About
Dame Julia M. Polak
Professor and director, Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Centre, Imperial College, London, England
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One of the most cited scientists in the world, with more than 1,000 original papers, review articles, and books to her credit, Dame Julia Polak has been at the forefront of research into ways to grow human lung and bone tissue as alternatives to transplantation. Her research team has successfully directed mouse stem cells to convert into the type of cells needed for gaseous exchange in the lungs and is now working on directing human stem cells in the same manner. They are also looking into ways of growing bone using bio-active scaffolds, such as Bio-glass, which encourage cell growth and may ultimately provide an alternative to hip replacement.
A graduate of the University of Buenos Aires, Argentina (physician's certification in 1961, M.D. in 1964, and diploma in histopathology in 1966), Dame Julia worked at hospital appointments in Buenos Aires between 1961 and 1967 before moving to England for postgraduate study (D.Sc. from London University, 1980). She joined the Royal Postgraduate Medical School (now Imperial College London) in 1968 and became professor of endocrine pathology there in 1984 and chair of the Department of Histochemistry (1992-1997).
Upon her diagnosis in 1995 with pulmonary hypertension-one of the conditions she was researching-Dame Julia underwent a heart and lung transplant. Shortly after her transplant, she established the Julia Polak Research Trust, which supports medical research into ways of repairing or replacing damaged or diseased human organs and tissues, and in 1998 she founded the Imperial College Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine Centre, which she actively directs. In 2003 she was named Dame Commander of the British Empire in recognition of her services to medicine.