International Society for Stem Cell Research

What International Society for Stem Cell Research does

The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional scientific society founded in 2002 and headquartered in Evanston, Illinois. It operates as the leading global convening body for the stem cell research community, serving academic researchers, clinicians, students and postdocs, industry professionals, patients, educators, and policymakers across more than a dozen operating geographies in North America, Europe, Asia, and Oceania. ISSCR's portfolio spans an annual meeting (Montreal in 2026, San Francisco in 2027), 4–5 topic-focused international symposia per year (iPSC, Neural, AI and Digital Biology, Disease Modeling, Cell Therapy), the official open-access peer-reviewed journal Stem Cell Reports (co-published with Cell Press), accredited continuing education with Harvard Medical School, the AboutStemCells.org public-education platform, and the ISSCR Guidelines for Stem Cell Research and Clinical Translation that are referenced by regulatory bodies and funders worldwide.

ISSCR's business model combines recurring membership dues (scientist, clinician, student, postdoc tiers), tiered event registration priced by membership status and World Bank income classification, journal royalties via its Cell Press partnership, corporate sponsorships with Diamond/Gold/Silver/Bronze tiers, professional-services revenue from continuing education, and donations supporting initiatives such as the Travel Awards Fund. Distribution is direct via isscr.org, in-person events, and virtual programming — no third-party resellers are used. Strategic industry engagement is accelerating through the Bayer-anchored Consortium on Advanced Stem Cell-Based Models in Drug Discovery and Development (June 2026) and joint summits with organizations such as the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult. Governance is by an elected Board of Directors led by CEO Keith Alm.

Name

International Society for Stem Cell Research

Legal name

The International Society for Stem Cell Research

Website

https://isscr.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

2002

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

The International Society for Stem Cell Research is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit professional society founded in 2002 that convenes and standards-sets for the global stem cell research community through annual meetings, international symposia, the Stem Cell Reports journal, and guidelines adopted by regulators and funders worldwide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Skokie

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure

Revenue model

1. Membership Dues: ISSCR generates revenue through annual membership fees from scientists, clinicians, students, and industry professionals at various membership tiers.
2. Event Registration: The society charges registration fees for annual meetings, international symposia, and webinars. Fees vary by membership status (student, postdoc, full/affiliate member) and non-member rates.
3. Journal Publishing: Stem Cell Reports is the official open-access peer-reviewed journal of ISSCR, published in partnership with Cell Press, providing scientific publishing revenue.
4. Sponsorships and Exhibits: Organizations sponsor ISSCR events and programs, with tiered sponsorship levels (Diamond, Gold, Silver, Bronze, Contributing) for meetings and symposia.
5. Continuing Education: The ISSCR offers accredited continuing education courses for clinicians and healthcare professionals, including programs developed jointly with Harvard Medical School.
6. Donations: The society accepts donations to support initiatives including the Travel Awards Fund for students and postdocs, and general organizational programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion2 records

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

ISSCR is a nonprofit professional scientific society that serves the global stem cell research community through paid membership, an annual meeting, international symposia, the peer-reviewed journal Stem Cell Reports (published with Cell Press), scientific guidelines and standards, continuing education courses for clinicians, and public/patient education resources including AboutStemCells.org and the Patient Handbook.

Product overview

The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) is a professional scientific society, not a software product company. The organization offers a portfolio of scientific programs and educational resources including: Stem Cell Reports (open access peer-reviewed journal), Annual Meetings and International Symposia (conferences), On-Demand Programs (digital content library), Continuing Education Courses (developed with Harvard Medical School), public education resources (AboutStemCells.org, Patient Handbook), research guidelines and standards, and travel awards for early career scientists. These offerings support the global stem cell research community through scientific dissemination, education, standards development, and professional networking.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Stem Cell Reports

Named customers8 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Twelve partnerships are on record, tiered core, major and minor.

• BayercoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 15 June 2026Bayer was named a founding member of the ISSCR Consortium on Advanced Stem Cell-Based Models in Drug Discovery and Development. This consortium focuses on advancing the use of stem cell-based models in pharmaceutical research and development.
• Cell and Gene Therapy CatapultcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 13 February 2025Joint summit in Edinburgh, UK titled 'Pluripotent Stem Cells: Summit on Setting Standards and Shaping Therapies' bringing together international thought leaders, developers, and regulatory experts in PSC-based therapies.
• Stem Cell Society Singapore (SCSS)coreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 10 December 2024Partnership for the Singapore International Symposium on 'Stem Cells in Tissue Maintenance, Repair, and Aging' held December 10-13, 2024 at Nanyang Technological University.
• Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerProgram partner for the iPSC 20th Anniversary Symposium in Kyoto, Japan. CiRA is the birthplace of iPS cell technology developed by Shinya Yamanaka.
• Japanese Society for Regenerative Medicine (JSRM)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-sponsor of the iPSC 20th Anniversary Symposium celebrating 20 years of induced pluripotent stem cell technology.
• Allen InstitutecoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborator on The Stem Cell & Developmental Biology Early Career Symposium to be held September 23-25, 2026 in Seattle, USA.
• Society for Development BiologycoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborator on The Stem Cell & Developmental Biology Early Career Symposium to be held September 23-25, 2026 in Seattle, USA.
• Harvard Medical SchoolmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerJoint provider of continuing education courses on stem cell medicine for clinicians, medical students, and healthcare professionals. Course available in six languages and accredited for AMA PRA Category 1 Credits and ANCC contact hours.
• Stem Cell Reports Journal (Cell Press)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerStem Cell Reports is the official open-access peer-reviewed journal of ISSCR, published in partnership with Cell Press. The journal communicates basic discoveries in stem cell research, including translational and clinical studies.
• EMBOminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEMBO supported Kim B. Jensen's lecture during the Tissue Repair: Principles of Regeneration session at the Singapore International Symposium.
• Lufthansa Group AirlinesminorOthersOfficial airline partner providing discounted travel rates for attendees of ISSCR events including the Singapore International Symposium.
• RactheraminorOthersOfficial Registration Sponsor for the iPSC 20th Anniversary Symposium in Kyoto, Japan.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• European Hematology Association (EHA): EHA is a European-headquartered professional society with annual congress, peer-reviewed journal, and educational programs. Comparable to ISSCR in international structure and professional society operating model, though focused on hematology rather than stem cells.
• American Society for Cell Biology (ASCB): ASCB is a scientific society for cell biologists with overlapping scientific community with ISSCR. Operates annual meetings, publishes journals, and runs education programs, serving as a comparable professional society model for life sciences research.
• Society for Neuroscience (SfN): SfN is a major U.S.-based scientific society with annual meetings exceeding 30,000 attendees, a flagship journal (Journal of Neuroscience), and policy advocacy. Comparable to ISSCR as a discipline-defining professional society with similar revenue mix from meetings, journals, and membership.
• American Society of Hematology (ASH): ASH is a large medical specialty society with a comparable operating model: membership dues, flagship annual meeting, peer-reviewed journal (Blood), continuing education, and clinical guidelines. Comparable in scale and operational sophistication to ISSCR.
• Keystone Symposia: Keystone Symposia organizes international scientific conferences across biomedical research, including stem cell topics. Highly comparable to ISSCR's international symposium business model and scientific community engagement.
• International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT): ISCT is the global professional society for cell and gene therapy translation, with overlapping membership in regenerative medicine, similar annual meeting structure, and parallel standardization/guideline activities. It is the closest direct peer for ISSCR given overlapping scientific communities and translational focus.
• American Association for Cancer Research (AACR): AACR is a major U.S.-based professional scientific society publishing multiple high-impact journals and hosting large annual meetings. Highly comparable to ISSCR in mission, membership model, journal publishing (Cell Press-style partnerships), policy advocacy, and continuing education offerings for a life sciences research community.
• FASEB (Federation of American Societies for Experimental Biology): FASEB is an umbrella federation of life sciences societies that publishes the FASEB Journal and runs conferences and advocacy. Comparable to ISSCR as a publisher and convener in the life sciences, with a comparable policy advocacy footprint.

Regional players

• Japanese Society for Regenerative Medicine (JSRM): JSRM is the leading Japanese professional society for regenerative medicine, co-sponsoring ISSCR events (e.g., iPSC 20th Anniversary Symposium). A regional peer in the same scientific space, primarily serving Japan-based researchers and clinicians.
• Stem Cell Society Singapore (SCSS): SCSS is the Singapore national stem cell society that partnered with ISSCR for the Singapore International Symposium. A regional peer operating in the same scientific space but focused on Singapore and Southeast Asia.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/isscr

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about International Society for Stem Cell Research