focus

Dr. Laurie Glimcher learned early on from her father, a prominent physician-researcher, that success in science was built on a basic principle: Big discoveries require big risks.

The younger Glimcher took that advice to heart. In the late 1990s at her Harvard immunology lab, Glimcher and her postdoctoral student began a series of experiments that colleagues deemed “crazy.” But after a year of trial and error, the lab had a eureka moment when it found that white blood cells could be reprogrammed, a seminal discovery that led to new ways to treat cancer.

advertisement

“Most scientists do good work, but they don’t transform a scientific question,” said Glimcher. “I always felt the only way to do that is to think big and go after something that’s going to be really important.”

Get unlimited access to award-winning journalism and exclusive events.