2017 Conference Speakers

The Future of Regenerative Medicine Congress 2017
Extending and Improving Life with Perinatal, Adipose, and Bone Marrow Cellular Therapy

Upcoming Virtual Conferences

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Kyle Cetrulo

Clinical Trials with Perinatal Cells

  • Kyle Cetrulo
    President and Founder, Perinatal Stem Cell Society
    Co-Founder and CEO, Auxocell Laboratories, Inc.

    ​Conference Presentation Topic: Clinical Trials with Perinatal Cells

    Kyle Cetrulo has been interested in Perinatal Stem Cells and non-profit organizations since 1998.  As the former Director of the International Cord Blood Society (ICBS), Mr. Cetrulo organized the 5th and 6th International Congresses for the ICBS in 2002 and 2004, which had representatives from 23 countries participate in the meetings.

    In 2008, Mr. Cetrulo co-founded Auxocell Laboratories, Inc. (Auxocell).  Auxocell achieved profitability in three years under his leadership and Mr. Cetrulo currently remains in the position of Chief Executive Officer at Auxocell.  Editor of two editions of Perinatal Stem Cells (Wiley Press, 2010 and 2013) and 2006 guest editor of the Stem Cell Reviews journal special edition focused on Perinatal Stem Cells, Mr. Cetrulo developed relationships with the world’s preeminent stem cell researchers working in the perinatal stem cell field.

    In 2013, Mr. Cetrulo along with his co-founders, decided to form the non-profit International Perinatal Stem Cell Society, Inc., in order to provide a platform for collaboration and the dissemination of knowledge and information about perinatal stem cells.

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Adam William Anz, MD

Orthopedic Surgeon, Andrews Institute, Gulf Breeze, FL

  • Adam William Anz, MD
    Orthopedic Surgeon, Andrews Institute, Gulf Breeze, FL

    Adam Anz, MD is an orthopaedic surgeon who is fellowship trained in sports related injuries focusing on knee surgery, hip arthroscopy, and orthobiologics. He has many peer-reviewed publications and presentations with a special interest in cartilage regeneration. His main goals are to keep patients as active as possible in the least invasive way and constantly improve our Orthopaedic techniques. Dr Anz did his orthopaedic surgery residency training at Wake Forest University in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, and he completed a sports fellowship at the Steadman Clinic in Vail, Colorado where he learned complex knee surgery from Drs Steadman and Laprade and hip arthroscopy from Dr Philippon.

    Dr. Anz has numerous orthopedic journal publications and a strong interest in biologic augmentation of our current surgical techniques. In 2009, he first visited with Dr Khay Yong Saw in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia, who had pioneered a method to regenerate cartilage using a patients own stem cells, and has returned for a total of four visits to collaborate with Dr Saw. Currently, Drs. Saw and Anz are initiating a multicenter trial involving this cell technology to advance its status with the U.S. FDA. Additional current projects include biomechanical strength testing of new arthroscopic suture techniques, repair of the biceps femoris, and synovial stem cell augmentation of ACL reconstruction.

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​Curtis L. Cetrulo, Jr, MD

Talk TBA

  • ​Curtis L. Cetrulo, Jr, MD
    Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, Massachusetts General Hospital Assistant Professor of Surgery, Harvard Medical School Director, Vascularized Composite Tissue Allotransplantation Lab Attending Surgeon, Massachusetts General Hospital

    ​Conference Presentation Topic: TBA

    Curtis L Cetrulo, MD is a nationally-respected clinical microsurgeon and educator, and a national leader in vascularized composite allotransplantation. Dr Cetrulo graduated from Stanford University in 1992 and Tufts University School of Medicine in 1999. Following general surgery residency training, a plastic surgery research fellowship, plastic surgery residency training and hand and microsurgery fellowship training, Dr Cetrulo practiced reconstructive microsurgery and hand surgery at the University of Southern California Medical Center (USC). He also performed pediatric reconstructive microsurgery, burn reconstruction, cleft lip/palate surgery, and pediatric hand surgery at the Shriners Hospital for Children-Los Angeles from 2007-2009. In addition, Dr Cetrulo established and directed a translational research laboratory dedicated to composite tissue allograft research. Dr Cetrulo participated in many medical missions while at USC. In 2009, Dr Cetrulo joined the Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery of the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) and the Massachusetts General Hospital for Children, as well as the staff of Shriners Hospital for Children-Boston. Dr Cetrulo's surgical practice is dedicated to preforming cutting-edge complex adult and pediatric reconstructive microsurgery, as well as hand surgery, breast reconstruction, and burn reconstruction. Dr Cetrulo has published numerous clinical research contributions to the microsurgery literature. Dr Cetrulo established one of the first Vascularized Composite Allotransplantation Service at MGH, from inception to regulatory board approval to performance of MGH's first hand transplantation. Dr Cetrulo's hand transplant case has been distinguished by the patient's superior functional outcome compared to other hand transplant recipients throughout the world, as well as for widening the applicability of this procedure for burned amputees. Dr Cetrulo also serves as the Senior Investigator and Head of the Vascularized Composite Tissue Allotransplantation Laboratory at the Transplantation Biology Research Center, Massachusetts General Hospital (TBRC). The TBRC laboratory is investigating tolerance induction strategies for vascularized composite tissue allografts (VCA) in the immunogenetically-defined MGH miniature swine model as well as in non-human primate models. Current research efforts are directed toward use of mixed hematopoietic chimerism to induce transplantation tolerance to VCA and toward exploring the immunologic mechanisms involved in tolerance and rejection of the skin component of VCA. TBRC recently published an important contribution to the field: the first demonstration of immunologic tolerance of all components of a VCA in a large animal, preclinical model.

