Clive N. Svendsen received his PhD from the University of Cambridge. He and his colleagues at the Waisman Center's Stem Cell Research Program focus on a) understanding the molecular mechanisms responsible for stem cells' proliferation and differentiation and b) assessing their safety and efficacy following transplantation. The program is committed to using alternative cellular sources through the generation of neural stem cells. The researchers there have extensive experience in the growth and differentiation of human neural stem cells-these are remarkably plastic and able to integrate into the developing, adult and injured brain. They also provide a unique "window" into human neural development, normally impossible to study in detail. The Waisman Center's labs use novel molecular and cellular techniques and detailed transplantation programs to assess function. In combination with the clinical biomanufacturing facility at the Waisman Center, Svendsen and his colleagues are developing neural stem cell banks. Svendsen has published nearly 100 articles in a variety of scientific journals, including Lancet, Nature Biotechnology, and Science.