Timothy A. Springer

Timothy A. "Tim" Springer (born February 23, 1948) is an American biochemist, immunologist, and biophysicist known for his foundational work on cell adhesion, protein allostery, vascular biology, and immune regulation. He is the Latham Family Professor at Harvard Medical School in the Departments of Biological Chemistry and Molecular Pharmacology and of Pediatrics, and a faculty member in the Program in Cellular and Molecular Medicine and Division of Hematology at Boston Children's Hospital (BCH). Springer is best known for discovering the first cell adhesion molecules of the immune system, the first relationships among integrins—between LFA-1 and Mac-1—and the three-step model for leukocyte emigration from the vasculature. He is also known for entrepreneurship while continuing to run an NIH-funded laboratory, for founding the Institute for Protein Innovation, and for training students and postdoctoral fellows, two of whom are in the National Academy of Sciences. In recent years, his laboratory has focused on structural and mechanobiological studies of integrins, transforming growth factor β (TGF-β), and synthetic scaffolds to zonulate organoids for regenerative medicine..