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Rouzbeh R. Taghizadeh, PhD

Umbilical Cord Tissue Processing Technologies for Perinatal MSC Banking

  • Rouzbeh R. Taghizadeh, PhD
    ​Director, Secretary, and Founder of the Perinatal Stem Cell Society
    Chief Scientific Officer, Auxocell Laboratories, Inc. 

    Conference Presentation Topic: Umbilical Cord Tissue Processing Technologies for Perinatal MSC Banking

    Dr. Rouzbeh R. Taghizadeh has dedicated more than 15 years to bringing stem cell-based therapies to clinical practice. He earned his Ph.D. in Stem Cell Bioengineering in 2006 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and cofounded AuxoCell Laboratories, Inc. as Chief Scientific Officer in 2008. At AuxoCell, Dr. Taghizadeh developed novel methods and technologies most notably, the patented AuxoCell Processing System (AC:Px™), in order to establish the collection, processing, and banking of stem cells from the human umbilical cord for eventual utilization in cell based therapies, regenerative medicine, and other clinical applications. Dr. Taghizadeh has contributed to numerous peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and patents and is an editor of the 2nd edition of Perinatal Stem Cells.

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Sean Murphy, PhD

Amnion Membrane-Derived Cells and Materials for Skin Wound Treatment

  • Sean Murphy, PhD
    Assistant Professor, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine
    Director/Secretary and Co-founder of the Perinatal Stem Cell Society

    Conference Presentation Topic: Amnion Membrane-Derived Cells and Materials for Skin Wound Treatment

    Dr. Sean V. Murphy received his Bachelors degree from the University of Western Australia and his Ph.D. from Monash University, Melbourne, Australia. He is currently an Assistant Professor of Regenerative Medicine at the Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine in North Carolina, USA. His research focuses on developing regenerative medicine and tissue engineering strategies to establish and improve clinical treatments for lung disease. These strategies include cell therapies to restore normal function to lung tissue and minimize inflammation and scarring associated with disease, use of 3D bioprinting to fabricate new airway tissues for transplantation, and lung-on-a-chip technologies for disease modeling and drug discovery. Dr. Murphy is currently the Associate Editor of the journal Bioprinting, on the Editorial Board of multiple journals, including Stem Cells Translational Medicine and is Director, Secretary and Founder of the Perinatal Stem Cell Society. Dr. Murphy has published over 30 peer reviewed journal articles, multiple book chapters and reviews, and numerous awards and fellowships, most notably from the American Lung Association Senior Research Training and the American Australian Association.

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​Charles S. Cox, Jr, MD

Professor of Pediatric Surgery, and the George and Cynthia Mitchell Distinguished Chair in Neuroscience, directing the Pediatric Surgical Translational Laboratories and Pediatric Program in Regenerative Medicine at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. 

  • Charles S. Cox, Jr, MD
    Professor of Pediatric Surgery, and the George and Cynthia Mitchell Distinguished Chair in Neuroscience, directing the Pediatric Surgical Translational Laboratories and Pediatric Program in Regenerative Medicine at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. He is co-director of the Texas Trauma Institute and directs the Pediatric Trauma Program at the University of Texas-Houston/Children’s Memorial Hermann Hospital in the Texas Medical Center.

    Charles S Cox, MD is a Texas native who received his undergraduate degree from the University of Texas at Austin in the Plan II Liberal Arts Honors Program. Upon graduating from the University of Texas Medical Branch, he completed his Surgery residency at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. Further post-graduate fellowships were completed in Pediatric Surgery at the University of Michigan, a NIH T32 sponsored clinical and research fellowship in cardiopulmonary support/circulatory support devices/bio-hybrid organs at the Shriner's Burns Institute, and Surgical Critical Care/Trauma at the University of Texas Medical School at Houston. He is certified by the American Board of Surgery in Surgery, with added qualifications in Pediatric Surgery and Surgical Critical Care. He served in Afghanistan with the 82nd Airborne in the 909th Forward Surgical Team in 2002.

