JAX welcomes stem cell biologist Laura Bennett to advance regenerative medicine research

(Bar Harbor, Maine — May 20, 2026) – The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) is pleased to welcome Laura F. Bennett as an assistant professor, beginning August 2026. Bennett joins JAX at a pivotal moment for the institution’s stem cell research efforts following the formation of the JAX-NYSCF Collaborative through JAX’s merger with the New York Stem Cell Foundation (NYSCF). The collaborative is building an integrated platform for stem cell-based discovery by combining expertise in genetics, stem cell biology, disease modeling, and computational biology to accelerate translational research.

Bennett joins JAX from the University of Pennsylvania (UPenn), where she has been a postdoctoral researcher in the department of cell and developmental biology. Her work seeks to answer a fundamental question in biology and medicine: how blood stem cells are made during development, and how that knowledge can be used to improve treatments for blood disorders.

“Hematopoietic stem cells are responsible for making blood and immune cells for your whole life but all these stem cells are formed before birth, meaning that you can’t easily replace them when something goes wrong,” Bennett said. “Understanding how they form naturally during development gives us a blueprint for generating a large number of healthy and functional stem cells for therapy.”

The origins of blood stem cells

Hematopoietic stem cells (HSCs) are rare but powerful. They are responsible for producing all blood cell types throughout life and are the basis for bone marrow and stem cell transplants used to treat leukemia, anemia, immune deficiencies, and other diseases. While clinicians have relied on HSCs for decades, scientists are still learning how these cells first arise during early development.

Bennett’s research focuses on a fleeting population of blood precursor cells, known as pre-hematopoietic stem cells, that appear in the developing embryo before mature blood stem cells are formed. These precursor cells are extremely rare, making them difficult to study, but they hold critical clues to how fully functional stem cells are generated.

During her postdoctoral work with Nancy A. Speck at UPenn, Bennett studied the biological signals that regulate the maturation of these immature precursors into fully functional stem cells. Her research found that a molecule called SMAD7 acts like a brake, carefully controlling a key developmental signal at exactly the right time. Without that control, the stem cells cannot mature properly into healthy blood stem cells that could potentially be used in transplants and future therapies.

“This is the first pathway shown to specifically control the maturation step of blood stem cells, rather than blood progenitor cells more broadly,” Bennett explained. “That specificity is what makes it so exciting and relevant for producing these cells in therapeutic applications. The hope is that by understanding how this process works, we can use that knowledge to improve our ability to make these stem cells for patients.”

From discovery to regenerative medicine

Bennett’s findings have far-reaching implications. Scientists around the world are trying to produce blood stem cells from induced pluripotent stem cells made by reprogramming adult cells back to a stem-like state. Although progress has been made, the process remains inefficient, limiting clinical applications.

By pinpointing the signals that naturally guide stem cell maturation in the embryo, Bennett’s work provides critical insight into how to improve lab-based stem cell production, with the long-term goal of making stem cell therapies safer and more accessible to patients. Her work is expected to serve as an important link across multiple lines of blood stem cell research underway throughout the JAX-NYSCF Collaborative and all three JAX campuses, from studies on stem cell formation and large-scale production to investigations into how aging and disease affect blood cells in adulthood.

She plans to build an independent research program using advanced genetic mouse models, single-cell sequencing, and imaging technologies to map the step-by-step process by which blood stem cells emerge and mature.

A strong addition to the JAX scientific community

JAX Scientific Director Nadia Rosenthal emphasized the importance of Bennett’s research to the institution’s mission.

“Laura’s work addresses one of the central challenges in regenerative medicine: how to reliably generate true blood stem cells with long-term function. She is building essential tools for counteracting the effects of aging and treating blood cancers, bone marrow failures, and immune disorders by regenerating healthy blood-forming systems,” Rosenthal said. “Her combination of rigor, creativity, and deep biological insight makes her an outstanding addition to JAX.”

Chief Scientific Officer Mary Dickinson echoed that sentiment.

“Understanding stem cell development at this level is essential for translating basic science into therapies,” Dickinson said. “Laura brings exceptional expertise in developmental biology and hematopoiesis, and her research aligns beautifully with JAX’s strengths in genetics, stem cell biology, and disease modeling.”

Bennett earned her doctorate in genetics from Pennsylvania State University and her bachelor’s degree in biology from The University of Mississippi. In addition to her research accomplishments, she is deeply committed to mentoring young scientists and expanding access to science education.

As she prepares to launch her lab at JAX, Bennett is excited about the opportunities ahead.

“JAX has a unique culture of collaboration and innovation,” she said. “It’s an ideal place to tackle big biological questions while keeping an eye on how discoveries can ultimately help patients.”

About The Jackson Laboratory

The Jackson Laboratory (JAX) is an independent, nonprofit biomedical research institution with a National Cancer Institute-designated Cancer Center. JAX leverages a unique combination of research, education, and resources to achieve its bold mission: to discover precise genomic solutions for disease and empower the global biomedical community in the shared quest to improve human health. Established in Bar Harbor, Maine, in 1929, JAX is a global organization with nearly 3,000 employees worldwide and campuses and facilities in Maine, Connecticut, California, Florida, New York, and Japan. For more information, please visit www.jax.org.