Two NYSCF Innovators Receive Prestigious Awards From International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR)

The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) recently announced its 2024 award recipients, with NYSCF – Robertson Stem Cell Investigator Jun Wu, PhD, of UT Southwestern Medical Center, and NYSCF – Robertson Stem Cell Investigator Alumnus Sergiu Pasca, MD, of Stanford University recognized with prizes for their groundbreaking work in development and disease research. NYSCF is proud to congratulate these outstanding members of our community for these well-deserved honors!

Deep Diving on Development

Dr. Wu is receiving the 2024 ISSCR Outstanding Young Investigator Award for his pioneering work creating stem cell models of human development, as well as strategies for using animal hosts to grow human organs for transplantation. The award recognizes the exceptional achievements of an investigator in the early part of his or her independent career in stem cell research. Last year’s award was presented to NYSCF – Robertson Stem Cell Investigator Takanori Takebe, MD, of Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center. 

“I am deeply honored and grateful to receive this prestigious award from the ISSCR,” said Dr. Wu in a press release from ISSCR. “This recognition is a testament to the dedication and hard work of my entire team. I owe a great deal to the exceptional collaborative research environment at UT Southwestern and unwavering support from the Department of Molecular Biology.”

“Dr. Wu is one of the most insightful and innovative independent stem cell scientists today,” said ISSCR President Amander Clark, PhD. “I have no doubt that Jun will continue to make great contributions to the stem cell field long into the future. Congratulations on all of your work and success.”

Building Better Brain Models

Dr. Pasca is receiving the ISSCR Momentum Award for his work in modeling neurodevelopment and disease, including creating brain ‘organoids’ and ‘assembloids’ (3D models of human brain tissue) that can provide insights into brain development and disorders like autism or schizophrenia. The award recognizes the exceptional achievements of a mid-career investigator whose innovative research has established a major area of stem cell-related research with a strong trajectory for future success.

“Receiving the ISSCR Momentum Award is a tremendous honor and one that would not have been possible without the dedication of both current and past members of the lab,” Dr. Pasca said in a press release from ISSCR. “This recognition of our work in developing assembloids and organoids for neuroscience is a testament to a collaborative spirit and a strong desire to decipher how the human nervous system assembles itself. We are living in an exciting time for human neuroscience, and my team and I at Stanford remain more committed than ever to applying the tools we have developed to develop therapeutics for devastating neuropsychiatric disorders.”

“Dr. Pasca’s visionary work has given the scientific community unprecedented insights into neurodevelopment and disease,” said Dr. Clark. “His groundbreaking contributions have transformed the way stem cells are used to tackle questions in neuroscience and reveal the power of molecular psychiatry. Congratulations Sergiu on earning this well-deserved recognition.”