The Stem Cell Podcast

Drs. Shuibing Chen and Hans Clevers, members of the Steering Committee for the ISSCR Consortium on Advanced Stem Cell-Based Models in Drug Discovery and Development, explore how stem cell–derived organoids and other new approach methodologies (NAMs) can complement or replace animal models in preclinical research. The discussion highlights the need for standardization, regulatory alignment, and industry collaboration to improve reproducibility, accelerate drug development, and ultimately create more human-relevant and effective therapies.

Drs. Fiona Doetsch and Nozomu Yachie, Co-Chairs of the ISSCR 2026 Annual Meeting Program Committee, join the podcast to discuss what to expect at the upcoming ISSCR 2026 meeting taking place in Montreal, Canada from July 8 - 11, 2026.

Dr. Joseph Wu is a Professor of Medicine and Radiology and the Director of the Stanford Cardiovascular Institute. He talks about the importance of pharmacology knowledge in drug discovery. He also discusses his early iPSC research, investigating vaccine-induced myocarditis, and embracing New Approach Methodologies (NAMs).

Dr. Pinar Mesci is the Global Head of Biomanufacturing and Biotechnology at Axiom Space, where she manages a portfolio focused on biomedical research programs including stem cells, tissue engineering, disease modeling, cancer research, and DNA-inspired nanomaterials. She talks about her early career developing brain organoid models, transitioning to the space industry, and how microgravity affects biological systems. She also discusses the future of low Earth orbit research and how new technologies can be transferred back to Earth.

Dr. Deepak Srivastava is the President of the Gladstone Institutes and Director of the Roddenberry Stem Cell Center. His lab is focused on the gene networks that guide cardiac development. He talks about their recent work investigating heart defects in Down syndrome and strategies for delivering therapies to the heart. He also talks about how to incentivize the development and commercialization of cell and gene therapies.

Dr. Hans Clevers is a Professor of Molecular Genetics and Distinguished Group Leader at the University of Utrecht. In this episode, he discusses snake gut and lung organoids, transitioning from academia to industry, and the challenges and complexities of creating a cell therapy.

Dr. Thomas Vierbuchen is Assistant Professor of Developmental Biology at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center. In this episode, he talks about using PSCs to model neurodevelopmental processes. He also discusses his direct reprogramming work and his lab's recent study on OTX2 in gastrulation.

Dr. Sumru Bayin is a Group Leader at the Gurdon Institute at the University of Cambridge. She talks about her work on regeneration in the neonatal mouse cerebellum and how cerebellar interneurons differentiate. She also discusses organizing a workshop to facilitate collaborations in regenerative biology, and her memories of the late Sir John Gurdon.

Dr. Juan Melero-Martin is an Associate Professor and the Endowed Chair in Cardiac Surgery at Boston Children's Hospital. His lab uses bioengineering principles to understand how vascular networks are formed and the mechanisms by which the vasculature modulates the engraftment and activity of various human stem cells.

Dr. Carole LaBonne is the Erastus Otis Haven Professor of Molecular Biosciences at Northwestern University. Her lab studies the genesis of neural crest stem cells at the level of the signaling pathways and transcription factors that comprise the neural crest gene regulatory network. They also study how these mechanisms contribute to exit from pluripotency and the subsequent lineage restriction of neural crest cells to their derivative cell types that collectively define vertebrates.