Sean J. Morrison
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Sean J. Morrison is a research associate professor at the University of Michigan’s Life Sciences Institute as the director for the Center for Stem Cell Biology; an associate professor at the Department of Internal Medicine, Division of Molecular Medicine & Genetics at the University of Michigan Medical School; an associate professor at the Department of Cell & Developmental Biology at the UM Medical School; a research scholar at the Biological Sciences Scholars Program, also at the UM Medical School[1][2]. He holds a BS in Biology and Chemistry from Dalhousie University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, Canada and a Ph.D in Immunology from Stanford [3].
Morrison investigates the mechanisms underlying the functioning of stem cells in the nervous and hematopoietic systems, "particularly the mechanisms that regulate stem cell self-renewal and aging" [4]. Morrison is also an investigator at the Howard Hughes Medical Institute, a position he has held since 2000, and he is a Henry Sewall Professor of Medicine, an honor in the basic sciences named for Sewall's famous work on antitoxins in the 1800s[5][6][4].
Greg Daley, an associate professor at the Harvard Medical School, has commented that, "Sean Morrison is a fantastic scientist. Brilliant, creative, perseverant -- everything you fear in a competitor and treasure in a colleague. He is playing a major role in shaping the future of stem cell biology, both scientifically and politically"[7].
In recent years Morrison's lab has identified important mechanisms that allow stem cells to renew themselves[8]. The lab has discovered that stem cells in the sciatic nerves of rats just after birth contain undifferentiated neural crest stem cells, showing that stem cells remain in the peripheral nervous systems of animals longer than was previously thought[5].
A recent paper from his lab reports that research into such mechanisms has the potential to explain the differences in regeneration capabilities between old and new tissues[9]. In addition to these findings, the lab has reported success in demonstrating that these mechanisms could be used in the treatment of cancer[8]. Special markers discovered by the lab may allow for the more effective purification of hematopoietic stem cells, a finding which could lead to an increase in the safety of bone marrow transplants[8][10].
Morrison has tested the "immortal strand hypothesis" using these markers, and found that this is not universal property of all stem cells[11].
Morrison has been in the public eye as a vocal proponent for loosening restrictions on stem cell research in the State of Michigan, restrictions he characterizes as "the most draconian in the country" [7]. Regarding Morrison's efforts in influencing stem cell public policy, ASCB Public Policy Chair Larry Goldstein remarked that "Sean is a rising star scientifically as well as on the policy side of the stem cell world. He is a young scientist who has embraced this responsibility, and I really admire him for that" [3].
[edit] Awards and Achievements
Sean Morrison has received numerous accolades throughout his career, in addition to the achievements listed above. These include the Presidential Early Career Award for Scientists and Engineers in 2003, Rave Award for Science in 2004 from Wired Magazine, and Technology Review Magazine's list of 100 innovators in 2002[7][12]. He was a Searle Scholar from 2000-2003[8].
In October 2007 Morrison won the prestigious McCulloch and Till Award, which recognizes scientists in the field of hematology in honor of Professors Ernest McCulloch and James Till from the ISEH, "in recognition of exceptional scientific contributions to the field of hematology and stem cells" [13][8].
According to The Detroit News, Morrison, "became one of more than 300 scientists at research institutes around the county chosen because of his potential to make significant contributions to science"[7]. In December 2007 he received the American Association of Anatomists 2008 Harland Winfield Mossman Award, which recognizes "remarkable discoveries" in the field of stem cell biology[14].
[edit] References
- ^ Morrison Lab - Affiliations | Life Sciences at Michigan here
- ^ University of Michigan News Service
- ^ a b ASCB Profile
- ^ a b Howard Hughes Medical Institute
- ^ a b In the Limelight
- ^ Cell & Developmental Biology - University of Michigan Medical School
- ^ a b c d The Detroit News Michiganians of the Year
- ^ a b c d e Sean Morrison receives the McCullough and Till Award | Life Sciences at Michigan here
- ^ Stem cell markers: less is more! - Van Zant 107 (3): 855 - Blood
- ^ Stem cell markers: less is more! - Van Zant 107 (3): 855 - Blood
- ^ Stem Cell 'Immortal Strand Hypothesis' Refuted
- ^ Wired 12.04: The 2004 Wired Rave Awards
- ^ Past McCulloch & Till Recipient - ISEH
- ^ LSI's Sean Morrison receives the American Association of Anatomists 2008 Harland Winfield Mossman Award | Life Sciences at Michigan here
