Inclusivity and diversity: Integrating international perspectives on stem cell challenges and potential

Introduction

Scientific advances in regenerative medicine continue to offer great promise in our attempts to tackle intractable diseases, including those presented by aging populations and, potentially, to reduce health care costs. These advances will be applicable worldwide. However, as noted in a recent editorial (Pera, 2020), there is still much to be done to involve hitherto underrepresented groups in their contribution to research and in ensuring that research studies collectively address therapeutic priorities and have the potential to benefit all patients.

In 2020, the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP), the global network of more than 140 academies of science, engineering, and medicine, constituted a working group on regenerative medicine to integrate perspectives from researchers worldwide on the opportunities and challenges in this field with the following objectives:

1. To use advances in research and development as rapidly as possible, safely and equitably, to provide new routes to patient benefit worldwide.
2. To support medical claims by robust and replicable evidence so that patients and the public are not misled.

This IAP work focused on stem cells for unmet medical needs but it is...