Cedars-Sinai Scientists to Report on Stem Cell Advances at ISSCR 2026

Scientists from the Cedars-Sinai Board of Governors Regenerative Medicine Institute will share groundbreaking discoveries and discuss new frontiers in research at ISSCR 2026 , the annual meeting of the International Society for Stem Cell Research, July 8-11 in Montreal.

Clive Svendsen, PhD , executive director of the institute, will present new data from a clinical trial of a cell-based therapy for retinitis pigmentosa, a degenerative eye disease that is mostly untreatable. This Phase 1/2a clinical trial of a subretinal injection of a human neural progenitor cell product found that the therapy is well tolerated and results in long-term engraftment.

Arun Sharma, PhD , director of the Center for Space Medicine Research, will participate in a session co-sponsored by Cedars-Sinai on regenerative medicine in low Earth orbit. The focus of Sharma's talk is accelerating development of organoid-based disease modeling and stem cell therapies due to increased access to microgravity, as well as in-space biomanufacturing.

Tynhinane Hamidouche, PhD , a postdoctoral scientist in the lab of Dmitriy Sheyn, PhD, is presenting research on a stem cell-based therapy for intervertebral disc degeneration and chronic low-back pain. Using human induced pluripotent stem cells, the team generates cells that produce the matrix material found inside the discs.

Paul Linesch, PhD , a postdoctoral scientist in the Svendsen Lab, is presenting research on an inducible DNA system, adapted using new technology developed at Cedars-Sinai, to turn specific genes on and off. The system could improve direction of stem cell differentiation and open new possibilities for cellular therapy.

Molly Easter, PhD , a postdoctoral scientist in the lab of Tyler Pierson, MD, PhD, will present research on a rare brain development disorder linked to the GATAD2B gene, which helps control how genes turn on and off during brain growth. Using brain organoids generated from patient-specific induced pluripotent stem cells, the researchers found signs that the normal layering and patterning of the cortex may be disrupted in this disorder.

Dhruv Sareen, PhD , associate professor of Biomedical Sciences and founding director of the Cedars-Sinai Biomanufacturing Center , is presenting research on the integration of an in situ seed plating system into the center's manufacturing workflow to streamline production of complex induced pluripotent stem cell lines for clinical-grade and research use.

Avinash Srivastava, PhD , a biomedical scientist in the Cedars-Sinai Biomanufacturing Center, is presenting information on the center's proprietary integrated induced pluripotent stem cell biomanufacturing platform. The platform integrates standardized manufacturing with advanced bioprocessing to facilitate the scalable production of high-quality engineered cell therapies.

To schedule an interview with a Cedars-Sinai expert, contact Christina Elston at [email protected] or 626-298-0702.