2019 Past Conference Speakers

5th Annual Perinatal Stem Cell Society Congress
February 28 - March 1, 2019 in Salt Lake City, UT

Upcoming Virtual Conferences

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Jaideep Banerjee, PhD

Advancement of Placental Tissue Preservation and Clinical Outcomes for Management of Chronic Wounds

  • Jaideep Banerjee, PhD
    Medical Science Liaison at Osiris Therapeutics in Columbia, Maryland

    Conference Presentation Topic:  Advancement of Placental Tissue Preservation and Clinical Outcomes for Management of Chronic Wounds

    Jaideep Banerjee received his Bachelor’s Degree in Physiology from the University of Calcutta in India and his PhD in Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology from the Ohio State University in Columbus, Ohio. He completed two years of post-doctoral training at the US Army Institute of Surgical Research in San Antonio, Texas followed by another two years at George Washington University in Washington, DC. After that, he joined as a Medical Science Liaison at Osiris Therapeutics in Columbia, Maryland. 
    ​
    Over the last 10 years, Dr. Banerjee has been involved with various aspects of wound healing research. In this area, he and his colleagues have published more than 20 articles and have presented in multiple conferences on microRNA regulation, oxidative stress, wound infection and angiogenesis. Dr. Banerjee has thrice received the Excellence in Science and Translational Research Award from the Wound Healing Society.

    ​In addition to his scientific journal publications, Dr. Banerjee is an editor for ‘Advances in Wound Care’ (an official publication of the Wound Healing Society) and has been an invited lead guest editor for ‘Oxidative Medicine and Cellular Longevity’.

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Doug Schmid, PhD

Wharton's Jelly Potential In Regenerative Medicine

  • Doug Schmid, PhD
    Research Associate at the University of Utah Medical School as a cellular biologist

    Conference Presentation Topic: Wharton's Jelly Potential In Regenerative Medicine​

    Dr. Schmid received his Ph.D. in Physiology from the University of Utah School of Medicine in Salt Lake City, Utah. He completed four years of post-doctoral training at the University of Utah Medical School and five years as a Research Associate at the University of Utah Medical School as a cellular biologist.  Dr. Schmid has 23 years of experience in primary cell culture, tissue processing and cryogenic storage of cells and tissues. After working at the University of Utah, from 2009 to present, Dr. Schmid has established, implemented, and supervised the operational aspects several stem cell companies, including the recovery, quality control, processing, and distribution of tissue.  He is passionate about quality and vitality of physiological products and the vast benefits they deliver.

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Tomasz Baran MD, MBA

FamiCord’s Clinical Experience with WJ Derived Products in Multiple Clinical Applications

  • Tomasz Baran MD, MBA
    Tomasz Baran is Board Member of PBKM (Polish Stem Cell Bank) operating in multiple European countries as FamiCord Group. 

    Conference Presentation Topic:  FamiCord’s Clinical Experience with WJ Derived Products in Multiple Clinical Applications

    At FamiCord Tomasz is responsible for Sales and Marketing activities towards healthcare professionals and expectant parents. Tomasz has  both medical (MD since 1997) and business (MBA since 2007) background. He joined PBKM in 2010, prior entering cord blood banking sector he has been holding various position in pharmaceutical industry.

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Ramon Coronado, MSc, PhD

Exosomes to Treat Cancer

  • Ramon Coronado, MSc, PhD
    Executive Director Lester Smith Medical Research Institute

    Conference Presentation Topic:  Exosomes to Treat Cancer

    Dr. Ramon Coronado, moved from Caracas, Venezuela to San Antonio, Texas in 2009 after completing his B.S. in Polymer Engineering. He studied biomedical engineering through the joint program at UTSA/UTHSCSA and a collaborative effort with the US Army Institute of Surgical Research, receiving his masters in 2012 and his Ph.D. in 2016. Passionate about translating care, he founded Mobile Stem Care in 2013, a company focused on delivering stem cell treatments to animals. Following his success in animal care, Dr. Coronado was named Executive Director for the Lester Smith Medical Research Institute in 2015 where he leads research on a variety of human based cellular therapeutics. He received the CellTex Young Investigator Award in 2016 for his work as Director and continues to explore the boundaries of human cellular therapies. In his free time, Dr. Coronado enjoys rock climbing and freediving.

