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The 10th congress of the Chinese Society for Stem Cell Research was held from 11 to 13 October 2020 at Guiyang International Eco-Conference Center in Guizhou (Southwest China) with 700 offline participants (and 500 online participants). With a theme adopted from a poem by Mao Zedong during the long march, 'However difficult it might appear; the challenges will be overcome', the congress provided opportunities for the fast-growing field to exchange ideas among people from academia, industry and regulatory authorities, to help accelerate translation. Eight plenary lectures and six concurrent sessions on cell fate decision, stem cell metabolism, neural stem cells and neural regeneration, organoids and disease models, tissue and organ regeneration and clinical translation of stem cell research were covered, including 77 oral presentations and 75 poster presentations. The congress also included special programmes of a youth forum, a lecture award programme, a flagship journal forum and a dedicated networking session. This 3-day event will significantly boost the stem cell research in an era closing to application., (© 2022 The Authors. Cell Proliferation published by John Wiley & Sons Ltd.)

Human pluripotent stem cells (hPSC) have the capability to deliver novel cell‐based medicines that could transform medical treatments for a wide range of diseases including age‐related degenerative disorders and traumatic injury. In spite of significant investment in this area, due to the novel nature of these hPSC‐based medicines, there are challenges in almost all aspects of their manufacturing including bioprocessing, characterization and delivery. The Chinese Academy of Sciences and the Chinese Society for Stem Cell Research have collaborated to create a new discussion forum called PSConf 2021 (Pluripotent Stem Cell Conference 2021), intended to promote exchanges in communication on cutting‐edge developments and international coordination in hPSC manufacturing. The PSConf 2021 addressed crucial topics in stem cell‐based manufacturing, including stem cell differentiation, culture scale‐up, product formulation and release. This report summarizes the proceedings and conclusions from the discussion sessions, and it is accompanied by publication of individual papers from the speakers at the PSConf 2021. Significance Statement: The PSConf 2021 meeting has brought together speakers and delegates from more than 20 countries in an informal discussion forum focusing on the manufacture of cell‐based medicines using hPSCs. The conference discussion sessions enabled an open exchange of information on the latest developments, ideas on key challenges and their potential solutions. It also captured the experiences and lessons learnt by professionals who had been in the field from the earliest applications of human embryonic stem cells, and presented a diverse range of new potential pluripotent stem cell‐based medicines that are now under development, with some already in clinical trials. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]