ISSCR Urges NIH to Lift Pause on Human Embryonic Stem Cell Registry to Protect Life-Saving Research

The ISSCR calls on the NIH to lift the pause on its hESC Registry, warning that reducing support for embryonic stem cells will derail life-saving clinical trials.

By: AXL Media

Published: Apr 25, 2026, 4:22 AM EDT

Source: Information for this report was sourced from the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR).

A Critical Response to Federal Policy Shifts

The global scientific community has voiced strong opposition to recent considerations by the National Institutes of Health (NIH) to reduce reliance on human embryonic stem cells (hESCs). In a formal response to an NIH Request for Information (RFI) issued this Saturday, the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) emphasized that hESCs remain the "gold standard" for human pluripotency. The Society, which includes leading clinicians, ethicists, and industry researchers, argues that the current pause on new cell line submissions to the NIH Registry threatens to create a "translational bottleneck" at a time when multiple hESC-derived therapies are nearing final regulatory approval.

The Foundational Role of hESCs in Modern Medicine

Human embryonic stem cells are unique in their ability to self-renew indefinitely and differentiate into every cell type in the human body. Decades of federal funding have established a robust ecosystem of standardized protocols and repositories that have become the bedrock of regenerative medicine. According to the ISSCR, as of late 2024, nearly 50% of the world's clinical trials involving hESC-derived products are based in the United States. These trials are currently targeting a range of debilitating conditions, including:

Parkinson’s Disease: Utilizing differentiated neurons to replace lost brain cells.

Type 1 Diabetes: Developing insulin-producing islet cells.