国际干细胞组织（International Stem Cell Forum，ISCF） www.stemcellforum.org
国际干细胞组织是2003年1月成立的一个非盈利国际组织，由各个成员国的干细胞管理机构和基金组织组成。目前ISCF有22个正式成员国，3个观察员国家，中国于2007年正式加入ISCF，中国科学院是ISCF指派的中国代表。ISCF的宗旨是鼓励干细胞研究领域科学家开展创新性和革命性的国际合作研究，促进干细胞和再生医学等重要领域的发展，拓展细胞生物学和发育生物学研究。
The International Stem Cell Forum (ISCF) is made up of twenty one funders of stem cell research from around the world. It was founded in January 2003 to encourage international collaboration and funding support for stem cell research, with the overall aim of promoting global good practice and accelerating progress in this vitally important area of biomedical science.
In this section you can find out about:
The ISCF's background and aims
The Member organisations
Forum initiatives and the working groups that are taking them forward
Members' press contacts for journalists
The Forum's long-term aim is to help stem cell scientists achieve a range of revolutionary medical advances that will benefit people throughout the world. These potentially include:
Major new insights into fundamental cell biology and developmental processes.
Cell-based treatments to repair or replace human tissues damaged through injury.
Treatments for a wide range of serious degenerative diseases that affect millions of people world-wide and for which there are currently no cures.
ISCF key principles
ISCF Members have agreed a set of key principles that determine their approach to stem cell research, which are:
Opposition to human reproductive cloning
Use of adult somatic human stem cells as well as embryonic human stem cells
The generation of embryonic human stem cell lines should be minimised
International harmonisation of ethical and intellectual property right issues
The ISCF was set up in January 2003. The aim was to bring together nine international funding agencies that were already united in the belief that bilateral collaboration and information-sharing would accelerate progress and improve global practice in stem cell research.
The agencies recognised that they had similarities in terms of scientific principles, scientific approaches and available resources, and a shared concern about the lack of standardised global criteria for the derivation, characterisation and maintenance of stem cell lines.
At the first meeting in January 2003, which was chaired by former MRC Chief Executive Professor George Radda, the Members identified a number of other areas where joint working would be particularly beneficial:
Encouraging collaborative research across nations, boundaries and disciplines.
Encouraging sharing of resources and data, including cell lines, scientific protocols and guidance documents
Providing training for researchers worldwide in the handling, growing and expanding of human stem cell lines.
Identifying key research gaps and addressing them by capitalising on national strengths.
Identifying funding schemes that facilitate transnational collaborations.
Considering issues relating to management of intellectual property in stem cell research and development.
Considering ethical issues in stem cell research.
By January 2004 membership of the ISCF had grown from nine to 14 organisations, that together represent 13 countries. Forum meetings are held every 6 months and hosted by a different member organisation/country each time.