Upcoming Virtual Conference May 17, 2023
Virtual scientific extravaganza with 26 world-renown scientists as guest speakers!
Upcoming Virtual Conferences
Curtis L. Cetrulo, Sr., MD
Finally, Everyone is Interested in the Placenta! And It's About Time!
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Curtis L. Cetrulo, MD
Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tufts University School of Medicine
President, International Cord Blood Society (ICBS)
Medical Consultant, Auxocell Laboratories, Inc.
Conference Presentation Topic: Finally, Everyone is Interested in the Placenta! And It's About Time!
Curtis L. Cetrulo, MD has a profound passion for stem cells and pursues this passion with the same excitement and energy that he has brought with him at every stage of his career. Since 1984 until the present, Dr. Cetrulo has been a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Tufts University School of Medicine. He is one of the two founding members and is the current President of the International Cord Blood Society (ICBS), a non-profit organization founded in 1995. In 2007, Dr. Cetrulo guest edited an edition of the Journal “Stem Cell Reviews” that focused on Pregnancy related stem cells. Dr. Cetrulo is currently a medical consultant for Auxocell Laboratories, Inc. a company that focuses on stem cells obtained from the Wharton’s Jelly of the human umbilical cord. From 1996 until 2005, Dr. Cetrulo was the medical director of New England Cord Blood Bank, Inc. From 1992- 1994, Dr. Cetrulo was the Chairman of the Obstetrical Quality Assurance Committee at New England Medical Center. In 1992, he was named the Director of Regional Perinatal Program at New England Medical Center and from 1975-1992, Dr. Cetrulo was the Director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at St. Margaret’s Hospital in Boston. In 1990, Dr. Cetrulo was named the President of Medical Staff at St. Margaret’s Hospital. In 1977, Dr. Cetrulo was board certified in Maternal Fetal Medicine. He was the first OB/GYN to be board certified in Maternal Fetal Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Cetrulo completed his Maternal Fetal Medicine fellowship at the University of Southern California Medical Center in Los Angeles, California in 1975. He completed his Obstetrics/Gynecology residency program at the University of Colorado in Denver, Colorado in 1973. Dr. Cetrulo graduated from the New Jersey College of Medicine in 1969. He did his undergraduate work at Columbia University (1965) where he was the captain of the 1964 NCAA champion Fencing team.
Arnold Caplan, PhD
MSCs are not stem cells!
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Arnold I. Caplan, PhD
Case Western Reserve University, Cleveland, Ohio; Director, Skeletal Research Center; Professor, Departments of Biology (Primary Appointment); General Medical Sciences (Oncology); Pathology and Biomedical Engineering (Secondary Appointments)
Conference Presentation Topic: MSCs are not stem cells
Arnold I. Caplan, Professor of Biology and Director of the Skeletal Research Center at Case Western Reserve University. He received his Ph.D. from The Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine. Dr. Caplan is a national and international scholar focusing on experimentation in the area of musculoskeletal and skin development. He has published over 400 papers and manuscripts and has long been supported by the NIH and other non-profit and for-profit agencies for his efforts in trying to understand the development, maturation and aging of cartilage, bone, skin and other mesenchymal tissues and for his pioneering research on Mesenchymal Stem Cells.
Camillo Ricordi, MD
Perinatal Stem Cell to Defeat the Pandemics of the 21st Century: Viral, Autoimmune and Degenerative Diseases Associated to Unhealthy Aging.
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Camillo Ricordi, M.D.
Professor of Surgery, Director of the Diabetes Research Institute and Cell Transplant Center at the University of Miami, Florida. Research interests include diabetes cure-focused research, cellula therapies, immune tolerance, regenerative and healthspan medicine. Ricordi is well-known for inventing the technology that made it possible to isolate large numbers of pancreatic islets and for performing the first series of successful clinical islet allotransplants that reversed diabetes.
Conference Presentation Topic: Perinatal Stem Cell to Defeat the Pandemics of the 21st Century: Viral, Autoimmune and Degenerative Diseases Associated to Unhealthy Aging
In 2020 he led the international team that successfully completed the first FDA approved controlled trial to treat severe cases of COVID-19 with Umbilical Cord Mesenchymal Stem Cells infusions that was subsequently authorized by the FDA to move to Phase 3. He recently launched an initiative Fit4Healthspan.org to promote resistance to disease progression following viral infections, with strategies that are now also studied to prevent or halt progression of autoimmune diseases and age related chronic degenerative conditions, to prolong healthy lifespan.
Ricordi has received numerous honors and awards, was Knighted by the President of the Republic of Italy and was inducted into the Association of American Physicians (AAP) and into the National Academy of Inventors for contributing outstanding inventions that have made a tangible impact on quality of life, economic development, and welfare of society. He also served on Supreme Council of Health (Consiglio Superiore di Sanita’) of the Ministry of Health of Italy, and was founding president of The Cure Alliance.
Ricordi contributed over 1,175 publications, that received over 50,000 citations, has 112 H-index and 27 patents awarded.
Tsuneo A Takahashi, DSc
How to Work with the Japanese Regulatory Framework for Cell Therapy.
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Tsuneo A Takahashi, DSc
Tsuneo Takahashi is currently the specially appointed professor of Department of the Research for Perinatal Mesenchymal Stem Cell, Fukushima Medical University, Fukushima City, Japan
Conference Presentation Topic: How to Work with the Japanese Regulatory Framework for Cell Therapy
Tsuneo Takahashi has been working on the research and development of cord blood banking, perinatal stem cell, and cryobiology.
