Post by Evotec

We're back from an inspiring week at ISSCR 2026! Our team had a fantastic time connecting with researchers, partners, and innovators from across the stem cell and cell therapy community. 💡 How do we translate the promise of stem cell science into meaningful impact for patients? We explored this question through two highly attended sessions at the event, focused on the opportunities and challenges shaping the future of drug discovery and regenerative medicine. 𝗥𝗲𝘁𝗵𝗶𝗻𝗸𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗲𝗮𝘀𝗲 𝗕𝗶𝗼𝗹𝗼𝗴𝘆 𝗧𝗵𝗿𝗼𝘂𝗴𝗵 𝗛𝘂𝗺𝗮𝗻 𝗗𝗶𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗶𝘁𝘆: 𝗵𝗣𝗦𝗖 𝗣𝗹𝗮𝘁𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝘀 𝗧𝗿𝗮𝗻𝘀𝗳𝗼𝗿𝗺𝗶𝗻𝗴 𝗗𝗿𝘂𝗴 𝗗𝗶𝘀𝗰𝗼𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘆 Hosted by Bastian Zimmer, PhD, this session explored how human pluripotent stem cell (hPSC) platforms can incorporate genetic and population diversity into drug discovery, enabling disease models that better reflect real-world human variation. We would like to thank Janine Scholefield, Maneesha Inamdar, Shuibing Chen, and Todd Herron for sharing their perspectives and insights on advancing disease modelling and therapeutic discovery through diverse stem cell resources. 𝗦𝘁𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗲𝗴𝗶𝗲𝘀 𝗳𝗼𝗿 𝗶𝗣𝗦𝗖-𝗕𝗮𝘀𝗲𝗱 𝗥𝗲𝗴𝗲𝗻𝗲𝗿𝗮𝘁𝗶𝘃𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗮𝗽𝗶𝗲𝘀 – 𝗙𝗿𝗼𝗺 𝗦𝗶𝗻𝗴𝗹𝗲 𝗖𝗲𝗹𝗹𝘀 𝘁𝗼 𝗢𝗿𝗴𝗮𝗻𝗼𝗶𝗱𝘀 Hosted by Audrey Holtzinger, this session highlighted recent advances in iPSC-derived regenerative therapies, spanning single-cell replacement approaches, multicellular systems, and organoid-based strategies. Many thanks to Terri Gaskell, Cristina Nostro, and Tomomi Tadokoro for their contributions and for discussing both scientific progress and key translational considerations on the path toward clinical application for hearing loss, diabetes and liver fibrosis. The strong attendance and active exchange throughout both sessions underscored the momentum behind human-relevant stem cell platforms and their potential to transform the way we discover and develop new therapies. Thank you to all speakers and attendees for contributing to these engaging discussions. 🔗 𝗧𝗼 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘁𝗶𝗻𝘂𝗲 𝘁𝗵𝗲 𝗰𝗼𝗻𝘃𝗲𝗿𝘀𝗮𝘁𝗶𝗼𝗻, 𝘃𝗶𝘀𝗶𝘁 𝗼𝘂𝗿 𝗜𝗦𝗦𝗖𝗥 𝗲𝘃𝗲𝗻𝘁 𝗽𝗮𝗴𝗲: https://okt.to/4sxvSW 𝘄𝗵𝗲𝗿𝗲 𝘆𝗼𝘂 𝗰𝗮𝗻: 🔹Review the session agendas 🔹Download our latest Drug Discovery and Cell Therapy posters, presented at #ISSCR2026 🔹Connect with our team to discuss potential collaborations and scientific opportunities https://okt.to/uUyfp8 #iPSC #CellTherapy #DrugDiscovery