Dr. Robert Lanza
Scientist, philosopher
Robert Lanza, M.D., is currently Head of Astellas Global Regenerative Medicine, and is Chief Scientific Officer of the Astellas Institute for Regenerative Medicine and Adjunct Professor at Wake Forest University School of Medicine. He was previously Chief Scientific Officer at Ocata Therapeutics. Dr. Lanza has hundreds of publications and inventions, and over 30 scientific books. He is a former Fulbright Scholar, and studied as a student with polio-pioneer Jonas Salk and Nobel laureates Gerald Edelman and Rodney Porter. He also worked closely (and co-authored a series of papers) with noted Harvard psychologist B.F. Skinner and heart transplant pioneer Christiaan Barnard.
Dr. Lanza was part of the team that cloned the world’s first human embryo, as well as the first to successfully generate stem cells from adults using therapeutic cloning. In 2001 he was also the first to clone an endangered species, and recently published the first-ever report of pluripotent stem cell use in humans. Lanza was recognized by TIME Magazine in 2014 on its list of the “100 Most Influential People in the World.” PROSPECT Magazine named him one of the Top 50 “World Thinkers” in 2015.
Dr. Lanza spoke about the field of stem cell research at The Common Good Forum 2015.
Twitter: @RobertLanza