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Timothy Ganey, PhD

Lyophilization of Placental Tissue:  The Future of Long Term Storage?​

  • Timothy Ganey, PhD
    Tim Ganey is Chief Scientific Officer for Vivex Biomedical, Marietta, GA; Director of the Atlanta Learning Center, and Director of Orthopedic Research at the Atlanta Medical Center; Chief Technical Officer, Spinplant GmbH, Leipzig, Germany; a Faculty Member of the TRM Facility in Leipzig Germany, and a faculty member at Nova Southeastern, Ft. Lauderdale, FL.

    ​Conference Presentation Topic: Lyophilization of Placental Tissue:  The Future of Long Term Storage?

    ​As President of the US division of co.don Tissue Engineering, he guided a team that developed and commercialized a portfolio of cell-based therapeutics for cartilage, bone, and the first clinically available biologic for intervertebral disc in 1999. Dr. Ganey has been instrumental in several technology development initiatives, among them the use of cell-based therapeutics, electric field transduction, additive manufacturing (3D printing), and prescribed matrices for regenerative medicine. Patents issues include work stemming from pulsed-field delivery, artificial matrices for bone regeneration, electro-spinning methods and materials, mimetic material modification using photoactive lasers, and stem cell procurement and purification. His efforts have been aligned with the shifting paradigm supporting regenerative treatments for effective patient care – translation as the engine of implementation.

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Rebeca Lim, PhD

Update on Stem Cell Therapy to Treat Infants.

  • Dr Rebecca Lim, PhD
    Dr Rebecca Lim is a stem cell biologist specializing in gestational tissue derived stem cells. She holds joint appointments with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, Monash University and The Ritchie Centre, Hudson Institute of Medical Research. Dr Lim holds adjunct appointments at the Australian Regenerative Medicine Institute and Chinese University Hong Kong. She serves on the scientific advisory board of the Centre for Commercialisation of Regenerative Medicine – Australia, and is a director of Meluha Capital, a Malaysian-owned biotech company. 

    Conference Presentation Topic:  Update on Stem Cell Therapy to Treat Infants
    ​
    Dr Rebecca Lim leads the Amnion Cell Biology team at the Ritchie Centre where she is deputy Centre Head. Dr Lim’s team has been investigating the regenerative potential of human amnion epithelial cells (hAECs). Her research team has uncovered mechanisms through which the hAECs modulate inflammatory events and bolster endogenous repair processes. They have demonstrated that hAECs are able to directly influence the stem cell niche in order to bring about tissue regeneration. This work has now progressed to early phase clinical trials across multiple sites in Australia – in premature babies with bronchopulmonary dysplasia, adults with liver cirrhosis, and stroke. Most recently, Dr Lim has published two patents on hAEC-derived exosomes for regenerative medicine.

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Stephen Strom, PhD

Perinatal Stem Cells to Treat Liver Disease​ 

  • Stephen C. Strom, PhD
    Professor at the Karolinska Institutet in the Department of Laboratory Medicine of the Division of Pathology, Stockholm, Sweden
    Joint appointment in the Division of Cellular and Molecular Pathology at the University of Pittsburgh
    Torsten och Ragnar Söderberg Professor in Cell Transplantation and Regenerative Medicine

    Conference Presentation Topic: Perinatal Stem Cells to Treat Liver Disease
    ​
    At the Karolinska Institutet he is the principal investigator for a Strategic Research Program in Cancer (StratCan) and the Vetenskaprådet (Swedish Research Council) study entitled, “Understanding the biology of genes associated with longevity and healthy aging using humanized mouse models.” His work also includes a European Commission study entitled, “HUMAN: Health and understanding of metabolism, aging and nutrition.”

