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Dr. Andras Nagy
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Dr. Andras Nagy 
 SENIOR INVESTIGATOR

In June 2005, Dr. Andras Nagy put Canada on the map of stem cell research by establishing the country’s first – and to date only – human embryonic stem cell lines. On March 1, 2009, Dr. Nagy once again captured the world’s attention with another stem cell research breakthrough: the discovery of a new non-viral method of creating stem cells from other cells of the body that could lead to possible cures for devastating diseases including spinal cord injury, macular degeneration, diabetes and Parkinson’s disease. 

Previous approaches to establish stem cells from adult cells required the use of viruses to deliver the required genes, a method that carries the risk of damaging the DNA. Nagy’s method not only does not require viruses but the stem cell transgenes necessary for the process of reprogramming can be seamlessly removed after they created stem cells. Therefore this method overcomes a major hurdle for the future of safe, personalized stem cell therapies in humans. Nagy’s new method of generating stem cells does not require embryos as starting points and could be used to generate cells from many adult tissues such as a patient’s own skin cells.

Nagy’s research is a huge step forward on the path to new stem cell-based therapies and indicates that researchers at the Lunenfeld are at the leading edge of regenerative medicine. Regenerative medicine enables the human body to repair, replace, restore and regenerate its own damaged or diseased cells, tissues and organs.

Joining Mount Sinai Hospital in 1988, Dr. Nagy has been involved in mouse embryonic stem cell research since its early days. His research resulted in an important development in cancer research in 1996 that provided a new tool for researchers and pharmaceutical companies to test new and existing treatments for cancer.

Dr. Nagy has developed a broad spectrum of genomic technologies now used around the world. These technologies assist the study of gene function in development and disease, and are important tools in the development of stem cell based therapies. By using technologies to direct gene expression, scientists will gain control of stem cell behaviour, propagation and differentiation – which will be essential if stem cells are to be used to treat human disease.
Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute
Mount Sinai Hospital
Joseph & Wolf Lebovic Health Complex
600 University Avenue
Toronto Ontario M5G 1X5
Tel: 416-586-4800 ext.3246
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Jul 15, 2009 04:40 PM

     

At a Glance

  • Dr. Andras Nagy researches stem cells, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine
  • Discovered a new method to create pluripotent stem cells (cells that can develop into most other cell types) without risk of disrupting healthy genes
  • Established Canada’s first human embryonic stem cell lines
  • He has also developed a broad spectrum of genomic technologies now used around the world
  • Dr. Nagy is the Canada Research Chair in Stem Cells and Regeneration
  • He was the only Canadian selected for the first annual Scientific American Top 10 Honour Roll in 2009 

 

 

Major Research Activities

The Nagy laboratory is interested in using mouse genetics to study mammalian development and to apply this knowledge to human disease. Dr. Nagy is also developing new, powerful tools for genetic approaches and phenotype analysis for these ongoing studies. More recently he became interested in the biology of human pluripotent stem cells, such as embryonic stem cells and induced pluripotent stem cells.

 

 

Recent Publications

Woltjen K, Michael IP, Mohseni P, Desai R, Mileikovsky M, Hämäläinen R, Cowling R, Wang W, Liu P, Gertsenstein M, Kaji K, Sung HK, Nagy A. (2009) piggyBac transposition reprograms fibroblasts to induced pluripotent stem cells. Nature. 2009 Mar 1. [Epub ahead of print]

Kaji K, Norrby K, Paca A, Mileikovsky M, Mohseni P, Woltjen K. (2009) Virus-free induction of pluripotency and subsequent excision of reprogramming factors. Nature. 2009 Mar 1. [Epub ahead of print]

Séguin CA, Draper JS, Nagy A, Rossant J. (2008) Establishment of endoderm progenitors by SOX transcription factor expression in human embryonic stem cells. Cell Stem Cell. 2008 Aug 7;3(2):182-95.

 

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