Yale Stem Cell Center

The Yale Stem Cell Center (YSCC), founded in 2006 under the leadership of pioneering director Haifan Lin, PhD—a globally recognized expert in stem cell asymmetric division and niche theory—stands as a beacon of regenerative medicine innovation amid historical federal funding restrictions. Propelled by over a decade of targeted support from the State of Connecticut and the Li Ka Shing Foundation, the YSCC has evolved from two founding labs into a powerhouse with 7 core faculty and more than 100 affiliated members across disciplines, fostering cross-fertilization that drives serendipitous breakthroughs in human health.

What sets the YSCC apart is its role as a “Shangri-La” for stem cell research: a centralized hub overcoming regulatory and technical barriers through four state-of-the-art core facilities—hESC/iPSC Culture, Genomics, Cell Imaging, and Cell Manipulation—plus a dedicated FACS sorter, transforming research accessibility at Yale and beyond Connecticut. These resources enable cutting-edge applications, from growing brain organoids for psychiatric studies and reprogramming blood to reverse immune aging, to engineering vascularized organoids and regenerating tissues for cancer patients—pushing boundaries in despite past political pushback.

Dedicated to unraveling stem cell self-renewal, multiplication, and differentiation, the YSCC’s mission harnesses this biology for therapeutic impact, with recent 2025 highlights including CLIP grants for immuno-oncology, Blavatnik awards for RNA therapies in cancer and neurodegeneration, and the prestigious Lo Graduate Fellowship supporting top PhD talent. Education thrives via Yale’s flagship graduate course “Stem Cells: Biology and Application,” annual retreats, and international collaborations, cementing its status as one of the world’s largest and most dynamic stem cell programs. Located at 10 Amistad Street in New Haven, CT, the YSCC continues to lead in translating stem cell promise into reality.