Camillo Ricordi, MD, is Director of the Diabetes Research Institute at the University of Miami, and also the Stacy Joy Goodman Professor of Surgery, Distinguished Professor of Medicine, and Professor of Biomedical Engineering, and Microbiology and Immunology. Acknowledged by his peers as one of the world’s leading scientists in diabetes cure-focused research and cell transplantation, Dr. Ricordi is well-known for inventing the machine that makes it possible to isolate large numbers of islet cells (insulin-producing cells) from the human pancreas and for performing the first series of successful clinical islet transplants that reversed diabetes. The procedure is now used by laboratories performing clinical islet transplants worldwide, and in 2017 the first NIH-funded, FDA Phase 3 multicenter trial was successfully completed by the NIH Clinical Islet Transplantation Consortium, chaired by Dr. Ricordi for over a decade. He has also developed highly innovative strategies with the objective to transplant cells and organs without the continuous requirement for anti-rejection drugs and for the reversal of autoimmune conditions. While he is a recipient of numerous honors and awards for his significant contributions to the field and life-changing inventions, Dr. Ricordi is most committed to developing a cure for the millions of children and adults living with diabetes.
