About Us
Stem cell research has unlimited potential to produce treatments for human diseases.
It gives us a deeper understanding of how we grow, age, and repair, opens our eyes to new possibilities, and empowers us to transform human health for the better.
The Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) is dedicated to pursuing the promise of stem cell science and regenerative medicine. We are a network of more than 325 research faculty and their labs across the university’s schools, centers, teaching hospitals, and partner companies, working together to advance stem cell biology and discover new treatments for patients.
Our Mission
Our mission is to cure human diseases. We collaborate to accelerate research out of the lab and into the clinic, where it can make a lasting difference in people’s lives. Our research harnesses the power of stem cells to:
- stimulate healing in patients;
- create targeted treatments for patients, combining gene- and cell-based therapies with traditional medicines; and
- transform drug discovery by using new, stem cell-based tools.
Listen to what our scientists have to say about how HSCI is making a difference.
HSCI Leadership
HSCI Scientific Directors
HSCI was founded in 2004 by Doug Melton and David Scadden. Our directors are guided by an Executive Committee composed of some of the brightest people and leaders across Harvard schools and teaching hospitals.
Lee L. Rubin, Ph.D.
David Scadden, M.D.
HSCI Faculty
Our faculty represent a broad range of disciplines, from bioengineering to neurology and oncology. HSCI brings them together to share knowledge, exchange best practice, and explore bold, new ideas together.
Research
Our research bridges the gaps in traditional funding to encourage bold thinking and launch promising careers. We focus on some of the most prevalent, devastating conditions for which stem cell research holds promise, and explore how aging and fibrosis affect them all.
Where we are
Boston is the global hub of biomedical innovation, and a driver of change. Our teaching hospitals, universities, government labs, pharma and biotech sectors, and investment communities all converge to create a unique landscape for discovery. Here, scientists and bioengineers of all disciplines are within easy reach of one another, pushing the frontiers of science ever more swiftly towards cures for patients.
How we are funded
HSCI depends on the sustained support of individuals, foundations, investors, and company leaders who share our commitment to curing disease. Gifts from individuals allow us to take daring approaches, probe difficult questions, and ensure our laboratories have the right people and resources.
They make it possible for us to use every tool in the scientific arsenal – from mini-organs to big-data analysis – to find answers and accelerate progress towards new treatments and cures.
We maximize the impact of philanthropic gifts, leveraging this support to attract funding from larger sources such as the NIH and other funding agencies. A third of these grants attract further funding, at around three times HSCI’s original investment on average. This results in sustained progress and the regular sharing of new knowledge in scientific papers and patents, which in turn open up new possibilities.