Robert P. Lanza

Robert P. Lanza (born February 11, 1956, Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.) is an American scientist known for his research on cloning, particularly his contributions to the refinement of a somatic cell nuclear transfer (SCNT) technique that enabled the generation of the world’s first human embryonic stem (ES) cells from aged somatic (body) cells.

As a youth, Lanza emerged from disadvantaged circumstances to win recognition for a science-fair project in which he used nuclear protein to induce melanin (pigment) production in white chickens. He eventually published his findings in the journal Nature. Lanza went on to receive B.A. (1978) and M.D. (1983) degrees from the University of Pennsylvania. During his studies he spent time in the laboratories of such renowned scientists as the American physician and medical researcher Jonas Salk and the American psychologist B.F. Skinner. Lanza also traveled to South Africa to study heart-transplant medicine with surgeon Christiaan Barnard.

With the introduction in the mid-1990s of SCNT, which had been used to create Dolly the sheep (the first successfully cloned mammal), Lanza became intrigued by the possibility of using the technique to create ES cells from patients’ own somatic cells. The ES cells would be a near-perfect genetic match for each patient and would thereby reduce the chances of transplant rejection.

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After he joined the Massachusetts-based company Advanced Cell Technology in 1999, Lanza became deeply involved in the development of cloning techniques for the generation of ES cells. In 2002 he and colleagues produced the first clone of a human embryo. He later helped generate human ES cells from single blastomeres—cells produced through cleavage of the fertilized egg prior to embryo formation—potentially circumventing the issue of embryo destruction. Lanza also contributed to research in which ES cells were successfully differentiated into retinal pigment epithelium (RPE), the cell layer that nourishes the retina of the eye. The work led to the first clinical trials to test ES cells in human patients. The trials involved the transplantation of ES-cell-derived RPE cells into tissue located behind the retina in patients with dry age-related macular degeneration or Stargardt macular dystrophy (an inherited disorder that causes vision loss).

Although SCNT had been employed to create ES cells from human fetal and infant somatic cells, its use to return less-youthful human cells to a pluripotent state—restoring their ability to differentiate (mature) into any kind of cell in the body—had proved extraordinarily challenging. Nonetheless, Lanza and colleagues developed an SCNT technique that led to the first successful production of human ES cells from aged somatic cells; they reported their breakthrough in 2014. The advance raised new possibilities for regenerative medicine, where transplantation with ES cells derived from adult cells held therapeutic promise for a wide array of diseases and disorders.

Lanza was the recipient of various awards. He also wrote or cowrote numerous books, notably Biocentrism (2009; with Bob Berman), in which he elaborated on the idea that life and consciousness are fundamental elements of the universe rather than accidents of the laws of physics. In 2014 Lanza was among the 100 honoured by Time magazine as the world’s most influential people.