Jakub Tolar, MD, PhD

Jakub Tolar is a distinguished McKnight Professor from the University of Minnesota, where he is currently a practicing physician in Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplantation and the Director of the Stem Cell Institute. As a physician-scientist, Dr. Tolar’s research focuses on creating new and more effective treatments for fatal genetic disorders such as Hurler syndrome (MPS-1), dyskeratosis congenita, Fanconi anemia, and adrenoleukodystrophy. He is known for his ground-breaking use of bone marrow transplant to treat the severe forms of epidermolysis bullosa. His laboratory is currently working with state-of-the-art genome-editing technologies to create a platform for gene and cell therapies for patients with these kinds of life-threatening and currently incurable diseases. Dr. Tolar is co-chair of Regenerative Medicine Minnesota, a state-funded program that supports research, education, and patient care improvement in this rapidly advancing field.