EVANSTON, Ill. --- John Kessler, Benjamin and Virginia T. Boshes Professor of Neurology at Northwestern University, has been named the first Ken and Ruth Davee Professor in Stem Cell Biology.
Kessler’s research focuses on the biology of embryonic stem cells and neural stem cells. His lab explores how stem cells can be given the right molecular signals to transform them into neural stem cells. The goal of this research is to devise techniques to regenerate the spinal cord after injury and brain cells after stroke.
In the spinal cord regeneration project, he is working with Northwestern’s Institute for BioNanotechnology in Medicine to combine nanotechnology with stem cell biology. Kessler is investigating nanofibers that promote healing and could potentially be used to trigger stem cells to become spinal neurons or specific organ cells.
Kessler’s research is supported by four multi-year National Institutes of Health grants. He has co-authored more than 170 articles, which appear in publications including Development, Human Genetics, Journal of Medical Genetics, Neurology and Science. He also serves as the associate editor of Neuroscience Research and is chairman of the March of Dimes Review Panel.
Before joining Northwestern in 2000, Kessler served on the faculty of Cornell University and Albert Einstein College of Medicine.