Robert Lanza, MD

Robert Lanza, MD, is a pioneering biomedical scientist and author renowned for his groundbreaking work in stem cell research, regenerative medicine, and cloning technologies. With over 40 years of experience, he has advanced therapies for degenerative diseases, including the first human clinical trials using embryonic stem cell-derived retinal cells for macular degeneration. His innovations bridge basic science and clinical application, emphasizing ethical, non-embryo-destructive methods to restore vision, treat chronic conditions, and extend human healthspan.

Expertise: Specializing in somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) for generating patient-specific stem cells, pluripotent stem cell differentiation, and regenerative therapies for ophthalmology, cardiology, and endocrinology. Lanza’s research focuses on deriving functional cells from adult somatic sources to enable personalized, minimally invasive treatments without ethical concerns over embryo use.

Current Roles:

• Chief Scientific Officer, Astellas Institute for Regenerative Medicine (Marlborough, MA).
• Head, Astellas Global Regenerative Medicine.
• Professor, Wake Forest University School of Medicine.

Key Contributions to Stem Cell Research:

• Led the team that cloned the first human embryo (2001) and generated embryonic stem cells from adult somatic cells via SCNT, paving the way for therapeutic cloning.
• Developed single-blastomere biopsy techniques to create embryonic stem cells without destroying embryos.
• Pioneered the first use of pluripotent stem cells in humans and cloned an endangered species (grevy’s zebra) to support biodiversity conservation through stem cell banking.
• Directed Phase I/II clinical trials (2011–ongoing) injecting human embryonic stem cell-derived retinal pigment epithelium into patients with Stargardt’s macular dystrophy and dry age-related macular degeneration, achieving vision stabilization or improvement in over 80% of participants.

Achievements and Publications:

• Named one of TIME’s “100 Most Influential People in the World” (2014) and Prospect Magazine’s Top 50 World Thinkers (2015).
• Authored over 300 peer-reviewed papers and 30+ books, including Essentials of Stem Cell Biology (4th ed., 2023) and Principles of Regenerative Medicine (co-editor), foundational texts in the field.

Holder of numerous patents on stem cell derivation and tissue engineering; his work has been featured in Nature, Cell, and The Lancet.

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Dr. Robert Lanza has been a huge inspiration for Stem Cell Tracker since the beginning. He is truly one of the most historical figures in stem cell science. His books on Biocentrism are also worth a read if you like to explore the nature of reality.