Background
Julia Polak was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
Julia Polak was born in Buenos Aires, Argentina.
She was educated at the University of Buenos Aires, before moving to London.
She was head of the Centre for Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine at Imperial College London, a centre for medical research she set up with Larry Hench, also from Imperial College, to develop cells and tissues for transplantation into humans. Polak was one of the longest surviving recipients of a heart and lung transplant in the United Kingdom. lieutenant was her transplant in 1995 which caused her to change her career direction from pathology towards the newly developing field of tissue engineering.
She was recognized as one of the most highly cited and influential researchers in her field
Her work was recognized by the Society for Endocrinology, the International Academy of Pathology and the Association of Clinical Pathologists. She received funding through the Texas/United Kingdom Collaborative Research Initiative in Biosciences.
Doctor Dame Julia Polak died on 11 August 2014, aged 75, from undisclosed causes.
She was editor of the journal, Tissue Engineering, as well as a member of the Medical Research Council/United Kingdom Stem Cell Bank Clinical and User Liaison Committee and an advisor to the Science and Parliament Committees.