Svendsen, who recently joined the Cedars-Sinai Regenerative Medicine Institute, is a prominent stem cell scientist whose groundbreaking research focuses on both modeling and treating neurodegenerative disorders such as ALS, Huntington’s disease and Parkinson’s disease. Prior to joining Cedars-Sinai, Svendsen served as professor and co-director of the University of Wisconsin Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Center and Director of the National Institutes of Health-funded Stem Cell Training Program. He is author of over 150 scientific publications, and senior editor of the Encyclopedia of Stem Cell Research.

The mission of the Svendsen Laboratory is to study neurodegenerative diseases such as amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), Huntington’s disease (HD), spinal muscular atrophy (SMA), Parkinson’s disease (PD) and Allan-Herndon-Dudley syndrome (AHDS) using stem cells as a disease treatment, as well as a tool for modeling these diseases in vitro. Clive Svendsen, PhD, has significant experience in studying these diseases over the last twenty years and is merging his experience with the use of leading-edge technologies, such as inducible pluripotent stem cells (iPS cells).