Latest News Releases 6 April

The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) is pleased to announce the results of its 2025 election and to welcome new leaders to the ISSCR Executive Committee and Board of Directors.

Fiona Doetsch, Ph.D., Biozentrum, University of Basel, Switzerland, will serve as the new Vice President. Professor Doetsch is recognized for her groundbreaking research on identifying adult neural stem cells, pioneering widely used assays in the field, and elucidating the roles of adult neural stem cells in brain plasticity.

Lee Rubin, Ph.D., Harvard University Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology, USA, will serve as Treasurer, bringing extensive expertise in iPSCs, neurodegenerative diseases, and biotech. His work has led to significant drug discoveries, and he has founded several biotech companies.

Megan Munsie, Ph.D., Murdoch Children’s Research Institute and University of Melbourne, Australia, will serve as Clerk. Dr. Munsie combines expertise in developmental biology with a focus on the ethical, legal, and societal implications of stem cell science. Her work has influenced global policy reforms and public education globally.

In the Amazon, gold mining is a thriving business, pushing deep into the rainforest and indigenous lands. Small-scale operations set up primarily illicitly and operated in the shadows use mercury, a substance with neurotoxic properties, for gold extraction. Now, a team of researchers examined if trees native to the Peruvian Amazon could be used as biomonitors for gold mining activities. By examining mercury concentrations in tree rings, they concluded that some species could bear witness to illegal mining activities.

Researchers explored the long-term effects of preschool expansion in Japan in the 1960s, revealing significant reductions in risky behaviors amongst teenagers. By analyzing regional differences in the rollout of the program, the study identified links between early childhood education and lower rates of juvenile violent arrests and teenage pregnancy. The findings suggest that improved noncognitive skills played a key role in mitigating risky behaviors, highlighting the lasting benefits of early-education policies.

Researchers at the Garvan Institute of Medical Research have launched the Genomics of Rare Disease Registry, to help improve diagnoses and treatment options for the estimated two million people who live with a rare disease in Australia.

Japan’s Ryukyu Islands, which includes Okinawa, are the exclusive home to two rare mammals, the Amami rabbit and Ryukyu long-furred rat. These animals are hard to observe, but conservationists wish to find out specific details about their diets. So researchers, including those from the University of Tokyo, inspected the teeth from deceased specimens to find out what the animals were eating, and at different times. Their findings show the rabbits have consistent diets, whereas the rats’ change with the seasons.

New Australian technology is set to transform the way that gastrointestinal cancers are detected and treated with precise, minimally invasive surgery.

About 131 million years ago, an 11-foot-long ichthyosaur slammed snout first into the seafloor and was rapidly buried by sediments — a sequence of events that helped preserve not only her skeleton, but that of her unborn baby, along with the remains of her last meal.  These details are part of a new study from an international team published in the Journal of Vertebrate Paleontology about the pregnant marine reptile, which the team named Fiona.