The Stem Cell Podcast

In June 2025, Daylon and Arun attended the International Society for Stem Cell Research’s (ISSCR) annual meeting in Hong Kong, and recorded daily episodes discussing highlights of the previous 24 hours. Here is the third of four episodes, where Daylon and Arun discuss research on cell therapy for inflammatory bowel disease and hearing loss. They also talk about Dr. Jacob Hanna's work on ex utero embryo culture, Dr. Paola Arlotta's research on long-term brain organoids, and Di Pan's insights into sponge regeneration.

In June 2025, Daylon and Arun attended the International Society for Stem Cell Research’s (ISSCR) annual meeting in Hong Kong, and recorded daily episodes discussing highlights of the previous 24 hours. Here is the second of four episodes, where Daylon and Arun cover talks on animal models of regeneration and the public perception of in vitro gametogenesis. They also discuss work on CiPSCs for Type 1 diabetes therapy and growing pig-human chimeric embryos.

In June 2025, Daylon and Arun attended the International Society for Stem Cell Research’s (ISSCR) annual meeting in Hong Kong, and recorded daily episodes discussing highlights of the previous 24 hours. Here is the first of four episodes, where Daylon and Arun discuss updates from clinical trials for ALS, congenital heart disease, and Parkinson's disease. They also talk about the Presidential Plenary session, chaired by Dr. Valentina Greco.

Dr. Maneesha Inamdar is the Director of the Institute for Stem Cell Science and Regenerative Medicine and Professor at Jawaharlal Nehru Centre for Advanced Scientific Research. Her lab uses comparative models, including mice, Drosophila, stem cell lines, and gastruloids, to study developmental biology. She talks about using embryo models to investigate teratogenicity, prioritizing ethnically diverse cell lines, and representing Indian scientists in global discussions.

Dr. Jacqueline Barry is the Chief Clinical Officer at Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, Dr. Kapil Bharti is a Senior Investigator at the National Eye Institute at the National Institutes of Health, and Dr. Jack Mosher is the Scientific Director at the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR). They discuss their work on the ISSCR's Best Practices for the Development of Pluripotent Stem Cell-Derived Cellular Therapies. They talk about the need for consistency and rigor in cell therapy development, and how the document can be navigated and applied across jurisdictions.

Dr. Margaret "Peggy" Goodell is the Vivian L. Smith Chair in Regenerative Medicine and Director of the Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center at Baylor College of Medicine. Her research focuses on HSC regulation and aging. She talks about her discovery of a side population of HSCs, as well as her work on DNMT3A mutation and clonal hematopoiesis of indeterminate potential. Finally, she discusses the rich research environment in Houston.

Drs. Sarah Teichmann is a Member of the Department of Medicine and Professor of Stem Cell Medicine at the Cambridge Stem Cell Institute.  She talks about the plasticity of different cell types and developing whole-organ cell atlases for organs such as the thymus. She also discusses Human Cell Atlas project and overcoming skepticism in its early days. Finally, she talks about integrating computational and wet lab biology, and running an interdisciplinary research group.

Professor Hank Greely is the Deane F. and Kate Edelman Johnson Professor of Law and Professor, by courtesy, of Genetics at Stanford University. He is also the Director of the Stanford Center for Law and the Biosciences. He talks about his career path into bioethics and ethical considerations for organoids, bodyoids, and embryo models. He also discusses the potential future of reproduction, including gametogenesis, ectogenesis, and genetic selection and editing of embryos.

Dr. Scott Younger is the Director of Disease Gene Engineering within the Genomic Medicine Center at Children's Mercy Hospital. His research focuses on producing patient-derived cellular models to develop functional precision medicine. He talks about using personalized antisense oligonucleotides to reverse disease phenotypes in organoid models of Duchenne muscular dystrophy. He also discusses his lab's personal connections to the rare disease community and the opportunities for collaborations with clinicians at Children's Mercy.

Dr. Valentina Greco is the President of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR), and Professor of Genetics and Co-Chair of the Status of Women in Medicine at Yale University. Dr. Kathryn Cheah is an ISSCR Program Committee Co-Chair and Emeritus Professor and Chair of Biochemistry at Hong Kong University. Dr. Eugenia Piddini is also an ISSCR Program Committee Co-Chair and Professorial Research Fellow in Cell Biology and School Research Director at the University of Bristol.

They talk about the upcoming ISSCR 2025 meeting in Hong Kong from June 11-14, 2025. They discuss the meeting's global focus, program highlights, opportunities for early-career researchers, and what they're looking forward to in Hong Kong.