Janet Rossant receives the 2021 ISSCR Achievement Award

Skokie, IL–The International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR) will award its 2021 Achievement Award to Janet Rossant, PhD, FRS, FRSC, President and Scientific Director of Gairdner Foundation, Chief of Research and Senior Scientist, Research Institute, The Hospital for Sick Children, Toronto, Canada.

The prize recognizes the transformative body of work of an investigator that has had a major impact on the field of stem cell research or regenerative medicine. Dr. Rossant will present her science on 24 June at a lecture taking place at 1:15 p.m. EDT (13:15 EDT) during ISSCR 2021 Virtual, the world’s leading meeting of global innovators in stem cell science and regenerative medicine.

“I am thrilled to recognize Janet with the 2021 ISSCR Achievement Award,” Christine Mummery, ISSCR President said. “Not only is she at the top of her scientific field, but Janet also is widely respected by her peers and she has served as a role model for younger women interested in a career in developmental biology.”

Janet Rossant is a leader in mammalian developmental and stem cell biology who has made seminal contributions to our understanding of early development and pioneered innovative technologies to manipulate the mouse genome. Dr. Rossant has been a leader in the ISSCR, including serving as president (2013-2014), and is a global influencer in stem cell research and its ethical implications for society.

“Throughout her distinguished career, Janet Rossant’s research has profoundly contributed to knowledge that underlies human development and diseases, which has demonstrated a transformative power advancing new regenerative medicines,” said Mummery.

Dr. Rossant has made major contributions to our understanding of the events that underlie the formation and patterning of cell lineages in the early mammalian embryo, the blastocyst, including the pluripotent cells from which embryonic stem (ES) cells arise. Of particular note has been the establishment of additional stem cell lines from the blastocyst–extraembryonic endoderm (XEN) and trophoblast stem cells–that have provided key insights into the supporting placental and yolk sac tissues critical to embryo and fetal development. Together with ES cells, these stem cell lines can be used to model early development in the Petri dish.

“I am truly honored to receive this award from the ISSCR, the society that has made such important contributions to supporting the field of stem cell science and its applications to human health,” Janet Rossant said.

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Award-winner biographies and photos are available upon request, as are interviews with ISSCR President Christine Mummery.

With nearly 4,000 members from more than 65 countries, the International Society for Stem Cell Research is the preeminent global, cross-disciplinary, science-based organization dedicated to stem cell research and its translation to the clinic. The ISSCR mission is to promote excellence in stem cell science and applications to human health. Additional information about stem cell science is available at A Closer Look at Stem Cells, an initiative of the Society to inform the public about stem cell research and its potential to improve human health.