    Dr. Strom’s research interests include: hepatocyte transplantation as a clinical treatment of liver disease, expression and regulation of drug metabolizing enzymes and in human liver, regulation of human hepatocyte replication and differentiation and production of hepatocytes for transplantation from stem or progenitor cells.

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Susana Cantero Peral, PhD

Cord Blood Derived Mononuclear Cells For the Treatment of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome

  • Susana Cantero Peral, PhD
    Associate Consultant in the Division of General Internal Medicine at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN

    Conference Presentation Topic: Cord Blood Derived Mononuclear Cells For the Treatment of Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome

    Dr. Susana Cantero Peral is an Associate Consultant in the Division of General Internal Medicine at Mayo Clinic, Rochester, MN. She earned her medical degree from the University of Valencia, Spain. She did her residency in Hematology and Hemotherapy, followed by a fellowship in bone marrow transplantation at the University Hospital La Fe in Valencia, Spain. As part of her training in cord blood transplantation Dr. Cantero Peral joined the Division of Hematology, Oncology and Transplantation and the Blood and Marrow Transplant Program of the University of Minnesota as a visiting scientist for 6 months. Then, she moved to the National Cord Blood Program at New York Blood Center, NY, where she spent one year as a postdoctoral fellow and 3 years as a Research scientist under Dr. Rubinstein direction. She joined the Todd and Karen Wanek Family Program for Hypoplastic Left Heart Syndrome at Mayo Clinic in 2011. 

    Dr. Cantero Peral’s research work is focused on umbilical cord blood as a source of stem cells in cardiac regeneration. Susana is the principal investigator of the umbilical cord blood collection study from HLHS patients. The cord blood collected is used in the first clinical trial in US where stem cells are injected into the heart of infants with HLHS. Her goal is to help understand the features and potency of umbilical cord blood stem cells in the cardiac regeneration field and develop novel cell-based therapies for congenital heart disease applications, such as HLHS.

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Jeremy J. Lim, PhD

Biological Properties of Dehydrated Human Amnion/Chorion Membrane and Umbilical Cord Allografts for Soft Tissue Healing

  • Jeremy J. Lim, PhD
    Senior Biomedical Engineer at MiMedx Group, Inc

    Conference Presentation Topic:     Biological Properties of Dehydrated Human Amnion/Chorion Membrane and Umbilical Cord Allografts for Soft Tissue Healing
    ​
    Jeremy Lim, PhD is a Senior R&D Engineer at MiMedx Group, Inc., where he has been a member of the Research and Development team since 2013. Prior to MiMedx, Dr. Lim was an NSF Graduate Research Fellow at Georgia Tech and an ASEE/NSF Engineering Innovation Fellow at MedShape, Inc. He received his PhD in Biomedical Engineering from Georgia Tech and Emory University in Atlanta, GA and received his BS in Biomedical Engineering from Northwestern University in Evanston, IL. Dr. Lim’s research investigates the development and characterization of biomaterials to control cytokine delivery and regulate stem cell activity to promote healing and repair. Dr. Lim has published over 15 peer-reviewed scientific articles and book chapters to date.

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Oula Khoury

Perinatal Cell Therapy For the Treatment of Inflammatory Lung Diseases​

  • Oula Khoury
    PhD candidate at the Wake Forest Institute of Regenerative Medicine in North Carolina, USA

    Conference Presentation Topic: Perinatal Cell Therapy For the Treatment of Inflammatory Lung Diseases

    Oula Khoury received her master’s form the Lebanese American University in Beirut, Lebanon and is currently a PhD student at the Wake Forest Institute of Regenerative Medicine in North Carolina, USA. Her research investigates the role of perinatal cell therapy as a potential treatment for inflammatory lung diseases such as cystic fibrosis (CF). The use of cell therapy as a treatment for inflammatory diseases has been an emerging field.  Her research focuses on providing an increased understanding of the mechanisms of action of perinatal therapies that would allow for the use of this application as a targeted treatment.

