Dr. Robert Sackstein is a physician-scientist specializing in bone marrow transplantation and regenerative medicine. He is an internationally recognized authority in stem cell-based therapies, immunology, and glycobiology. His research has defined how circulating cells migrate to target tissues and led to the development of a platform technology known as glycosyltransferase-programmed stereosubstitution (GPS), which directs intravenously administered cells to sites of tissue injury or cancer. This work is advancing the promise of regenerative therapeutics and adoptive cell immunotherapy.
Sackstein served as dean of the Herbert Wertheim College of Medicine from 2018 to 2021.
Before joining FIU, Sackstein was as a bone marrow transplant physician at Massachusetts General Hospital, Brigham and Women’s Hospital, and Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. He held dual professorships in medicine and dermatology at Harvard Medical School, where he also directed the Program of Excellence in Glycosciences and co-directed the Harvard Center for Glycoscience.
Areas of Expertise
- Bone marrow transplantation
- Stem cell biology
- Translational glycobiology
- Regenerative therapeutics
Research Interests
- Stem cell-based regenerative medicine
- Immunology and glycobiology
- Cell trafficking and migration to target tissues
- Adoptive cell immunotherapy
See research publications and more on FIU Discovery.
Honors & Awards
- James Tolbert Shipley Prize, Harvard Medical School
- Young Investigator Award for Excellence in Hematology, International Society for Experimental Hematology
Committees & Professional Organizations
- International Scientific Advisory Board, Wallenberg Center for Regenerative Medicine (University of Lund, Sweden)
- Chairperson, Advisory Board for the Spanish National Network for Regenerative Medicine
- Scientific Advisory Board member, Jose Carreras Institute (Barcelona, Spain)
- Scientific Advisory Board member, Bellvitge Institute for Biomedical Research (IDIBELL), Barcelona, Spain
Education
- Fellowships in Immunology and Hematology, University of Miami
- Residency in Internal Medicine, University of Miami
- M.D. and Ph.D. in Immunology, Harvard Medical School
- B.A. in Biology, Harvard College, summa cum laude