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Alla Danilkovitch, RN, MS, PhD

Chief Scientific Officer Osiris Therapeutics

  • Alla Danilkovitch, RN, MS, PhD
    Chief Scientific Officer Osiris Therapeutics

    Alla Danilkovitch, RN, MS, PhD joined Osiris in 2003. At Osiris Dr Danilkovitch is responsible for development of Osiris' product pipeline and leads Research and Development, Medical Affairs and Clinical Operations. She is a researcher with more than 25 years of experience in Academia, U.S. Government and Industry combined. She has a proven record of successful product development from scientific ideas to market launch, which includes the world's first approved stem cell drug, remestemcel-L (Prochymal), for graft-versus-host disease, as well as BIO4 for bone repair, Cartiform for cartilage repair, Grafix and TruSkin for acute and chronic wounds, and Stravix for soft tissue repair. Her areas of scientific expertise include cellular and molecular biology and immunology, cell biochemistry and signal transduction, assay development and validation, stem cell biology and cellular regenerative medicine product development. She is an active member of several professional societies and a current reviewer for many peer-reviewed journals including Stem Cells, Allergy & Inflammation, Advances in Wound Care and others. Dr Danilkovitch has an extensive list of awards (13), publications (50) and patent applications (55). She also has extensive mentoring experience with deep understanding of the importance of teaching a new generation of scientists. Prior to joining Osiris, Dr Danilkovitch conducted research at the National Cancer Institute of National Institutes of Health, the Max Planck Institute of Biochemistry in Munich, Germany, the Etvos Lorand University, Budapest, Hungary, and at Moscow State University, Moscow, Russia. She earned a PhD in Cell Biology and an MS in Cellular Immunology and Microbiology from Moscow State University. She also has RN degree in Pediatrics from Moscow Regional School of Nursing, Russia.

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​Matthew G Garoufalis, DPM, CWS

Associate Chief of Podiatry Service, Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL

  • Matthew G Garoufalis, DPM, CWS
    Associate Chief of Podiatry Service, Jesse Brown VA Medical Center, Chicago, IL

    Matthew G Garoufalis, DPM graduated from Heidelberg College in Tiffin, Ohio with degrees in Biology and Economics and went on to graduate from the Dr Wm M Scholl College of Podiatric Medicine. After completing a surgical residency at the Westside VA Medical Center in Chicago, Dr Garoufalis began and maintains a private practice in Chicago. He is the Associate Chief of the Podiatry Section at Jesse Brown and Hines VA Medical Centers. Dr Garoufalis is a past president of the Illinois Podiatric Medical Association and of the American Podiatric Medical Association. He is the current Vice President of the International Federation of Podiatrists. Dr Garoufalis is a Fellow of the Faculty of Podiatric Medicine of the Royal College of Physicians and Surgeons of Glasgow. He is committed to expanding public awareness about the importance of podiatric medicine and in allowing students and young practioners to realize the dynamic positive impact they have in shaping the future growth on the profession, as well as their own personal achievement. Dr Garoufalis is Board Certified by the American Board of Foot and Ankle Surgery and American Board of Podiatric Medicine and is a Fellow of the American Society of Podiatric Surgeons and the American College of Foot and Ankle Orthopedics and Medicine. He is also a Certified Wound Specialist by the American Board of Wound Management. He has authored many articles and has lectured extensively on a variety of topics pertinent to wound care, podiatric medicine and surgery, and practice management.

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​Sheldon S Lin, MD

Chief of Foot & Ankle Division and Associate Professor

  • ​Sheldon S Lin, MD
    Chief of Foot & Ankle Division and Associate Professor of the Department of Orthopedics

    Sheldon Lin, MD is chief of Foot Ankle Division and Associate Professor of the Department of Orthopedics at Rutgers-New Jersey Medical School. He has extensive clinical experience in lower extremity, with specific focus on foot and ankle trauma and fusions. Dr Lin's expertise has earned him the position of Associate Editor of Foot Ankle International as well as section editor for OKU Foot Ankle I and II. In addition, he has been Chairperson of the AOFAS Research Committee, OREF Prospective Clinical Research as well as currently past Chair for the ORS Awards committee and ad hoc for NIH and reviewer for DOD CDMRP. Dr Lin has also served as Program Director for the Orthobiologic Symposium at the AOFAS Pre-meeting in 2012. His research interests have focused on the role of insulin and insulin mimetic agents upon bone healing. With his previous experience in Pre-clinical and Clinical FDA trials (BioMimetic Therapeutics/Wright Medical) in orthobiologic agents, he has developed an orthobiologic platform supported by multiple publications and presentations demonstrating its potential clinical application in fusions (hindfoot, spine), fracture healing (implantable and injectable options) and segmental defects. This technology platform has been built upon a strong IP portfolio, with several issued (U.S. and Europe) and pending patents in the International forum. In 2013, Dr Lin and Dr Joseph Benevenia, obtained a license from UMDNJ/Rutgers University with the goal of developing and commercializing their research work, thus enabling the establishment of CreOsso.

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​Steve A McClain, MD

Adjunct Professor Dermatology and Emergency Medicine, SUNY, Stony Brook, LI

  • Steve A McClain, MD
    Adjunct Professor Dermatology and Emergency Medicine, SUNY, Stony Brook, LI

    Steve McClain, MD hails from High Ridge, Missouri. He graduated from the University of Missouri and trained at the University of Vermont with Dermatopathology fellowship at New York University. He is Associate Professor of Dermatology and Emergency Medicine at SUNY at Stony Brook with research interests in Wound Healing, Malignant Melanoma, and Pathology Informatics. He practices dermatopathology privately in Smithtown NY, founding McClain Laboratories, LLC in 2004. His most recent work "Thickness of Normal Toenails" was submitted for publication in American Journal of Dermatopathology.

