NYSCF — Robertson Stem Cell Prize
2016 NYSCF – Robertson Stem Cell Prize Recipient
Feng Zhang, PhD
Core Member of the Broad Institute of MIT and Harvard
Associate Professor at Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Dr. Zhang and his lab pioneered the development of genome editing tools from CRISPR-Cas9. These tools are accelerating biomedical research around the world. In theory, CRISPR-Cas9 will give scientists the ability to change, delete, and replace genes, which will allow researchers to revolutionize treatment of disease. His methods are being used in immunology, clinical medicine, and cancer biology. Dr. Zhang is also widely recognized for his work in optogenetics, a powerful discipline that enables scientists to use light to study the behavior of individual neurons.
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2015 NYSCF – Robertson Stem Cell Prize Recipient
Franziska Michor, PhD
Professor at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute
Professor at Harvard T.H. Chan School of Public Health
For the development of novel, interdisciplinary approaches to treat cancer
Dr. Michor has designed novel cancer drug treatment regiments, currently being tested in clinical trials. Her work will directly impact therapeutic paradigms in human diseases.
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2014 NYSCF – Robertson Stem Cell Prize Recipient
Marius Wernig, MD, PhD
Associate Professor at Stanford University
For a new method to generate neurons
Dr. Wernig’s research focuses on reprogramming skin cells into functional neurons, and he and colleagues are currently conducting clinical trials to find treatments for recessive dystrophic epidermolysis bullosa (RDEB), a rare tissue disorder.
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2013 NYSCF – Robertson Stem Cell Prize Recipient
Amy Wagers, PhD
Professor at Harvard University
For key insights into aging
Dr. Wager’s work involves the regulation and therapeutic potential of blood and muscle forming stem cells, especially in the role of aging.
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2012 NYSCF – Robertson Stem Cell Prize Recipient
Kazutoshi Takahashi, PhD
Junior Associate Professor at Kyoto University, Japan
For the discovery of induced pluripotent stem cells
Dr. Takahashi’s lab is aiming to understand the mechanisms underlying the pluripotent state of stem cells. He is also looking to study the variations between cell lines that arise from different individuals.
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2011 Inaugural NYSCF – Robertson Stem Cell Prize Recipient
Peter J. Coffey, DPhil
Professor at University College London, United Kingdom
Professor at University of California, Santa Barbara
For the first stem cell trial to treat blindness
Dr. Coffey’s work using stem cells to halt visual deterioration and treat age-related eye diseases resulted in the first clinical stem cell trials to attempt to treat blindness.