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Pioneering stem cell scientist honoured by Royal Society of Canada

September 9, 2014
Dr. Nagy
Dr. Andras Nagy, Senior Investigator at Mount Sinai Hospital’s Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute, has been elected to the Royal Society of Canada for his fundamental contributions in the field of stem cell biology and regenerative medicine.

Founded in 1882, the Royal Society of Canada (RSC) comprises the Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada. Its mission is to recognize scholarly, research and artistic excellence, to advise governments and organizations, and to promote a culture of knowledge and innovation in Canada and with other national academies around the world.

Dr. Nagy, one of the few scientists to receive this year's prestigious honour, established Canada's first human embryonic stem cell lines and also discovered a new method to create pluripotent stem cells (cells that can develop into most other cell types) without risk of disrupting healthy genes. He and his team have developed a broad spectrum of genomic technologies now used around the world.
Now, the renowned geneticist is heading a team of stem cell experts from Canada, Korea, Japan, Australia and Europe who are using reprogrammable mouse cells from Dr. Nagy’s lab at the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute to develop a molecular profile of the process of reprogramming. This research will bring us a closer to having stem cell-based therapies for such diseases and conditions as spinal cord injury, stroke, macular degeneration, diabetes and Parkinson’s disease.
 “It is a tremendous honour to be elected among a list of distinguished scholars of various disciplines in recognition of our leading edge stem cell research, says Dr. Nagy. “We are extremely excited about the potential for new stem cell-based therapies, and ultimately, our vision is to find cures for complex degenerative diseases.”
 

“Andras is a pioneering cell engineer,” says Dr. Jim Woodgett, Director of the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute. “In addition to his work on stem cell technologies, he is also been at the leading edge of blood vessel biology. We are very proud of him.”

Dr. Nagy joins the Lunenfeld-Tanenbaum Research Institute’s nine other Fellows of the Royal Society of Canada. This year’s new Fellows will be inducted to the academies of the RSC during the Induction and Awards Ceremony on Saturday, November 22, 2014. The Royal Society of Canada (RSC) comprises the Academies of Arts, Humanities and Sciences of Canada. Its mission is to recognize scholarly, research and artistic excellence, to advise governments and organizations, and to promote a culture of knowledge and innovation in Canada and with other national academies around the world.