World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Award Badge
Best Female Scientists
2025

D-Index & Metrics

Best Female Scientists

D-Index
117
Citations
65735
World Ranking
633
National Ranking
385

Biology and Biochemistry

D-Index
119
Citations
69671
World Ranking
659
National Ranking
417

Research.com Recognitions

  • 2025 - Research.com Best Female Scientists Award
  • 2017 - Fellow, National Academy of Inventors
  • 2016 - Member of the National Academy of Sciences
  • 1996 - Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences
  • 1991 - Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS)

Overview

Helen M. Blau is affiliated with Stanford University in the United States. Their research primarily focuses on biochemistry, genetics, and molecular biology, with a strong emphasis on medicine. This includes subfields such as molecular biology, physiology, genetics, oncology, and surgery.

The scientist's recent published work covers a range of topics related to muscle physiology, stem cells, and regenerative medicine. Notable papers include:

  • Tissue Stem Cells: Architects of Their Niches, 2020, Cell Stem Cell
  • Inhibition of prostaglandin-degrading enzyme 15-PGDH rejuvenates aged muscle mass and strength, 2020, Science
  • Primary cilia on muscle stem cells are critical to maintain regenerative capacity and are lost during aging, 2022, Nature Communications
  • Elevated CD47 is a hallmark of dysfunctional aged muscle stem cells that can be targeted to augment regeneration, 2022, Cell Stem Cell
  • Increased tissue stiffness triggers contractile dysfunction and telomere shortening in dystrophic cardiomyocytes, 2021, Stem Cell Reports

The major topics in their work include muscle physiology and disorders, pluripotent stem cells research, single-cell and spatial transcriptomics, extracellular vesicles in disease, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine, adipose tissue and metabolism, and telomeres, telomerase, and senescence.

Helen M. Blau collaborates frequently with several coauthors, including Yu Xin Wang, Colin Holbrook, Ermelinda Porpiglia, Foster Birnbaum, and Peggy E. Kraft.

Their publications often appear in venues such as bioRxiv (Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory), Cell Stem Cell, Science, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, and npj Regenerative Medicine.

Helen M. Blau has received several distinctions, including:

  • Fellow, National Academy of Inventors, 2017
  • Member of the National Academy of Sciences, 2016
  • Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, 1996
  • Fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS), 1991

Best Publications

  • Dermatologist-level classification of skin cancer with deep neural networks

    Andre Esteva;Brett Kuprel;Roberto A. Novoa;Justin M. Ko

  • From Marrow to Brain: Expression of Neuronal Phenotypes in Adult Mice

    Timothy R. Brazelton;Fabio M. V. Rossi;Gilmor I. Keshet;Helen M. Blau

  • Isolation and characterization of full-length cDNA clones for human alpha-, beta-, and gamma-actin mRNAs: skeletal but not cytoplasmic actins have an amino-terminal cysteine that is subsequently removed.

    P Gunning;P Ponte;H Okayama;J Engel

  • Substrate Elasticity Regulates Skeletal Muscle Stem Cell Self-Renewal in Culture

    P. M. Gilbert;K. L. Havenstrite;Klas E. G. Magnusson;Klas E. G. Magnusson;A. Sacco

  • Designing materials to direct stem-cell fate

    Matthias P. Lutolf;Penney M. Gilbert;Helen M. Blau

  • The Evolving Concept of a Stem Cell: Entity or Function?

    H.M. Blau;T.R. Brazelton;J.M. Weimann

  • Primary mouse myoblast purification, characterization, and transplantation for cell-mediated gene therapy.

    T A Rando;H M Blau

  • Plasticity of the differentiated state.

    Helen M. Blau;Grace K. Pavlath;Edna C. Hardeman;Choy-Pik Chiu

  • Objective comparison of particle tracking methods

    Nicolas Chenouard;Ihor Smal;Fabrice de Chaumont;Martin Maška;Martin Maška

  • Cytoplasmic activation of human nuclear genes in stable heterocaryons.

    Helen M. Blau;Choy-Pik Chiu;Cecelia Webster

  • Biological Progression from Adult Bone Marrow to Mononucleate Muscle Stem Cell to Multinucleate Muscle Fiber in Response to Injury

    Mark A. LaBarge;Helen M. Blau

  • Self-renewal and expansion of single transplanted muscle stem cells

    Alessandra Sacco;Regis Doyonnas;Regis Doyonnas;Peggy Kraft;Stefan Vitorovic

  • Nuclear reprogramming to a pluripotent state by three approaches

    Shinya Yamanaka;Helen M. Blau

  • VEGF gene delivery to myocardium: deleterious effects of unregulated expression.

    Randall J. Lee;Matthew L. Springer;William E. Blanco-Bose;Robin Shaw

  • Argonaute 2/RISC resides in sites of mammalian mRNA decay known as cytoplasmic bodies.

    George L. Sen;Helen M. Blau

  • Reprogramming towards pluripotency requires AID-dependent DNA demethylation

    Nidhi Bhutani;Jennifer J. Brady;Mara Damian;Alessandra Sacco

  • DNA Demethylation Dynamics

    Nidhi Bhutani;David M. Burns;Helen M. Blau

  • Human induced pluripotent stem cell–derived cardiomyocytes recapitulate the predilection of breast cancer patients to doxorubicin-induced cardiotoxicity

    Paul W. Burridge;Yong Fuga Li;Elena Matsa;Haodi Wu

  • Fast muscle fibers are preferentially affected in Duchenne muscular dystrophy.

    Cecelia Webster;Laura Silberstein;Arthur P. Hays;Helen M. Blau

  • Rejuvenation of the muscle stem cell population restores strength to injured aged muscles

    Benjamin D Cosgrove;Penney M Gilbert;Ermelinda Porpiglia;Foteini Mourkioti

Frequent Co-Authors

Grace K. Pavlath
Grace K. Pavlath Emory University
Fabio M.V. Rossi
Fabio M.V. Rossi University of British Columbia
Simon M. Hughes
Simon M. Hughes King's College London
Thomas A. Rando
Thomas A. Rando Stanford University
Joseph C. Wu
Joseph C. Wu Stanford University
Matthias P. Lutolf
Matthias P. Lutolf École Polytechnique Fédérale de Lausanne
John P. Cooke
John P. Cooke Houston Methodist
Garry P. Nolan
Garry P. Nolan Stanford University
Larry Kedes
Larry Kedes University of Southern California
Lawrence Steinman
Lawrence Steinman Stanford University

If you think any of the details on this page are incorrect, let us know.

Report an issue

We appreciate your kind effort to assist us to improve this page, it would be helpful providing us with as much detail as possible in the text box below:

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

For students intrigued by Biology and Biochemistry, a variety of related online degrees can pave the way to rewarding careers. Popular options include health information management, nutrition, and medical coding or billing. Each of these fields offers unique opportunities within healthcare, ranging from data management to direct patient support.

An increasingly in-demand field is medical coding. The medical coding salary can be appealing, offering competitive compensation for professionals with the right certifications. However, it's important to consider the lifestyle and job expectations. If you're wondering is medical billing and coding worth it, weigh the pros and cons, including flexibility and work environment.

Those interested in healthcare data should look into a him degree, which prepares graduates for critical roles managing patient information and supporting hospital systems. Nutrition is another strong area, with affordable pathways such as the cheapest online nutrition degree opening doors to jobs in wellness and public health.

Exploring these online options can help you find a degree and career that best matches your interests in Biology and Biochemistry.

Best Scientists Citing Helen M. Blau

Trending Scientists

Recently Published Articles