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Forum on REGENERATIVE MEDICINE 2021 Annual Report
ABOUT THE FORUM The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine offer a variety of activities to address the science policy needs of federal agencies and others who are in need of credible, independent advice or are seeking a neutral setting for consideration of challenging issues. Forums are convening activities that provide both a mechanism and a venue for interested parties from academia, industry, government, and other stakeholder groups to meet and discuss subjects of mutual interest and concern in a neutral setting. The primary purpose of forums is to promote dialogue across sectors and institutions. In so doing, forums may illuminate important issues, although their purpose is not necessarily to resolve them. The goals of these activities are to develop a mutual understanding of the relevant issues and to provide a mechanism that fosters collaboration among stakeholders in addressing these matters. Forums are self- governing. For instance, the members identify the topics that they wish to address, and with facilitation from staff, develop meeting agendas and select workshop topics. As a result, the topics are likely to span a broad range of issues in research, policy, and practice. The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicineâs Forum on Regenerative Medicine (the forum) was established in 2016 and provides a convening mechanism for interested parties from academia, industry, government, patient and provider organizations, regulatory bodies, foundations, societies, associations, and others. Members meet and discuss sensitive and difficult issues in a neutral setting in order to engage in dialogue that addresses the challenges facing the application of, and the opportunities for, regenerative medicine to improve health through the development of effective new therapies. The forum identifies existing and potential barriers to scientific and therapeutic advances; discusses opportunities to assist in facilitating more effective partnerships among key stakeholders; examines the impact that current policies have on the discovery, development, and translation of regenerative medicine therapies; considers the unique challenges of identifying, validating, and bringing regenerative medicine applications to market; and explores the ethical, legal, and social issues posed by advances in regenerative medicine. Over the past 5 years, the forum has identified important questions and challenges in the field of regenerative medicine that have led the group to explore a broad array of issues ranging from the application of systems thinking approaches to optimize regenerative medicine products, to the complex role of the immune system in patients who are candidates for regenerative medicine treatments, to the challenge of regulating a rapidly evolving field. By bringing together experts and leveraging diverse perspectives and knowledge, forum members have collaborated to identify strategic opportunities to advance the field of regenerative medicine through hosting public workshops, publishing perspective papers and workshop proceedings, and serving as a resource for the community to foster the advancement of high-quality science and work toward safe and effective therapies for patients. nationalacademies.org/RegenMedForum
