Peter Andrews, Emeritus Professor, from the School of Biosciences, has been jointly awarded the International Society for Stem Cell Research’s 2024 Public Service award.
Professor Andrews has been honoured along with Tenneille Ludwig, Senior Scientist and Director of the WiCell Stem Cell Bank, for their work leading the development of the first international Standards for Human Stem Cell Use in Research.
The award recognises the outstanding public service contributions to the fields of stem cell research and regenerative medicine and will be presented on 13 July at the ISSCR 2024 Annual Meeting in Hamburg, Germany.
“The development of international standards for stem cell research was a groundbreaking, two-year journey adeptly led by Tenneille and Peter,” ISSCR President Amander Clark said.
“The result of this international collaboration is one of the most impactful initiatives in the ISSCR’s history, setting the standard for rigor and reproducibility in preclinical research and ultimately strengthening the pipeline of therapies for patients. The recognition of Peter and Tenneille for their leadership and enormous commitment as co-chairs of this initiative is incredibly well deserved.”
Professor Andrews said: “I am very grateful to the ISSCR for this award and would like to thank Tenneille and all my other friends and colleagues with whom it has been a privilege to work on the Standards Initiative over the past two years.”
Professor Andrews’ pioneering study of pluripotent human embryonal carcinoma cells paved the way for the study of human embryonic stem cells, demonstrating their differences from corresponding mouse cells and identifying cell surface antigens now widely used for their characterization.
He discovered their propensity for non-random genetic changes driven by the altered expression of specific genes, with implications for applications in regenerative medicine. His current interest is the use of pluripotent stem cell-derived neural crest derivatives for treating gut disorders.