Kimmels Establish Center for
Stem Cell Biology

A new Center for Stem Cell Biology has been established at NYU Medical Center. Named in honor of two NYU Medical Center trustees, Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel, whose generous $10 million donation made it possible, the new center will establish a world-class multidisciplinary research center focusing on the basic biology of stem cells in animal models, a vital platform for the eventual application of stem cells to treat a host of human diseases.

Ruth Lehmann, Ph.D., the Julius Raynes Professor of Developmental Genetics and a leader in developmental genetics, will be the Director of the new center. She is widely known for her pioneering work on germ cells, which give rise to eggs and sperm, during early development of the embryo. By studying aberrant development of mutant germ cell lines in the fruit fly, her research has laid the foundation for understanding the potential causes of germ line cancers and sterility.

The Co-Director of the center will be Dan Littman, M.D., Ph.D., the Helen L. and Martin S. Kimmel Professor of Molecular Immunology and one of the nation’s foremost molecular immunologists.

Under the leadership of Drs. Lehmann and Littman, the Center for Stem Cell Biology will link scientists and laboratory groups at NYU School of Medicine and New York University. These researchers are working in developmental genetics, RNA biology, structural biology, and cancer biology—crucial areas for advancing the understanding and application of stem cells to the treatment of human disease. In addition, new faculty specializing in these areas will be recruited to augment ongoing work.

NYU scientists are making major contributions to the understanding of stem cell biology using animal models such as mice, zebrafish, and fruit flies. Many genes found in these organisms have human counterparts, raising the possibility that studies in these animals will lead ultimately to a far better understanding of human stem cell biology.

Stem cells have the incredible ability, under the right conditions, to morph into nearly any other type of cell, regardless of where they originated. Scientists envision a time when this unusual talent will provide the seed for a fresh crop of new healthy cells of any organ, which can then be used to treat a wide variety of conditions, including Alzheimer’s, diabetes, stroke, and paralyzing spinal cord injuries.

However, many researchers believe much more needs to be learned about the basic biology of stem cells before their therapeutic promise can be realized. The Center for Stem Cell Biology will help fill this critical gap in the knowledge about these cells.