Harvard’s Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology (HSCRB) takes a unique approach to discovering new medicines and improving human health. HSCRB scientists explore tissue development and repair within a network of university- and hospital-based research and education programs.
We educate and train scientists at all career stages and across disciplines, including undergraduate, graduate, and medical students. To achieve excellence, we promote and support creativity in both education and research.
Our mission and values
Our mission is to illuminate the workings of human health and disease, in both basic discovery and clinical settings.
We are committed to transforming medicine by cultivating a deeper knowledge of stem cell and regenerative biology, and to training the next generation to explore new frontiers in biomedical science.
We see scientific exploration as a service to humankind, and diversity of discipline, background, and perspective as essential to its success.
A bridge between discovery and medicine
Our dynamic, collegial department was founded as a joint endeavor between Harvard Medical School, which is based in the Longwood Medical Area, and Harvard’s Faculty of Arts and Sciences, based on the university’s main campus. Since 2007, this relationship has offered our scientists unrivaled opportunities for meaningful collaboration across disciplines.
HSCRB research bridges academic inquiry and biomedical R&D, with technology and entrepreneurship integrated into many elements of our teaching and research. Our faculty are committed to translating new discoveries into treatments and, to that end, have been involved in 19 start-ups during their tenure.
Our priorities
Over the next few years, HSCRB aims to:
- Grow our faculty
- Cultivate cross-disciplinary expertise, both in ‘wet’ and ‘dry’ disciplines
- Deepen cross-campus collaborations
- Leverage Boston’s biotechnology ecosystem to create new opportunities for learning, collaboration, and entrepreneurship.
Collaboration
HSCRB is a springboard for innovation and cross-disciplinary collaboration. Our faculty collaborate across sectors with entrepreneurs, industry researchers, and discovery scientists in a very broad range of settings, always with the goal of translating discoveries into solutions.