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Biju Parekkadan, PhD

Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Rutgers University; Co-Founder, Director, Sentien Biotechnologies, Inc.

  • Biju Parekkadan, PhD
    Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Rutgers University; Co-Founder, Director, Sentien Biotechnologies, Inc.

    Biju Parekkadan, PhD's lab develops new platform technologies for cell and gene therapy. To this end, they converge knowledge and techniques of cell/gene/tissue engineering, drug delivery, biomaterials, micro/macro-fluidic bioreactors, transport phenomena, chemical kinetics, computational biology, and bioprocess engineering. Dr Parekkadan's lab collaborates extensively with biology and clinical experts in hematology, oncology, rheumatology, surgery, and infectious disease to design and execute IND-enabling studies in support of human trials. Animal models of these disease areas are created in-house and pre-clinical studies of experimental therapeutics are performed using advanced principles of pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics. The research is conducted with a mindfulness of regulatory science and intellectual property for potential opportunities to translate the work with industrial partners or as a new venture.

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Joanne Kurtzberg, MD

Extending Perinatal Therapies for the Brain.

  • Joanne Kurtzberg, MD
    Director, Marcus Center for Cellular Cures (MC3) 
    Director, Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Program
    Director, Carolinas Cord Blood Bank
    Co-Director, Stem Cell Laboratory

    Conference Presentation Topic: ​Extending Perinatal Therapies for the Brain

    Dr. Joanne Kurtzberg is an internationally renowned expert in pediatric hematology/oncology, pediatric blood and marrow transplantation, umbilical cord blood banking and transplantation, and novel applications of cord blood in the emerging fields of cellular therapies and regenerative medicine. Dr. Kurtzberg pioneered the use of umbilical cord blood as an alternative stem cell source for unrelated hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). Over the last two decades, Dr. Kurtzberg has established an internationally known pediatric transplant program at Duke, which treats children with cancer, blood disorders, immune deficiencies, hemoglobinopathies and inherited metabolic diseases. In 2010, Kurtzberg established the Julian Robertson Cell and Translational Therapy Program (CT2) at Duke.  CT2 focuses on translational studies from bench to bedside with a focus on bringing cellular therapies in regenerative medicine to the clinic. Recent areas of investigation in CT2, which are funded by the Marcus Foundation, include the use of autologous cord blood in children with neonatal brain injury, cerebral palsy, and autism, as well as preclinical and clinical studies manufacturing microglial oligodendrocyte-like cells from cord blood to treat patients with acquired and genetic brain diseases. Studies of donor cord blood cells and donor cord tissue MSCs in adults with stroke and children with cerebral palsy and autism are also underway. In 2018, Dr. Kurtzberg established and became director of the Marcus Center for Cellular Cures (MC3) at Duke. 
     
    Dr. Kurtzberg established one of the largest unrelated donor cord blood banks, the Carolinas Cord Blood Bank, in the world at Duke in 1998.  The bank has a current inventory of >40,000 units and has provided cord blood units to over 2,500 patients undergoing unrelated donor HSCT over the past 20 years. Dr. Kurtzberg’s lab has developed novel assays enumerating ALDH bright cells to predict cord blood potency from segments attached to cryopreserved cord blood units, and is performing translational research testing cord blood expansion, cellular targeted therapies and tissue repair and regeneration. In 2012, under the direction of Dr. Kurtzberg, the Carolinas Cord Blood Bank received FDA approval for DuCord, a stem cell product derived from umbilical cord blood, for use in transplants between unrelated donors and recipients. Dr. Kurtzberg currently holds several INDs for investigational clinical trials. Additionally, she is the co-director of the Duke Hospital Stem Cell Transplant Laboratory. 

    Dr. Kurtzberg has published over 300 peer-reviewed papers, multiple chapters and scientific reviews.  She is a member of the American Society of Hematology, the American Association of Blood and Marrow Transplantation, the American Society of Pediatric Hematology/Oncology, the International Society of Cellular Therapies, the Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Consortium (PBMTC), and multiple other organizations.  She has served on the Board of the Foundation of Accreditation of Cellular Therapies, co-chaired the National Marrow Donor Program’s Cord Blood Advisory Group and has served on the Advisory Council of Blood Stem Cell Transplantation to Health and Human Services.  Dr. Kurtzberg was awarded a Lifetime Achievement Award from the PBMTC in 2012. Most recently, she established and is the first president of the Cord Blood Association.

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    Extending Cord Blood to Regenerative Therapies for the Brain
    Joanne Kurtzberg, MD; Director, Marcus Center for Cellular Cures; Director, Carolinas Cord Blood Bank; Director, Pediatric Blood and Marrow Transplant Program 
    ​
    Cord blood cells can work through paracrine and trophic mechanisms to help endogenous cells heal brain tissue damaged by disease or injury. Learning from observations made using unrelated donor umbilical cord blood transplantation after myeloablative chemotherapy to treat children with certain inherited metabolic diseases, cord blood therapies have been developed to treat children with acquired brain injuries, like hypoxic ischemic encephalopathy, cerebral palsy, and autism. Results of preclinical and IND enabling studies will be presented to provide information about safety and potential mechanisms of action of cord blood cells in this setting. Data from early phase human clinical trials for safety and efficacy in these diseases will be presented by the speaker in this session.  