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Niranjan Bhattacharya, PhD

Amnion for Burns

  • Niranjan BhattacharyaChair Professor and Head of the Department, Regenerative Medicine and Translational Science, and Director General, first Public Cord Blood Bank in India, Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine, Kolkata. 

    Conference Presentation Topic: Amnion for Burns

    Dr. Niranjan Bhattacharya holds a MD in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, MS in General Surgery and a DSc in Developmental Immunology, and is a Fellow of the American College of Surgeons (FACS). His principal specializations are cell and tissue therapy. He has presented more than 206 Invited lectures including Keynote and Plenary addresses in several international universities and reputed institutions outside his country. Prof Bhattacharya has published widely in international and national journals on cord blood and regenerative medicine. He is the Co-editor along with Prof Phillip Stubblefield, Emeritus Professor Boston University, USA, of five books on the subject published by Springer Nature. He currently holds the positions of Chair Professor and Head of the Department, Regenerative Medicine and Translational Science, and Director General, first Public Cord Blood Bank in India, Calcutta School of Tropical Medicine, Kolkata. He has been cited as among the top five global cord blood influencers by BioInformant.

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Ramkumar Menon, MD, PhD

Senescent Amniochorionic Membranes Propagates Signals of Parturition through Extracellular Vesicles

  • Ramkumar Menon MD, PhD
    Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at The University of Texas medical Branch at Galveston, Texas, USA

    Conference Presentation Topic: Senescent Amniochorionic Membranes Propagates Signals of Parturition through Extracellular Vesicles

    Dr. Ramkumar Menon, is an Associate Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at The University of Texas medical Branch at Galveston, Texas, USA. Dr. Menon has been working in the field of Perinatal Reproductive Biology for the past 27 years, specifically in the area of spontaneous preterm birth and preterm premature rupture of the membranes. Using human fetal membranes (amniochorion) as the model system, Dr. Menon has studied fetal immune response to various endogenous and exogenous risk exposures that can contribute to preterm birth. Dr. Menon reported telomere associated progressive development of human fetal membrane senescence during gestation that peaks at term corresponding with fetal growth. Recently, Dr. Menon’s laboratory has shown that senescence associated signals, primarily inflammatory signals, can propagate from fetal to maternal tissues to cause parturition associated inflammatory changes. This is considered as ‘biologic clock’ and a novel mechanism indicating fetal readiness for parturition. Dr. Menon has reported that propagation of senescence associated inflammation is primarily by extracellular vesicles, specifically exosomes. Extensive work using animal models by The Menon laboratory has reported feto-maternal communication via exosomes and how exosomes can trigger term and preterm parturition. The Menon laboratory is also exploring the usefulness of exosomes as biomarkers of preterm birth. Besides exosome based commination studies, senescent fetal membranes from The Menon laboratory has shown ‘microfractures’, structural alteration in fetal membranes that are likely site of cellular remodeling. Excessive number of microfractures are associated with fetal membrane rupture at term and preterm. Analysis of fetal membrane remodeling revealed inflammation and oxidative stress associated Epithelial Mesenchymal Transition (EMT) of fetal membrane amnion cells that are recycled back to epithelial cells to regenerate cellular gaps by progesterone mediated Mesenchymal Epithelial Transition (MET). Dr. Menon’s laboratory is funded by multiple grants from NIH as well as funds from March of Dimes, Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation among others. Dr. Menon is the Executive Director of Preterm Birth International Collaborative (PREBIC, Inc), a not for profit organization working to promote clinical translational research to reduce the risk of prematurity. Dr. Menon has authored/co-authored over 235 peer reviewed articles, reviews and book chapters.

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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.

    ***********************
    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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Ornella Parolini, PHD

Immunomodulatory Properties of the Amniotic Membrane Derivatives: Key Mechanisms of their Therapeutic Effects

  • Ornella Parolini, PhD 
    Professor of Experimental Biology, Università Cattolica del Sacro Cuore, Rome, Italy.
    Director of the E. Menni Research Center (CREM), Brescia, Italy.
     
