Madeline Lancaster, PhD, 2022 Blavatnik Awards in the UK Laureate in Life Sciences

Dr. Madeline Lancaster from the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology has pioneered the development of the first method for generating brain organoids—brains grown in the lab that are created from reprogrammed human stem cells, or human induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells. Her technology is ushering in a new era of neuroscience research. The human brain has evolved several features that may account for many of the cognitive abilities that make humans unique. These specific and singular features also make human brain development difficult to study using animal models. Her work using organoids to investigate brain barriers, primate brain evolution, and foetal brain development will help reveal fundamental knowledge about how human brains evolved and how they are affected by disease. To learn more about the Blavatnik Awards for Young Scientists, go to