Consortium on Advanced Stem Cell-Based Models in Drug Discovery and Development

A global organization of industry and academic scientists working with regulatory experts to establish standards, develop tools, and build the collaborative infrastructure needed to accelerate responsible integration of stem cell-derived models, alongside the complementary use of informative animal models, into the drug development pipeline. This effort aligns with recent policy and regulatory shifts toward developing new approach methodologies (NAMs) as part of an integrated evidence framework that strengthens and enhances established drug discovery and development approaches. 

Impact and Working Groups

  • Orange prescription bottle spilled with white, pink, yellow, and green pills on a blue background.

    Drug Discovery and Efficacy

    Harnessing human stem cell-derived models—including iPSC, ESC, and tissue stem cell-derived organoids, cancer organoids, 2D cultures, including their use in microphysiological systems — to advance preclinical drug discovery and efficacy assessment. By leveraging the physiological relevance and patient-specific nature of stem cell-based models, the consortium can improve translational accuracy, reduce late-stage drug attrition, and accelerate the development of safe and effective therapeutics. 

  • An adult holding a baby's tiny hand.

    Translational Safety and Pharmacokinetic Modeling

    Advancing the development, validation, and application of human stem cell-derived in vitro models to assess drug safety assessment. The consortium aims to integrate cutting-edge stem cell-based technologies with mechanistic toxicology and metabolic profiling to better model human biology in safety assessments.

  • Rows of green and pink chairs arranged in an outdoor or stadium setting, with most chairs being green and one pink chair amidst them.

    Precision Medicine

    Advancing the development and application of patient-specific stem cell-based models, including induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) and organoids as transformational tools for personalized healthcare.

    The consortium will also identify technical, biological, ethical, and translational challenges and propose collaborative strategies to integrate stem cell-based technologies into precision and personalized medicine pipelines across discovery, development, and preclinical implementation. 

  • Black and white photo of a person's hands touching a round mirror

    Model Validation: Benchmarking, Reproducibility, and Standards

    Dedicated to establishing robust, transparent, and reproducible validation frameworks for stem cell–based models used in biomedical research, drug development, and regulatory science. As these models become increasingly sophisticated and widely adopted, there is a critical need for independent evaluation criteria that ensure their biological relevance, reliability, reproducibility, and suitability for overall and tissue-specific model validation guidelines.

Join + Support 
Founding Members
 
Contributing Members

Xellar Biosystems

Steering Committee

  • Shuibing Chen, PhD

    Weill Cornell, USA
    (Co-chair)​

  • Daniela Cornacchia, PhD

    AstraZeneca, Sweden
    (Co-chair)​

  • Luigi Aloia, PhD

    AstraZeneca, UK​

  • Erica Bello, PhD

    Milner Institute, University of Cambridge, UK ​

  • Kapil Bharti, PhD

    NEI/NIH, USA​

  • Hans Clevers, MD, PhD

    Hubrecht Institute, Netherlands

  • David Gnutt, PhD

    Bayer AG, Germany

  • Magdalena Kasendra, PhD

    Cincinnati Children’s, USA​

  • Henning Kempf, PhD

    GEM CELL hub at Novo Nordisk​

  • Christine Mummery, PhD

    LUMC, Netherlands​

  • Steve Murry, PhD

    Jackson Labs, USA​

  • Hideyuki Okano, MD, PhD

    Keio University, Japan​

  • Li Pang, MD

    FDA, USA​

  • Lee Rubin, PhD

    Harvard University, USA​

  • Charis Segeritz-Walko, PhD

    Novo Nordisk, Denmark ​

  • Clive Svendsen, PhD

    Cedars-Sinai, USA​

  • Carlos Tristan, PhD

    NCATS/NIH, USA​

  • Joseph Wu, MD, PhD

    Stanford University, USA​

  • Matthias Zilbauer, MD, PhD

    University of Cambridge, UK