Derrick Rossi

Derrick Rossi received his B.Sc. and M.Sc. degrees from the University of Toronto, Canada in the 1990s, and his Ph.D. from the University of Helsinki, Finland, followed by post-doctoral training at Stanford University. Dr. Rossi is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at Harvard Medical School. He is also an investigator in the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine at Boston Children’s Hospital. Dr. Rossi has been a principal faculty member of the Harvard Stem Cell Institute since 2008.

Dr. Rossi’s lab at Harvard Medical School focuses on diverse aspects of hematopoietic stem cell biology, including how aging of the stem cell compartment contributes to disease pathogenesis and aging-associated hematopoietic decline. His efforts in the development of cutting-edge technologies and new therapeutic strategies are at the forefront of regenerative medicine and biotechnology. Discoveries made in Dr. Rossi’s lab have led to the formation of several leading biotechnology companies. In 2010, Derrick Rossi founded Moderna Therapeutics, a clinical-stage company focused on developing modified-mRNA therapeutics. In 2015, Dr. Rossi co-founded Intellia Therapeutics, a Cambridge-based company focused on developing CRISPR/Cas9 based therapeutics. In 2016, he co-founded Magenta Therapeutics, which is focused on transforming transplantation medicine. Dr. Rossi is currently serving as the founding CEO of Convelo Therapeutics where he leads a team that is developing regenerative therapies for demyelination diseases of the central nervous system. Time magazine cited Dr. Rossi’s discovery of modified-mRNA reprogramming as one of the top ten medical breakthroughs of 2010. Time also named Dr. Rossi as one of the 100 Most Influential People in the world (Time 100) in 2011.