ISSCR News
High-Fat Diet May Increase Colon Cancer Risk by Changing Intestinal Stem Cells
Researchers at Arizona State University, USA, find that a high-fat diet leaves lasting changes in intestinal stem cells, potentially increasing the risk of tumor development.
About one in 25 people develop colon cancer during their lifetime, and obesity increases the risk by 30–50%. Colon cancer can arise when intestinal stem cells, which normally produce new cells to maintain a healthy intestine, begin to grow uncontrollably. A new study published today in Stem Cell Reports reveals how a high-fat diet can alter these stem cells and promote tumor development.
The ISSCR Announces Takeda as a Founding Member of Consortium to Advance Stem Cell-Based Models in Drug Discovery and Development
Global initiative brings together leaders from industry, academia, and regulatory organizations to advance the responsible adoption of stem cell-based models
The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) today announced that Takada has joined the ISSCR Consortium on Advanced Stem Cell-Based Models in Drug Discovery and Development as a Founding Member. The global initiative is working to accelerate the responsible integration of human stem cell-derived models into drug discovery and development as part of an integrated evidence ecosystem.
The ISSCR Consortium brings together scientists from academia, government, pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies, and regulatory organizations to establish standards, develop tools, and build the collaborative infrastructure needed to support model qualification and adoption. The initiative comes at a time of growing policy and regulatory interest in new approach methodologies (NAMs) and human-based research technologies.
The ISSCR Joins Coalition Letter Urging Full-Year Funding for the National Institutes of Health (NIH)
The ISSCR joined over 450 scientific and patient advocacy organizations urging U.S. congressional leaders to finalize fiscal year 2027 appropriations for NIH as expeditiously as possible. Timely appropriations decisions are vital to ensuring critical biomedical research supported by NIH does not experience funding delays or gaps. The letter further urges lawmakers to safeguard research funding from recently proposed policies that could negatively impact biomedical research.
The ISSCR Recognizes Five Outstanding Scientists with Poster Awards at International Symposium Celebrating 20 Years of iPSC Research
Honorees from the Netherlands, Japan, Switzerland, and the United States recognized for their research contributions at landmark scientific gathering in Kyoto
The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) is pleased to announce five Poster Award recipients from its international symposium, Celebrating 20 Years of iPSC Research: Advances and Future Perspectives, held 20-22 October 2026 in Kyoto, Japan.
The symposium brought together scientists from around the world to celebrate two decades of progress since the groundbreaking discovery of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells by Shinya Yamanaka, M.D., Ph.D., and to explore the next generation of scientific advances and clinical applications.
The ISSCR Remembers Marta Shahbazi Alonso
The ISSCR is deeply saddened by the tragic passing of Dr. Marta Shahbazi Alonso, an accomplished scientist and valued ISSCR member who lost her life in a train crash in Spain on 28 October 2026.
Marta was a pioneering researcher in early human development, whose important contributions to human embryo research and stem cell-based embryo models advanced our understanding of the earliest stages of life. A group leader at the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology in Cambridge, UK, she was widely respected for her scientific excellence, thoughtful engagement with ethical and policy issues, and dedication to mentoring the next generation of scientists.
Receive ISSCR Press Releases
Sign up be a part of ISSCR’s media list. Media Contact: Kym Kilbourne, Director of Media and Strategic Communications
Subscribe to ISSCR News.
Each month, ISSCR delivers scientific, policy, and community to your inbox .