After a decade at UC-San Francisco (UCSF), researcher Renee Reijo-Pera will join the Stanford community, leading the Center for Human Embryonic Stem Cell Research and Education within the Stanford Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine.

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Courtesy of Renee Reijo Pera

Renee Reijo Pera was recently selected to head a stemcell research initiative at Stanford

At Stanford, Reijo-Pera hopes to expand the University’s cloning efforts to bring its research to the forefront of regenerative medicine. A world leader in the study of human embryonic stem cells, Reijo-Pera was an associate professor of obstetrics, gynecology and reproductive sciences at UCSF.

Her research focuses on the earliest stages of human embryonic development and the pathway between embryonic stem cells and developing or developed oocytes (eggs).

In 2001, Reijo-Pera oversaw stem cell lines at UCSF and has since been studying how the amorphous stem cells become particular cell types.

Reijo-Pera joins Stanford in a controversial and often misunderstood field. The University has lagged behind institutions like Harvard and UCSF, the only academic research centers in the United States which have conducted human embryonic stem cell research.

Dr. Irving Weissman, director of stem cell research at Stanford, explained the reasoning behind the University’s hesitation in proceeding with this controversial research.

“[We are] very reluctant to do this research with eggs donated from volunteers,” he wrote in an email to The Daily. “We needed to recruit someone who is committed to try this with eggs from animals first using the same animal’s skin cells, then try with eggs derived from alternative sources, not volunteers. Renee is the key for all these efforts.”

Reijo-Pera will be part of a large group with expertise in areas not presently pursued at UCSF, such as blood-forming, cancer and leukemia stem cells.

Aside from playing a primary role in the department of obstetrics, Reijo-Pera will also work with leading biologists and embryologists.

“Renee will help develop courses in the program for regenerative medicine, in human biology and in a new medical school course and will likely take students to train in her lab,” Weissman said.

Weissman predicted that Reijo-Pera will have an impact on the University, beyond her work as a research scientist.

She is “deeply interested in women’s health issues,” he said, “a subject that cuts across the entire Stanford campus.”

Contact Salone Kapur at svkapur@stanford.edu.