International Society for Transgenic Technologies

The International Society for Transgenic Technologies (ISTT) is an organization dedicated to advancing research, communication, and technology exchange regarding transgenic technologies.

Purpose

 * Support for scientific research and education in the field of generating genetically modified model organisms in adherence with the 3Rs principles.
 * Promotion of science and technology used in the generation and analysis of genetically modified organisms for biomedical research and biotechnological application.
 * Providing the organizational framework for a scientific community that includes academic and industrial scientists, students and technical assistants, and in general, any individuals with an interest in the generation of and the analysis of genetically modified organisms.
 * Providing a communication and knowledge sharing platform that brings together scientists from academic research and industry, as well as research technology experts.
 * Organization of a regular international scientific conference entitled "Transgenic Technology Meeting".
 * Publication of specialist information in the form of books, protocols, and other specialist texts in the field of transgenic technologies.
 * Organization and promotion of courses, seminars, and other educational activities for training in transgenic technologies.
 * Cooperation with other national and international societies with similar aims (e.g., IMGS, AALAS, AAALAC, FELASA).
 * Providing information to the public about the benefits associated with using and applying transgenic technologies.
 * Providing local, national and international bodies with expert advice and guidance on scientific, technical or other aspects of generating genetically modified organisms.

Resources and education
Every one and a half years the ISTT organizes an international scientific conference, the Transgenic Technology Meeting, also known as the TT Meeting. To promote communication and technology exchange, the website of the society publishes information and protocols related to transgenic technologies as well as the locations of transgenic service facilities, recognized as a valuable resource in the scientific literature. A collection of ISTT subject-related protocols has been published in the book Advanced Protocols for Animal Transgenesis – an ISTT Manual. The society is also associated with the peer-reviewed scientific journal Transgenic Research, which publishes scientific findings on transgenic and genome-edited higher model organisms. As a platform for the rapid exchange of scientific information, the ISTT hosts two mailing lists, the public transgenic-list (often referred to as tg-l) and the ISTT-list reserved for ISTT members with around 1500 and 660 participants (April 2024).

Presidents

 * Rebecca Haffner-Krausz (since 2023)
 * Ernst Martin Füchtbauer (2020-2023)
 * Wojtek Auerbach (2017–2019)
 * Jan Parker-Thornburg (2014–2016)
 * Lluís Montoliu (2006–2014)

ISTT Prize
The ISTT Prize recognizes individuals for their outstanding contributions to the field of transgenic technologies and is presented at the Transgenic Technology Meeting. Prominent winners included Ralph Brinster (2011), Janet Rossant (2014), Mario Capecchi (2017) and Rudolf Jaenisch (2025).

ISTT Young Investigator Award
The ISTT Young Investigator Award recognizes outstanding achievements by young scientists whose work is advancing the field of transgenic technologies with new ideas and who have recently received an academic degree. The ISTT Young Investigator Award is presented at the Transgenic Technology Meetings. Prominent winners included Feng Zhang (2014) and Alexis Komor (2017) for their work on genome editing in model organisms.

3Rs Award
The 3Rs Award recognizes outstanding achievements by a researcher or research team that advances the field of transgenic technologies with new methods and improvements in strict accordance with the 3Rs principles for reduction, refinement, and replacement of animals used in research. The prize is awarded during the Transgenic Technology Meetings.