    Conference Presentation Topic: Immunomodulatory properties of the amniotic membrane derivatives: key mechanisms of their therapeutic effects

    Dr. Parolini has pioneered research on human placenta-derived stem cells, and currently the CREM is internationally recognized for its research and contributions in this field. The main lines of research at CREM are centred around amniotic and chorionic membrane-derived cells and their conditioned media, with particular focus on immunomodulatory potential in vitro, as well as in vivo assessment of anti-fibrotic effects after transplantation/injection into preclinical animal models of induced fibrosis and autoimmune diseases.

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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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Sam Fagg, MSc, PhD

Translating In Utero to In Vitro: A Novel Amniotic Co-Culture System Yields An Enhanced Secretome With Unique Properties

  • W. Sam Fagg MS, PhD
    Lead Scientist for Merakris Therapeutics, LLC

    Conference Presentation Topic: Translating In Utero to In Vitro: A Novel Amniotic Co-Culture System Yields An Enhanced Secretome With Unique Properties
    Dr. Fagg serves as Lead Scientist for Merakris Therapeutics, LLC, a research and development focused-company that is targeting the development of novel regenerative approaches to treat a variety of conditions and diseases.  His passion for the biological sciences can be traced back to early curiosities as a child while immersed in nature outdoors in his native state of North Carolina. He received a pre-health sciences major in Biology from Lees McRae College and a Master of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology program from East Carolina University where he became immersed in cell and molecular biology and biochemistry topics and research. He began his regenerative medicine career supporting the work of an accomplished liver transplant surgeon, Dr. Jeffrey H. Fair at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles where they began using transplanted endoderm progenitor cells derived from mouse embryonic stem cells and demonstrated significant engraftment and repopulation in the undamaged mouse liver. These findings have major implications for a host of liver-based diseases and disorders.

    Dr. Fagg attended the prestigious Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology PhD program at University of California at Santa Cruz. His mentor, HHMI Professor Manuel Ares Jr. trained him on how to be a critical and quantitative thinker. While at UC-Santa Cruz he earned an NIH pre-doctoral fellowship (T32) then a California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) fellowship. He followed this with a Post-doc in the same lab, then was recruited to once again work with famed transplant surgeon Jeffrey H. Fair, as head of research of Transplant Division within the Department of Surgery at University of Texas Medical Branch in Galveston TX where he is currently based.

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Neil Riordan, PA, PhD

​A Review of the Perinatal Field and what the Future Holds​.

  • Neil Riordan, PA, PhD
    Founder and chief scientist at the Stem Cell Institute in Panama City, Panama, and co-founder of the Riordan-McKenna Institute in Southlake, Texas.

    Conference Presentation Topic: A Review of the Perinatal Field and what the Future Holds

    Neil Riordan, PA, PhD is one of the early pioneers and experts in applied stem cell research. Dr. Riordan founded publicly traded company Medistem Laboratories (later Medistem Inc.), which was acquired by Intrexon in 2013. He is founder and chief scientist at the Stem Cell Institute in Panama City, Panama, and founder of the Riordan Medical Institute and Signature Biologics in the Dallas Fort Worth area.  

    Dr. Riordan has published more than 70 scientific articles in international peer-reviewed journals. In the stem cell arena, his colleagues and he have published more than 20 articles on multiple sclerosis, spinal cord injury, heart failure, rheumatoid arthritis, Duchenne muscular dystrophy, autism, and Charcot-Marie-Tooth syndrome.
    ​
    In addition to his scientific journal publications, Dr. Riordan has authored two books about mesenchymal stem cell therapy: Stem Cell Therapy: A Rising Tide: How Stem Cells Are Disrupting Medicine and Transforming Lives and MSC (Mesenchymal Stem Cells): Clinical Evidence Leading Medicine’s Next Frontier. Dr. Riordan has also written two scientific book chapters on the use of non-controversial stem cells from placenta and umbilical cord.

