Professor Helen Blau FRS

Blau's discoveries transformed our understanding of cell differentiation. Using cell fusion, she challenged prevailing dogma by showing that the 'terminally' differentiated state is reversible and requires continuous regulation to be maintained. She pioneered the design of biomaterials that mimic the elasticity of the healthy tissue microenvironment, which preserved the stem cell state and rejuvenated aged stem cells. World renowned in regenerative medicine, Blau recently discovered a pivotal molecular determinant of the muscle dysfunction characteristic of aging, 15-hydroxyprostaglandin dehydrogenase. This enzyme, which she termed a ‘gerozyme', modulates Prostaglandin E2 levels and can be targeted therapeutically to promote muscle regeneration and rejuvenation.

Helen Blau was born in London and is a dual citizen of the United States and the United Kingdom. She earned a B.A. from the University of York in England and an M.A. and Ph.D. in Biology from Harvard University. She pursued postdoctoral research at UCSF before joining the faculty at Stanford University. She was awarded the Donald E. and Delia B. Baxter endowed chair in 1999 at Stanford and named Director of the Baxter Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology in 2002. She is a member of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. She served as President of the Society for Developmental Biology and President of the International Society for Differentiation. She is an elected member of the National Academy of Inventors, has 16 issued U.S. patents, and co-founded two biotechnology companies. She was elected to the Harvard Board of Overseers, served on the Pew Scholars Advisory Committee and on the Ellison Medical Foundation SAB. She is currently a member of the ISSCR Board of Directors. Dr. Blau is the recipient of honorary doctorates from the University of Nijmegen in Holland and the University of York in England. She is an elected member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences and the Royal Society. She also co-wrote a children’s book “Stem Cells to the Rescue”.  In January 2025, Dr. Blau was awarded the United States National Medal of Science, the highest recognition bestowed on scientists in the U.S.