Professor Majlinda Lako is Chair of Stem Cell Sciences at the Biosciences Institute, Newcastle University. She earned her BSc from the University of Tirana and PhD from Newcastle University, before completing postdoctoral training in stem cell biology at the University of Durham.
Appointed to the Institute of Human Genetics in 2003, she became Professor in 2009 and later served as Deputy Director of the Institute of Genetic Medicine. Professor Lako’s research has significantly advanced the understanding of human eye development and regenerative therapies for blinding diseases.
Her group pioneered the derivation of human embryonic stem cells in the UK and developed translational applications, including animal-free expansion of corneal epithelial stem cells successfully transplanted in patients. Her lab also created the first light-responsive retinal organoids capable of restoring visual function in mice.
Her current work explores gene therapy approaches for inherited retinal disease using patient-derived retinal organoids and retinal pigment epithelial cells.