If you are reading your very first “Stem Cells in Focus” blog post, welcome. If you are rejoining us after a bit of a hiatus, thank you. This post marks a change for us – the start of more regular (twice monthly) posts, coverage of a greater breadth of topics and more personal communications from the people who make up and support the International Society for Stem Cell Research.

Our goal remains the same – to share with you exciting developments and advancements in stem cell research and to provide context to the stories you may hear or read elsewhere.

Today, we welcome you to the blog’s new home, the expanded Closer Look at Stem Cells website (www.closerlookatstemcells.org). The website is a perfect complement to the “Stem Cells in Focus” blog, housing informational pages on basic stem cell biology, the process by which science becomes medicine, clinical trials and the use of stem cells in understanding and potentially treating specific health conditions – macular degeneration, multiple sclerosis, heart disease and diabetes, with more pages planned. The blog page is where you’ll find updates on our ongoing webcast series, featuring live and on-demand presentations from stem cell researchers from around the globe.

The Closer Look website also includes improved resources for helping patients make informed decisions about stem cell treatment claims, clinics and their health. We developed our materials to help readers understand stem cells and their role in the body and key scientific and medical practices central to ensuring the safety and effectiveness of new treatments. 

The expansion of the website has been a labor of love for those intimately involved – the ISSCR’s staff, its leadership and a task force of dedicated stem cell researchers and communicators. It has the support and enthusiasm of our larger membership (4,000 stem cell professionals from around the world) behind it. We hope this website, together with this blog, are among your regular online destinations.

We welcome your feedback and suggestions as we make additions and improvements to the Closer Look website in the weeks and months ahead. Please sign up to stay connected – we will email you when we have something new to share.