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James L. Sherley, MD, PhD

Continued Development of a First Technology for Specific and Accurate Counting of Perinatal and Postnatal Tissue Stem Cells 

  • James L. Sherley, MD, PhD
    Founder and director of Massachusetts stem cell biotechnology company Asymmetrex, LLC 

    Conference Presentation Topic: Putting Clothes on the Emperor: A First Technology for Specific Counting of Adult Tissue Stem Cells

    Asymmetrex develops and markets technologies for advancing stem cell medicine, including the first-in-kind technology for specific counting of adult tissue stem cells.  This technology is also applied to design optimized procedures for more effective manufacturing of therapeutic adult tissue stem cells at greatly reduced cost.  Dr. Sherley is a graduate of Harvard College, with a B.A. degree in biology, and the Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, earning joint M.D. and Ph.D. degrees.  Prior to founding Asymmetrex, he held academic research appointments at the Fox Chase Cancer Center, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, and Boston Biomedical Research Institute.  Dr. Sherley’s professional awards include Pew Biomedical Research Scholar, Ellison Medical Foundation Senior Scholar in Aging Research, and NIH Director’s Pioneer Award.

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Lou Barnes, B.S.Ed., MBA, CTBS

Birth Tissue Regulatory and Standards Environment

  • Lou Barnes, B.S.Ed., MBA, CTBS
    President and Chief Operating Officer Vivex Biomedical, Inc

    Conference Presentation Topic: Birth Tissue Regulatory and Standards Environment

    Lou Barnes is a twenty-nine year veteran of the tissue banking industry, currently serving as President & COO of Vivex Biomedical, Inc. Prior to Vivex, Mr. Barnes worked with other leading tissue banks, both in the for-profit and not-for-profit sectors. Mr. Barnes holds an undergraduate degree from the University of Georgia and graduate degree from the University of Alabama as well as designation of Certified Tissue Bank Specialist. Most recently Lou was elected as Chair of the American Association of Tissue Banks for a two-year term as well as a six year term on the Board of Governors.

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Tiffany Kautz, PhD

Retrieval, characterization, and expansion of fetal neural progenitor cells obtained from cerebrospinal fluid during myelomeningocele repair.

  • Tiffany Kautz, Ph.D.

    Conference Presentation Topic: Retrieval, characterization, and expansion of fetal neural progenitor cells obtained from cerebrospinal fluid during myelomeningocele repair.

    Tiffany Kautz is a postdoctoral fellow at Baylor College of Medicine. Her work focuses on the mechanisms of arbovirus (arthropod-borne virus) evolution, including how Zika virus passage history influences host cell tropism. To better understand how host cell genetics influence successful virus infection of the central nervous system, she has been optimizing the collection and propagation of primary neural stem and progenitor cells via nonlethal methods.

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Melissa Suter, PhD

Trophoblast Purification and Characterization In Vitro

  • Melissa Suter, PhD
    Assistant Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Baylor College of Medicine

    Conference Presentation Topic: ​Trophoblast Purification and Characterization In Vitro

    Dr. Melissa Suter is an NIH funded investigator, focusing on trophoblast purification and in vitro study of changes in gene expression. Her peer reviewed publications include studies of epigenetic alterations in the placenta and the permissivity of primary isolated trophoblasts to replication of the Zika virus.  The overarching goal of her work is to understand mechanisms behind the Developmental Origins of Adult Disease, focusing on how the placenta is both a biological “footprint” of the in utero experience, and how in utero insults such as exposure to maternal obesity or high fat diet, as well as ambient environmental exposures alter the placenta.

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Mike Druckman

Regulatory Questions All 361 Companies Should Understand

  • Mike Druckman
    Chairs the Hogan Lovell’s Cell, Tissue, and Gene Therapies Working Group

    Conference Presentation Topic: Perinatal Stem Cell and Tissue Products Regulation

    Mike Druckman leverages his prior experience at the FDA in the Office of the Chief Counsel and what he has learned since then while extricating companies from regulatory problems to anticipate and prevent life science clients from getting into trouble in the first place.

