Kevin C. Eggan PhD

Kevin Eggan is a visiting scientist in the Broad Institute’s Stanley Center for Psychiatric Research. He is also a professor in the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at Harvard University and a principal investigator at the Harvard Stem Cell Institute.

Eggan has garnered international recognition for his seminal work and a number of high profile awards for his creativity and productivity, including the MacArthur Foundation “Genius Grant” in 2006. His current research focuses on applying the knowledge gained in stem cell biology to studying the mechanisms underlying amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) and discovering new therapeutic targets. He made a significant impact in the field by publishing two high profile papers in Cell Stem Cell and Science in 2008. One paper described the discovery that motor neurons derived from human embryonic stem cells are susceptible to the toxic effect of glial cells harboring an ALS mutation. The other shows that induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells generated from adult skin cells of ALS patients can be differentiated into motor neurons. In 2009, he was selected as one of 50 Howard Hughes Medical Institute (HHMI) Early Career Scientists who will receive six years of dedicated support to conduct transformative research. He is using this support to advance the use of both human embryonic stem cells and iPS cells in the study of ALS and the development of new treatments.