Karolinska Institutet recruits top scientist from Harvard

Karolinska Institutet has recruited Professor Kenneth Chien, an internationally recognized leader in in cardiovascular science, as well as a pioneer in developing new therapeutic strategies to prevent the onset and progression of heart failure. At Karolinska Institutet Professor Chien will direct a team of physicians and scientist on the pathways for human cardiogenesis, with a goal of finding novel pathways and principles for regenerative medicine in general, and repairing damaged cardiac muscle cells.

Dr. Kenneth Chien is currently a Professor in the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology at Harvard University in Cambridge, and a member of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute, where he formerly directed the university-wide Cardiovascular Stem Cell Biology Program. In July 2005, he was appointed as Scientific Director of the Cardiovascular Research Center at Massachusetts General Hospital in Boston.

"Professor Chien is a true star of medical science", says Professor Harriet Wallberg-Henriksson, President of Karolinska Institutet. "Having a scientist of his caliber on our team gives us advantages in the international competition. Professor Chien will also be a source of inspiration to other researchers and students at Karolinska Institutet."

"It is a true privilege to become part of the scientific and medical community at Karolinska Institutet, which is an incredibly exciting environment for unlocking the potential of cutting-edge studies in fundamental stem cell biology towards new paradigms for regenerative therapeutics" says Professor Kenneth Chien. "I also look forward to working with my KI colleagues to build an international, collaborative research program for training the next generation of leading physician-scientists on site."

Professor Chien will start as Professor at Karolinska Institutet on 1 January 2013, and his laboratory will be located at the Department of Cell and Molecular Biology, Campus Solna. He will also work at the Department of Medicine, Campus Huddinge.