Leonard Zon, M.D. is a stem cell pioneer, leading research that is shifting the way stem cells are understood and employed in transforming therapeutic opportunities to treat — and cure — diseases.
Zon, the Grousbeck Professor of Pediatric Medicine at Harvard Medical School, is credited with helping to develop induced pluripotent stem cells. Derived from existing blood or skin cells, these are tricked into thinking they’re embryos, allowing them to be transformed into other tissues and organs, shifting the treatment of genetic diseases and the aging process. His research on good and bad stem cells, for example — and how some survive and are maintained while others decline — was published in Science in 2024.
That intersection of research and clinical care drives Zon, who notes how much he enjoys “how you can take basic science discoveries and then bring them into the clinic and be able to make a difference,” he said during his talk at DOC 2024.
To that end, Zon founded the International Society for Stem Cell Research, a network of more than 5,000 stem cell researchers who maintain theAbout Stem Cells site where patients can evaluate whether this type of therapy is optimal for them.
Zon earned his M.D. from Jefferson Medical College and a fellowship in medical oncology at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He is the Director of the Stem Cell Program at Boston Children’s Hospital and an investigator with the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, among his other appointments. His awards and honors include the E. Donnall Thomas Lecture and Prize from the American Society of Hematology and the ISEH Donald Metcalf Lecture Award, among others. Additionally, he is the founder of multiple biotech companies, including CAMP4 Therapeutics, Fate Therapeutics, and Scholar Rock, and has co-authored hundreds of papers.
We are excited to welcome Dr. Zon back to the DOC gathering and join our DOC 2025 team of Faculty and Specialists.