Janet Rossant
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Janet Rossant | |
|---|---|
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| Born | 13 July 1950 Chatham, Kent, England |
| Alma mater | University of Cambridge, England University of Oxford, England |
| Known for | Work in developmental biology, stem cells, and cell lineage |
| Spouse | Alex Bain |
| Children | Jennifer and Robert |
| Awards | Fellow of the Royal Society, Howard Hughes International Scholar, Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada |
| Scientific career | |
| Thesis | Studies on determination and differentiation in the early mammalian embryo (1975) |
Janet Rossant, CC, FRS, FRSC (born 13 July 1950)[1] is a developmental biologist well known for her contributions to the understanding of the role of genes in embryo development. She is a leader in developmental biology.[2] Her current research interests focus on stem cells, molecular genetics, and developmental biology.[3] Specifically, she uses cellular and genetic manipulation techniques to study how genes control both normal and abnormal development of early mouse embryos. Rossant has discovered information on embryo development, how multiple types of stem cells are established, and the mechanisms by which genes control development.[4] In 1998, her work helped lead to the discovery of the trophoblast stem cell, which has assisted in showing how congenital anomalies in the heart, blood vessels, and placenta can occur.[4]
She is currently the President and Science Director at Gairdner,[5] a senior scientist in the Developmental & Stem Cell Biology Program,[6] the chief of research at the Hospital for Sick Children (SickKids) Research Institute in Toronto,[7] a university professor at the University of Toronto in the departments of Molecular Genetics, Obstetrics/Gynecology, Pediatrics,[6] deputy scientific director of the Canadian Stem Cell Network,[6] and the senior editor of the journal eLife.[8] In 2013, she was the president of International Society for Stem Cell Research.
Janet Rossant received her B.A. in zoology from the University of Oxford, England, in 1972, graduating with Honors 1st Class. She then earned her PhD in mammalian development from Darwin College, University of Cambridge, England, in 1976.[9]
Sick Kids Lab
Rossant's lab is based in Toronto, Canada, at the SickKids, and focuses on stem cell and embryonic research.[10] The lab specifically focuses on how cells in the early mouse embryos decide their fate and how this information can be applied to maintaining and differentiating embryo-derived stem cells. They then use this information to research how to change human iPS cells (induced pluripotent stem cells) into cell types that are useful for investigating human cell biology and disease.[11] Her research includes using genetic manipulation, live imaging, proteomics and single cell expression analysis to study fundamental lineage development.[10]