    Learning Objectives: 
    1. Attendee will learn the history and evolution of cord blood banking and transplantation.
    2. Attendee will learn about quality measures of cord blood units.
    3. Attendee will learn about new clinical applications for cord blood therapies.

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​Anthony Atala, MD

Director, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, H. Boyce Professor and Chair of Urology, Wake Forest School of Medicine Professor. Dr. Atala is a practicing surgeon and a researcher in the area of regenerative medicine. His work focuses on growing human cells, tissues and organs.

  • ​Anthony Atala, MD
    Director, Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine, H. Boyce Professor and Chair of Urology, Wake Forest School of Medicine Professor. Dr. Atala is a practicing surgeon and a researcher in the area of regenerative medicine. His work focuses on growing human cells, tissues and organs.

    Anthony Atala, MD works with several journals and serves in various roles, including Editor-in-Chief of: Stem Cells - Translational Medicine, Current Stem Cell Research and Therapy, Therapeutic Advances in Urology, and BioPrinting. Dr Atala is a recipient of awards, including the U.S. Congress-funded Christopher Columbus Foundation Award, bestowed on a living American who is currently working on a discovery that will significantly affect society, the World Technology Award in Health and Medicine, the Samuel D Gross Prize in Surgical Research, the Innovation Award from the Society of Manufacturing Engineers, the Rocovich Gold Medal, and the Edison Science/Medical Award for work in 3D Bioprinting. In 2011 he was elected to the Institute of Medicine of the National Academy of Sciences, and in 2014 was inducted to the National Academy of Inventors as a Charter Fellow. Dr Atala's ongoing work has been described in the lay press. Dr Atala's work was listed in 2007 as Time Magazine's top 10 medical breakthroughs of the year, by Discover Magazine in 2007 as the Number 1 Top Science Story of the Year in the field of medicine, by Smithsonian Magazine in 2010 as one of 40 things to know about the next 40 years, by Time Magazine in 2011 as one of the top five medical breakthroughs of the year, by the Huffington Post in 2011 as one of 18 great ideas for the future, and by Time Magazine in 2013 as one of five discoveries that will change the future of organ transplants.

    Dr Atala was named by Scientific American in 2010 as a Medical Treatments Leader of the Year for his contributions to the fields of cell, tissue and organ regeneration, by U.S. News & World Report in 2009 in as one of 14 Pioneers of Medical Progress in the 21st Century, by the American Association of Retired Persons in 2012 as one of the 50 influential people who will make life better, and by Scientific American in 2015 as one of the world's most influential people in biotechnology. Dr Atala has led or served several national professional and government committees, including the National Institutes of Health working group on Cells and Developmental Biology, the Bioengineering Consortium, the National Cancer Institute's National Cancer Advisory Board, and was the Founder of the Regenerative Medicine Foundation. Dr Atala heads a team of over 450 physicians and researchers. Over twelve applications of technologies developed in Dr Atala's laboratory have been used clinically. He is the editor of fourteen books, including Principles of Regenerative Medicine, 3D Biofabrication, Essentials of Stem Cell Biology, and Methods of Tissue Engineering. He has published more than 500 journal articles and has applied for or received over 250 national and international patents.

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Angelo Leto Barone, MD

Assistant Professor of Research, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery

  • ​Angelo Leto Barone, MD
    Assistant Professor of Research, Division of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery, University of Palermo, Italy. Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery Resident, Johns Hopkins Hospital

    Angelo Leto Barone, MD is a plastic and reconstructive surgeon with a strong research interest in upstream spheroids of adipose-derived stem cells. DrLeto Barone graduated from the University of Palermo medical school in 2006 cum laude. He trained in Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery at the University of Palermo in Italy and focused his research on both adipose-derived stem cells and vascularized composite allotransplantation (VCA). He completed three post-doctoral fellowships at the University of Southern California (USC), the Massachusetts General Hospital/Harvard Medical School and the Johns Hopkins Hospital. Dr Leto Barone received extensive governmental funding from the Italian Ministry of Health to describe, characterize and differentiate upstream spheroids of adipose-derived stem cells. He remotely leads his research group at the University of Palermo, now focusing on the investigation of the miRNA expression of this cell population and their immunomodulatory effects as an application in VCA. He is the author of several peer-reviewed publications and invited book chapters in both the fields of stem cell biology and VCA, as well as a reviewer for important journals in both fields (Stem Cell; Transplantation; Annals of Plastic Surgery, E-Plasty, BioMed Research International; Biochemie). He has won numerous awards in plastic surgery and stem cell research, such as the prestigious 2014 Snyder Award at the Plastic Surgery Research Council, as well as best talk at the 2011 European Plastic Surgery Research Council and the Young Investigator Travel Award at the 2012 Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS) Young Investigator.

