[1] Headquartered on the far west side of Manhattan, New York, NYSCF employs 114 scientists, technicians, engineers, and administrative and other staff,[2] in addition to funding early career investigators and postdoctoral fellows.
[2] NYSCF was founded in New York City by Susan L. Solomon, a lawyer and entrepreneur, and Mary Elizabeth Bunzel, a former journalist, in 2005 to accelerate stem cell-based approaches to researching and treating type 1 diabetes[3] and in response to the refusal of the administration of President George W. Bush to make a major investment in stem cell research.
[6] In 2015, NYSCF signed a 20-year lease to move its headquarters and NYSCF Research Institute laboratories to a renovated 42,000 square foot space at 619 West 54th Street[7] in the former Warner Brothers 'Movie Lab' building,[8][9] rebranded as the Hudson Research Center by commercial real estate developer and building owner Taconic.
[20][21] NYSCF research resulting in the first human stem cell lines from the cells of patients with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), commonly known as Lou Gehrig’s disease, was named as Time magazine's top medical breakthrough of 2008 and the number one breakthrough of the year by Science magazine.
[24][25] In 2013, NYSCF researchers created the first patient-specific bone from stem cells and successfully transplanted the grafts into mice.
Notable early funders include former New York City mayor Michael R. Bloomberg; the investor Stanley Druckenmiller and his wife, Fiona; and a foundation founded by the late hedge-fund manager Julian Robertson.
[51][52] Notable recipients of NYSCF awards include Feng Zhang, Edward Boyden, Jayaraj Rajagopal, Paola Arlotta, Valentina Greco Lydia W. S. Finley, Shruti Naik, Lauren Orefice, Lauren O’Connell, Elaine Hsiao, Carolyn (Lindy) McBride, Paul J. Tesar, Vanessa Ruta, Edward Chang, Lisa Giocomo, Kay Tye, Dragana Rogulja, Maria Lehtinen, Claire Wyart, Sergiu P. Pașca, Ilana B. Witten, Franziska Michor, and Amy Wagers.