifically based. The society is in the process of evaluating how to call out companies that are involved in such efforts and how to inform the public of such behavior. In the interim, we have created a web page to provide information to patients who seek to evaluate new stem cell therapies (http://www.closerlookatstemcells.org).It has been interesting to watch the leadership transitions that occur through the ISSCR. Each year a new president takes the helm and brings their unique perspective to the role. Greg Schultz, the founding executive director, was absolutely critical in the process in the early days, and Nancy Witty, our current executive director, has done a wonderful job over the past 6 years. It is clearly through Nancy's leadership that the mission of the ISSCR has been truly executed.I see a number of future opportunities for the field of stem cell research and regenerative medicine in which the ISSCR and Cell Stem Cell can play a vital role. One of those is clinical translation. Existing successes include limbal stem cells being transplanted to treat corneal eye diseases and the expansion of blood stem cells. The study of patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells or “diseases in a dish” will undoubtedly yield information that will be brought to the clinic. The need for a facilitation of this process is very important and a journal is critical. I feel that Cell Stem Cell could have a pioneering role in promoting translation of stem cell research. There are many issues yet to be overcome, including ones related to safety, manufacturing, and access to stem cell treatments.Another issue for the field is to maintain the quality of the research it produces. With the increasing number of researchers getting involved, it is critical to remain rigorous, and to ensure that published conclusions are well supported by data. The field has already seen its share of retractions and controversy. I hope that everyone working in this area will continue to produce fantastic research that builds to a crescendo of clinical relevance.Here is what I said at the very first meeting at the end of my presidential speech:“I am very enthusiastic about the Society, and I hope that 20 years from now we will be utilizing stem cells in the clinic as routine medical therapy for many genetic and degenerative disorders, that the basic genetics and molecular biology and cell biology of the stem cell will be largely understood, and that the Society will be filled with wonderful young trainees and old investigators such as myself.”We are now at the halfway mark, celebrating the ISSCR's 10th Annual Meeting where we are hearing a wealth of progress towards this goal, presented by a truly global community of all ages.I want to raise a toast to ISSCR and Cell Stem Cell: to a happy birthday and continued success.