Dr. Andras Nagy honoured with Rákóczi Foundation Life Achievement Award

The award celebrates Canadians of Hungarian origin who have achieved exceptional career accomplishments. Past honorees include philanthropist Leslie Dan, author Anna Porter, and Dr. László Radványi, former Director of the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research.

An internationally recognized leader in embryo development and regenerative medicine, Dr. Nagy is renowned for his pioneering discoveries and technological innovations in stem cell biology and for translating these advances towards safe and effective cell-based therapies. Born in Hungary, he earned a degree in mathematics and a doctorate in genetics from Loránd Eötvös University in Budapest. He joined the Samuel Lunenfeld Research Institute (now LTRI) in 1989 as a Visiting Scientist and was appointed Investigator in 1994, establishing a research program focused on embryo development, driven by rapidly advancing molecular biology tools. He is also a professor at the University of Toronto.

Dr. Nagy led the development of genome editing tools that provided key insights into gene function in development and disease. He generated Canada’s first human embryonic stem cell lines and contributed to the development of induced pluripotent stem (iPS) cells, where specialized cells are reprogrammed into stem cells for research and therapy. These achievements earned him a place on the inaugural Scientific American Top 10 Honor Roll in 2009, alongside Barack Obama, Bill Gates and Michael Bloomberg. 

As stem cell research advanced globally, Dr. Nagy shifted his focus to translational research, aiming to accelerate the clinical application of cell-based therapies. He engineered genetic tools to enhance the safety of stem cell-derived transplant grafts and to protect them from immune rejection. His current work includes preclinical development of therapies for degenerative diseases such as blindness, diabetes, arthritis and lung disease.

Dr. Nagy’s international reputation is reflected in his numerous honours. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, a Foreign Member of the Hungarian Academy of Sciences, and holds an honorary doctorate from the University of Helsinki, where he was also a visiting professor. In addition to his academic appointments in Canada, Dr. Nagy is a Distinguished Visiting Professor at Hong Kong University.

Dr. Anne-Claude Gingras, Director of LTRI and Vice President, Research, Sinai Health, said, “For more than three decades, Dr. Nagy has been deepening our understanding of developmental biology and stem cells, applying this knowledge to drive innovation in regenerative medicine and mentoring the next generation of scientists. The Life Achievement Award reflects his sustained efforts and excellence, and I congratulate him on this well-deserved recognition.”