    In 2015 he co-funded ReconstratA, a startup that aims to engineer solutions for Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery problems. The company's first device, AuryzoN, aiming to allow easy, cost-effective ear and nose reconstruction, earned the company the title of top 1% startup of 2015 for Collision (Web Summit, the same event that launched big startups like Uber). The company has secured both crowd and angel funding, and is currently developing the first prototype for pre-clinical testing. He remains in the company as Co-Founder and Chief Medical Officer. He currently resides in Baltimore, MD, where is continuing his plastic surgery training at the Johns Hopkins Hospital.

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Debra Bourne, MD

Plastic Surgery Resident, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Department of Plastic Surgery

  • Debra Bourne, MD
    Plastic Surgery Resident, University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, Department of Plastic Surgery

    Debra Bourne, MD received her Bachelor of Science from Cornell University. Following graduation, she spent a year in Namibia, Africa teaching Biology and Mathematics in a public school. She then joined Laura Johnston's laboratory at Columbia University College of Physicians and Surgeons where she investigated growth control during organ development. She attended medical school at Yale University. Dr Bourne is now training at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center Department of Plastic and Reconstructive Surgery. Her current research focus, in collaboration with Dr J Peter Rubin, Kacey G Marra, PhD, and the University of Pittsburgh Adipose Stem Cell Research Laboratory, has been in the regenerative properties of adipose derived stem cells and structural fat grafting as a treatment for soft tissue deficits in the craniofacial region and for traumatic lower extremity amputations.

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Christopher K Bromley, DPM

Chairman, Foot and Ankle Surgery, Vassar Medical Center, Poughkeepsie, NY

  • Christopher K Bromley, DPM
    Chairman, Foot and Ankle Surgery, Vassar Medical Center, Poughkeepsie, NY

    Christopher Bromley, DPM currently serves as the Department Chair of Foot and Ankle Surgery of Vassar Medical Center. Dr Bromley is the managing partner of a large multi specialty group in upstate NY. Dr Bromley specialty within the group is Surgery, Sports Medicine and Homeopathy. Dr Bromley has been passionate about nutrition and complementary medicine since entering private practice. He completed his surgical residency in 1992 in Baltimore, MD. His training included such prestigious hospitals as the University of Maryland and Johns Hopkins. Currently Dr Bromley serves as a national speaker and consultant for several companies specializing in Foot and Ankle Surgery. When not in the office and on the podium Dr Bromley is an on track performance driving instructor and motorcycle track day instructor. Dr Bromley is very proud of his three children Sarah, Kent and Alexander.

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Julia Colliflower, RN, BSN, CWON, MHA 

Julia Colliflower has over 24 years of nursing experience including acute care, skilled nursing and the medical device industry. 

  • Julia Colliflower, RN, BSN, CWON, MHA
    ​Julia Colliflower has over 24 years of nursing experience including acute care, skilled nursing and the medical device industry.

    She received her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Marshall University School of Nursing in Huntington, West Virginia. Julia is also a certified wound and ostomy nurse. She received her Master's in Health Administration from Marshall University and is currently employed as a Clinical Outcomes Specialist at 3M in the Critical and Chronic Solutions Division.

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​Robert Frykberg, DPM, MPH

PRESENT Editor - Diabetic Limb Salvage
Residency Director, Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ

  • Robert Frykberg, DPM, MPH
    PRESENT Editor - Diabetic Limb Salvage
    Residency Director, Carl T. Hayden VA Medical Center, Phoenix, AZ

    Robert G Frykberg, DPM, MPH, received his Doctor of Podiatric Medicine degree from the California College of Podiatric Medicine in 1976 prior to completing his residency in podiatric surgery at the New England Deaconess Hospital/Harvard Medical School, Boston in 1978. In 1994 he received his Master of Public Health degree from the Harvard School of Public Health with a concentration in quantitative methods. He was an attending physician at the Deaconess Hospital for 21 years prior to accepting a position as the Dean for Clinical Affairs in the College of Podiatric Medicine at Des Moines University in 1999. Dr Frykberg currently holds the position of Chief of the Podiatry section and Podiatric Residency Director at the Carl T Hayden Veterans Affairs Medical Center in Phoenix, Arizona and is an Adjunct Professor, Midwestern University Program in Podiatric Medicine. Dr. Frykberg's practice is devoted primarily to patients with high-risk foot problems. His research and writing interests are in diabetic foot ulcers and disorders, venous leg ulcers, and the Charcot foot. He has written numerous peer-reviewed articles and text chapters and has edited several textbooks on diabetic foot disorders. He is the former Chair of the Foot Care Council of the American Diabetes Association and a Past President of the American College of Foot and Ankle Surgeons.

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Professor Joachim Kohn, PhD

Board of Governors Professor Director, New Jersey Center for Biomaterials Chair, International College of Fellows (ICF-BSE)

  • Professor Joachim Kohn, PhD
    Board of Governors Professor Director, New Jersey Center for Biomaterials Chair, International College of Fellows (ICF-BSE)

    Joachim Kohn, PhD is the Director of the NJ Center for Biomaterials, is a leader in biomaterials science and widely known for the development of tyrosine-derived, resorbable polymers, which are now used in several FDA-approved medical devices. Currently about 200,000 patients in the USA, Canada, Latin America, and Europe are using implants containing tyrosine-derived, resorbable polymers which are being commercialized by REVA Medical, TYRX, and Medtronic.

