Chaired by Leonard Zon, MD, the Stem Cell/Developmental Biology Program studies the role of stem cells in human development and in the treatment of disease. Stem cells are generic cells that have the potential to change (differentiate) into cells that have the properties of specific organs or tissues. Thus, stem cells may become nerve cells, blood cells, immune cells, bone or muscle cells.

The goal of the Stem Cell/Developmental Biology Program is to understand the role of stem cells in normal development and to harness the power of stem cells to treat diseases such as diabetes, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, heart disease, anemias, and spinal cord injury.

Featured researchers in the Stem Cell/Developmental Biology Program hold faculty appointments at Harvard Medical School.