Leonardo da Vinci painted the Mona Lisa.

Martin Luther King pioneered civil rights in America.

Thomas Jefferson authored the Declaration of Independence.

Peter J. Nygard sells polyester pants.

They all belong to an exclusive group of great men who have challenged the status quo and dared to dream, according to a 10-minute YouTube video highlighting Mr. Nygards belief hes living proof that human immortality is possible through stem-cell science.

Born in Finland and raised in Manitoba, the 70-year-old founder of the Nygard fashion empire is ranked 85th on a list of richest Canadians compiled by Canadian Business with a net worth of $944-million. But in recent years he has turned his focus away from running the business and toward searching for everlasting life.

While his efforts clearly loom large in his own mind, proponents of stem-cell research says his goals detract from the serious life-saving work many of them perform.

Immortality is not something we have in our mission statement, said Kathy Hebert, co-founder of the International Stem Cell Society, a Bahamas-based trade organization that recently made local headlines for hosting a conference attended by Mr. Nygard. Just to put it on the record, he had absolutely nothing to do with the conference. He walked in during the middle. He just showed up and left. He didnt ask questions or anything.

Mr. Nygards presence around anything related to stem cells is cause for controversy in the country. He has said he wants to make the Bahamas a worldwide centre for stem-cell research and claims in the video that he helped draft the countrys legislation to legalize the controversial somatic-cell nuclear transfer method of stem-cell therapy, a claim the government denies.

Boasts about his personal transformation are no less provocative. He has poured his money and his DNA into an effort to reproduce his own embryonic stem cells in a lab. He has been taking stem-cell injections four times a year.

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Canadian fashion mogul Nygard puts his faith in stem-cell science