    Dr Kohn's current research efforts focus on the development of new discovery paradigms for revolutionary biomaterials using combinatorial and computational methods to optimize the composition, properties, and cellular responses of biomaterials for specific applications, particularly tissue engineering and drug delivery. Dr Kohn has published extensively, including over 200 major, peer-reviewed publications, 40 book chapters, and over 70 issued U.S. patents. Many of his recent publications focus on methods to control the behavior of cells (including stem cells) in the context of regenerative medicine. Examples of this work include research on mandibular jaw bone regeneration using human dental cell-seeded scaffolds (J of Tissue Engineeering, Part A, 2016, 22(13/14), 985-993), mitochondria-targeted nanoparticles for selective growth inhibition of lung cancer (ACS App Mat Interfaces, 2016, 8(39), 25680-25690), generation and brain-transplantation of 3-D microscale networks of reprogrammed human neurons (Nature Communications, 2016, 7, 10862), and cytoskeleton-based forecasting of stem cell lineage fates (Proc. Natl. Acad. Sci. USA, 2010, 107(2), 610-615).

    In 2015, Dr Kohn was appointed as a member of the Roundtable on Biomedical Engineering Materials and Applications of the National Research Council of the National Academy of Sciences. In 2014 he was the recipient of the Research Award from the Health Care Institute of New Jersey for contributions to life sciences and healthcare. In 2013, hewas inducted into the National Academy of Inventors. He currently serves as the Elected Chair of the International College of Fellows of Biomaterials Science and Engineering. Since 2008, he directs the Rutgers-Cleveland Consortium of the Armed Forces Institute of Regenerative Medicine (AFIRM), a $50 Million program funded by the Department of Defense. He is also one of the founding members of the ASTM F04 Committee where he participates in the development of industry-wide standards for tissue engineering and regenerative medicine products.

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Dennis Lox, MD

Sports and Regenerative Medicine

  • Dennis Lox, MD
    Sports and Regenerative Medicine

    Dennis Lox, MD practices Sports and Regenerative Medicine in the Tampa Bay Metro area and Beverly Hills, California. Dr Lox has authored 2 medical texts, 8 book chapters, and frequently lectures around the world. Dr Lox is an expert in the use of stem cell applications to sports and osteoarthritis. Dr. Lox treats a very diverse patient base, from professional athletes, to weekend warriors, and aging patients who wish to maintain a high quality of life. Dr Lox has treated patients from around the world, desiring to maintain their health.

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Racheli Ofir, PhD

Vce President, Research & Intellectual Property

  • Racheli Ofir, PhD
    Vce President, Research & Intellectual Property

    Racheli Ofir earned her PhD from the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, where she investigated Telomeric position effects on gene expression and DNA replication in human cells. She did her postdoctoral fellowship in molecular embryology investigating genes involved in early development of vertebrates' nervous system, also at the Technion, Israel institute of technology. Dr Ofir joined Pluristem in 2007 and is the VP of Research and Intellectual Property.

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Ken Rando, BS

Ken Rando is a CustomerCentric sales professional, with almost 10 years of documented success in the Regenerative Medicine / capital equipment field. 

  • Ken Rando, BS
    Ken Rando is a CustomerCentric sales professional, with almost 10 years of documented success in the Regenerative Medicine / capital equipment field.

    ​Ken specializes in closed, modular incubation & processing systems which can be used as alternatives to open, expensive cGMP facilities (cleanrooms) - saving massive amounts of money, time and risk while producing a more consistent and more viable cell product.

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Matthew Regulski, DPM

Matthew Regulski, DPM, is a graduate of Temple University School of Medicine, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude.

  • Matthew Regulski, DPM
    Matthew Regulski, DPM, is a graduate of Temple University School of Medicine, where he graduated Summa Cum Laude.

    ​He performed his residency at the Main Line Health System in Philadelphia, PA and is currently the Medical Director of the Wound Care Institute of Ocean County. Dr Regulski is also Co-Director of The Center for Wound Healing & Hyperbaric Medicine at Community Medical Center, as well as being involved at the Wound Care Center at the Kimball Institute. He has been the principle investigator for several clinical trials for chronic leg ulcers and diabetic foot ulcers and has authored several peer reviewed articles for the treatment of chronic wounds. He is an accomplished speaker for several wound care conferences and is a wound care certified physician. Dr Regulski is a fellow of the Academy of Physicians in Wound Healing and a Fellow of the American Professional Wound Care Association. He is a National Delegate for the Association for the Advancement of Wound Care and is a member of the Wound Healing Society.

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Rouzbeh R. Taghizadeh, PhD

Director, Secretary, and Founder of the Perinatal Stem Cell Society
Chief Scientific Officer, Auxocell Laboratories, Inc.

  • Rouzbeh R. Taghizadeh, PhD
    ​Director, Secretary, and Founder of the Perinatal Stem Cell Society
    Chief Scientific Officer, Auxocell Laboratories, Inc.