    Mike chairs the Hogan Lovell’s Cell, Tissue, and Gene Therapies Working Group, a cross-disciplinary team that advises companies in this emerging space on the evolving regulatory and business challenges they face. Mike and the team work closely with companies developing stem cells, cord blood, placental tissues, gene therapies, proteins, and other cellular and tissue products to help people with serious health problems.  Mike also advises companies with a full range of regulatory challenges involved in investigating new drugs, biologics, and combination products, obtaining FDA approval for those products, and in promoting, selling, and distributing them.  

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Vinesh Mandot

AmchoPlast - Wound Care from the Womb

  • Vinesh Mandot
    Parent Educator and Stem Cell Enthusiast

    Conference Presentation Topic: AmchoPlast - Wound Care from the Womb

    Vinesh Mandot prefers to call himself Parent Educator and Stem Cell Enthusiast. After receiving his Bachelor's Degree in Technology with specialization in Biotechnology, he assisted researchers at Tata Institute of Fundamental Research in Mumbai, India. This team published a study in Cell Reports in 2012, highlighting the importance of interplay between genetic factors and dietary inputs in determining organismal life spans. Since then, he has always been passionate to transmute the miracles of therapeutic science in a language easily understandable by common man. This led him to start his professional career at LifeCell International Private Limited, India’s first and largest umbilical cord stem cell bank. Currently associated as the Head - Knowledge Management, Vinesh specializes in educating medical professionals about the importance of saving cord blood. He is uniquely qualified to empower parents to make cord blood healthcare decision for their family. He is a huge fan of stem cells and regenerative medicine including the
    latest trends, upcoming technologies, policies and regulatory affairs. Vinesh’s interest also include reading books, training and development, and meditation.

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Francisco J. Nicolás, PhD

Understanding the molecular signaling behind Amniotic Membrane healing effect on difficult wounds: chronic wounds and diabetic foot ulcers.

  • Francisco J. Nicolás, PhD
    Lab of Regeneration, Molecular Oncology and TGFß
    IMIB-Arrixaca
    Murcia, Spain

    Conference Presentation Topic: Understanding the molecular signaling behind Amniotic Membrane healing effect on difficult wounds: chronic wounds and diabetic foot ulcers.

    Francisco did his Ph.D. at the Department of Genetics at the Biology Faculty of the Murcia University, Spain where he studied the expression of genes responsible for the biosynthesis of carotenoids in response to blue light. Then I went to the School of Biological Sciences and the University of Manchester, UK. There he did a postdoc on Mechanisms of cell trafficking studying Ran protein and the control of nuclear/cytoplasmic protein shuttling and then he moved to Imperial Cancer Research Fund, later London Research Institute of Cancer Research UK, with Dr. Caroline S. Hill, to study TGFß-signalling regulation and the control of cell proliferation and cancer. He runs his own lab at the Hospital Clínico Universitario Virgen de la Arrixaca (Virgen de la Arrixaca University Clinical hospital), Murcia, Spain; where his lab is integrated into the Hospital Research Unit. Three years ago, the Hospital Research Unit and groups from the Medicine and Biology faculties of the Murcia University merged together to constitute the IMIB-Arrixaca, a Biomedicine Institute of Research. There is where his research group is now integrated. 

    He works together with a medical team applying the amniotic membrane to chronic wounds and diabetic foot ulcers. His current research interest is knowing how perinatal stem cells, particularly Amniotic Membrane, elicit certain molecular responses in cells to produce repairing mechanisms in chronic and difficult wounds. Additionally, he has research interest on TGFß-signalling in cell proliferation and cancer.

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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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Ken Rando, BS

Director of Business Development, 
Ken is a business development and sales professoonal, with 10 years of documents success in the cell & gene therapy 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.