Stem cell research and regenerative medicine: meeting report from the Royan International Stem Cell Congress 2025

The 21st Royan International Stem Cell Congress (3-5 September 2025, Tehran, Iran) convened the global stem cell community to assess the accelerating translation of regenerative medicine from bench to bedside. Over three days, 10 thematic sessions, spanning pluripotency, cancer, organoid technology, molecular biomedicine, artificial intelligence (AI), bioengineering, and clinical translation, provided a comprehensive overview of a field undergoing increasing integration. Key presentations reported recent progress in several areas: the generation of primate and human embryo models for developmental study; new strategies in cross-species reprogramming and exosome-based therapeutics; and the application of AI for patient stratification, drug repurposing, and metabolic modeling. Concurrently, sessions on bioengineering showcased developments in next-generation biomaterials, non-viral gene delivery systems, and scalable microfluidic platforms aimed at enhancing therapeutic safety and manufacturability. The congress also featured critical discussions on regulatory frameworks, bioentrepreneurship, and the ecosystem required to support clinical adoption. Collectively, the meeting underscored a continuing shift toward a multidisciplinary paradigm in which foundational biology, emerging technology, and pragmatic translation converge to advance the development of safe, effective, and accessible stem cell-based therapies worldwide.