The Harvard Stem Cell Institute (HSCI) was launched in 2004 with the express goal of pursuing the promise of stem cell science. In April 2019 we celebrate our 15th anniversary, and reflect on how far we have come.

Collaboration across Harvard

Our founding document listed 28 participating Harvard faculty, including co-founders Doug Melton and David Scadden. By May 2004 that list had expanded to 39 faculty, and in 2005 the number had almost doubled.

Since then, HSCI has grown to ...

There are many more cell types than you might think. In your liver, for example, the cells in one section may be different than those in another. But researchers have only a general idea of how stem cells differentiate into broad categories (like “liver”) and divide to make new cells.

Understanding each different cell type – and how it interacts with its neighbors over time – is one of the greatest challenges in biomedical research.

A new study led by HSCI researcher Vijay...

Harvard researchers identify the specific cells in the brain that process perceived threats

Injectable, sponge-like gel helps revive the immune system after a bone marrow transplant