The International Stem Cell Forum (ISCF) workshop on the development of human stem cell lines for therapeutic use is intended to engage delegates from more than 20 countries engaged in stem cell research. The workshop will be held on 17th and 18th April 2008 with registration on 16th April. The meeting will cover a broad range of issues that need to be addressed for regulatory acceptability of stem cell lines for clinical use. The delegates will include regulators, groups running or establishing stem cell banks and service providers. The current programme is included for your information.

We are asking all delegates to send and abstract of any novel stem cell therapies current or planned, so that we can select a representative set of contributions for the free communication session on the first day of the workshop. We would also encourage delegates to bring posters based on the abstracts for discussion at breaks. We also ask you to complete the questionnaire, also attached below, which we will use to help shape the meeting. Please email the completed questionnaire to Dr. Glyn Stacey at gstacey@nibsc.ac.uk.

Workshop attendance will be by invitation from the organisers or nomination by the ISCF members and there will be no registration fee for delegates nominated by ISCF members. Unfortunately the organisers cannot cover travel, accommodation and incidental expenses. Non ISCF member countries are welcomed and are invited to send one appropriate (i.e. regulatory or stem cell banking) representative to attend but will pay all expenses including a registration fee ($750 excluding accommodation) as non contributors to ISCF central funds. Invited participants from commercial service providers will be charged a $1500 registration fee). Further places may be available for national representatives if space allows. Any other delegates offered a place at the meeting by the organisers will be expected to provide their own travel and accommodation costs.

The ISCF workshop will run back to back with a two-day open conference on regulation, stem cell science and international stem cell initiatives. This will also be followed by a training course for international project PIs in the stem cell field to learn about hES cell culture and the regulatory issues that must be addressed to deliver cell therapies to the clinic.

It is intended that there will be an ISCF workshop report published in 'Cell Stem Cell' and a formal guidance document to be published in the fall of 2008; that will highlight key issues and approaches in the delivery of safe and efficacious stem cell therapies.

I hope that you will find this an attractive opportunity to engage in a review of the regulation and safety issues in the use of stem cells for therapy and to influence the development of thinking on an international basis in this exciting area.

If you would like to obtain more details on the workshop please contact Dr. Glyn Glyn Stacey contact Dr. Glyn Stacey, coordinator for the International Cell Banking Initiative of the ISCF. For local details, please contact Professor Qi Zhou and Professor Fanyi Zeng on email fyzeng@ioz.ac.cn or by telephone +8613816906111. You can also find out more information on the ISCF initiative at its website www.stemcellforum.org/

Please fill out of the registration form attached to register for the ISCF clinical grade stem cell banking workshop. We are looking forward to seeing you in Beijing.