    Rouzbeh R. Taghizadeh, PhD has dedicated more than 15 years to bringing stem cell-based therapies to clinical practice. He earned his PhD in Stem Cell Bioengineering in 2006 from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) and co-founded AuxoCell Laboratories, Inc. as Chief Scientific Officer in 2008. At AuxoCell, Dr. Taghizadeh developed novel methods and technologies most notably, the patented AuxoCell Processing System (AC:Px), in order to establish the collection, processing, and banking of stem cells from the human umbilical cord for eventual utilization in cell based therapies, regenerative medicine, and other clinical applications. Dr. Taghizadeh has contributed to numerous peer-reviewed publications, book chapters, and patents and is an editor of the 2nd edition of Perinatal Stem Cells.

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Frances Verter, PhD

Founder and Director of the Parent’s Guide to Cord Blood Foundation

  • Frances Verter, PhD
    Founder and Director of the Parent’s Guide to Cord Blood Foundation

    Frances Verter, PhD, received her bachelors degree in physics from Brooklyn College at the City University of New York, and her PhD in astrophysics from Princeton University. She is the founder and director of the Parent's Guide to Cord Blood Foundation, incorporated in the United States as a 501(c)(3) charity. Since 1998, PGCB Foundation has been educating parents about their options for preserving newborn stem cells, supporting both public donation and private storage for the family. The PGCB Foundation has evolved to provide services for professionals as well, providing the world's most complete database of cord blood banks at ParentsGuideCordBlood.org, the world's most accurate cord blood industry report at CordBloodIndustryReport.org, and the world's most complete database of advanced cell therapies in clinical trials at CellTrials.org.

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Ivonne H Schulman, MD

Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Fellowship Director for the Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute (ISCI)

  • ​Ivonne H Schulman, MD
    Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine Fellowship Director for the Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute (ISCI)

    Ivonne H Schulman, MD is Associate Professor of Clinical Medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Fellowship Director for the Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute (ISCI). Dr Schulman received her medical degree from the University of Miami. She completed her internship, residency, and nephrology clinical and research fellowships at the University of Miami/Jackson Memorial Hospital and Veterans Affairs Medical Center and joined the University of Miami School of Medicine faculty in 2004. In addition to working as a clinical nephrologist and hypertension specialist, Dr Schulman is a research scientist with expertise in cardiovascular molecular biology, stem cell culture techniques, and the design and implementation of mesenchymal stem cell preclinical studies and clinical trials for the treatment of cardiovascular diseases and frailty.

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Tsuneo A Takahashi, DSc

Tsunei Takahashi, DSc continues his distinguished career in the regenerative medicine field with his focus on perinatal stem cells and cord blood banking with his current role as the CEO of Lifebank Japan, Ltd.

  • Racheli Ofir, PhD
    Vce President, Research & Intellectual Property

    Racheli Ofir earned her PhD from the Technion, Israel Institute of Technology, where she investigated Telomeric position effects on gene expression and DNA replication in human cells. She did her postdoctoral fellowship in molecular embryology investigating genes involved in early development of vertebrates' nervous system, also at the Technion, Israel institute of technology. Dr Ofir joined Pluristem in 2007 and is the VP of Research and Intellectual Property.

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Bruce Werber, DPM

COO, of BioTech Products, Services and Research (BPSR)

  • Bruce Werber, DPM
    COO, of BioTech Products, Services and Research (BPSR)

    Bruce Werber, DPM is currently the Chief Operating Officer of BioTech Products, Services and Research (BPSR) a public company. From 2011 to 2016, Dr Werber served as a consultant of medical and surgical industries of Cuboid Associates. From 1981 to 2014, Dr Werber practiced as a Board Certified reconstructive foot and ankle surgeon in Rhode Island and then in Arizona, the CEO of several medical practices. In 2012, Dr Werber founded and, from 2012 to 2015, served as the President of Amnio Technology LLC, creating the company as well as developing the processing and clinical science related to utilizing placental tissue in orthopedic medicine. Prior to founding Amnio Technology, Dr Werber wrote and published two peer reviewed papers relating to using placental tissue in the treatment of diabetic wounds, plantar fasciosis and Achilles tendinosis. Dr Werber has spoken and lectured on this topic extensively around the United States and internationally. Dr Werber has completed surgical fellowships in 2003 Athens Institute for Orthopedics in Athens Greece, 2002/04 at the Ilizarov Institute in Kurgan, Russia, and in 1989 Hadassah Hospital Jerusalem, Israel. Developing expertise in diabetic foot conditions most notably reconstruction of the Charcot Foot with external fixation. Dr Werber has submitted eight patent applications in the area of placental tissue, seven of which are still pending and one has been granted. Dr Werber served as the Present of the American College of Foot and Ankle surgeons from 2003 to 2004. He has been a leader in the field of foot and ankle surgery, introducing new successful technologies to improve patient outcomes. His extensive business experience includes the development of the northeast franchisee of Discovery Zone, in addition to founding and managing successful medical practices in Rhode Island and Arizona. Dr Werber earned his DPM (Doctor of Podiatric Medicine) in 1980 from the California College of Podiatric Medicine in San Francisco, CA and a BS in Biology-Physics in 1976 from Syracuse University in Syracuse, NY.