He has worked for the American Red Cross, NIH (NIDDK), Japanese Red Cross, The Institute of the Medical Science University of Tokyo, Kyoto University, and Kobe University. He was visiting professor at the Chinese Medical School, Peking University
He was one of the founding members of the Japanese Cord Blood Bank Network, NETCORD, and AsiaCord.
He loves listening to classical music and playing violin at home.
Timothy Ganey, PhD
Lyophilization of Placental Tissue: The Future of Long Term Storage?
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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.
Rebeca Lim, PhD
Update on Stem Cell Therapy to Treat Infants.
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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.
Julie G. Allickson, PhD
IND Development and the Perinatal Roadmap.
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Julie G. Allickson, PhD
The Michael S. and Mary Sue Shannon Family Director for Regenerative Medicine and the Otto Bremer Trust Director of Biomanufacturing and Product Development in the Mayo Clinic Center for Regenerative Biotherapeutics.
Conference Presentation Topic: IND Development and the Perinatal Roadmap
In this role, Dr. Allickson leads the next phase of development of the Center for Regenerative Biotherapeutics as it delivers on innovations that cure, connect and transform patient care in alignment with Mayo Clinic's 2030 vision.
Dr. Allickson joined Mayo Clinic from Wake Forest Institute for Regenerative Medicine at Wake Forest School of Medicine, where she was the chief manufacturing development center officer.
An experienced scientist with regulatory expertise, she has more than 25 years of experience in clinical translation of cellular therapies and regenerative medicine products, including business management, board directorship experience, and knowledge of regulatory affairs, strategic planning, project management and team building.
Anna Gosiewska, PhD
Celularity.
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Anna Gosiewska, PhD
Vice President, Research & Development, Degenerative Disease Therapy, Celularity, Inc., Florham Park, NJ
Conference Presentation Topic: Celularity
Dr. Gosiewska is a healthcare innovation leader, who is developing cutting edge technologies in cell therapy and regenerative medicine and translating them into clinically differentiated products and solutions. Anna joined Celularity Inc., as Vice President of Research & Development (R&D), Degenerative Diseases in 2020. As part of her strategic R&D initiative, she is building a diverse portfolio of scientifically and clinically validated products, uniquely designed to address significant gaps in the treatment of degenerative diseases. These products include postpartum placental-derived cell therapies, biomaterials, and bioactives with applications across several therapeutic areas, including orthopedics, soft tissue repair, aesthetics, and ophthalmology.
Anna transitioned to Celularity Inc., from Johnson & Johnson Inc., where her tenure included 25 years of working across three sectors: Medical Devices, Pharmaceuticals, and Consumer Healthcare Industry. She held positions with increasing responsibilities, advancing from Manager of R&D to Director of R&D to Senior Director of R&D/Head, Emerging Science and Innovation. As part of her tenure, Anna led cross-enterprise efforts, focused on emerging technology development, the discovery of novel cell-based technologies, biomaterials, and nanotechnologies, and the development of innovative products to enhance the healing and regeneration of human tissues and organs.
Anna earned her Doctorate degree in Medical Biology and Master of Science degree in Medical Analytics from the Medical University of Bialystok, Poland. She completed her postdoctoral studies at the National Institutes of Health, National Laboratory of Biochemistry in Bethesda, Maryland, studying cell-extracellular matrix interactions.
She has authored many peer-reviewed journal articles, review articles, and book chapters and has 122 issued/pending patent applications, with 48 issued U.S. patents related to stem cells, regenerative biomaterials, and bioactives. Anna is a member of several international scientific societies and serves on the Advisory Board for the Biotechnology at the Middlesex County College in New Jersey, and ARMI | BioFabUSA Leadership Advisory Council.
Tomasz Baran MD, MBA
European cord blood bank perspective on stem cell therapies.
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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: European cord blood bank perspective on stem cell therapies
Tomasz Baran is Executive Vice-president of PBKM (Polish Stem Cell Bank) and Chief Commercial Officer of Vita 34 AG (German) which formed the largest cord blood bank in Europe operating under FamiCord Group brand name. Tomasz has both medical and business background. He joined cord blood banking activity in 2010, prior to that he has been holding various position in pharmaceutical industry. In his current role Tomasz is responsible for Sales and Marketing activities towards healthcare professionals and end customers, Tomasz is also involved in strategic decisions regarding company development into cell&gene therapies manufacturing for own development and third parties.
Ramkumar Menon, MD, PhD
Utility of Microphysiology systems in Perinatal Medicine and Biology
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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: Utility of Microphysiologic systems in Perinatal Medicine and Biology
Dr. Ramkumar Menon is a tenured Professor in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology/Cell biology at the University Texas Medical Branch at Galveston, TX. He is also the Director of the Division of Basic Science and Translational Research at UTMB. The primary focus of his lab is to design strategies to reduce PTB risk using extracellular vesicles as a drug delivery vehicle to treat the fetal inflammatory response. His lab is also involved in developing various Organ-on-Chip models for various intrauterine organ systems. His research is currently funded by multiple grants from the National Institute of Health (NIH, USA) and other non-federal agencies. He has published over 300 peer-reviewed articles and book chapters. Dr. Menon is also a mentor to over 30 medical and postgraduate students. Dr. Menon is also the executive director of Preterm birth International Collaborative, not-for-profit research and educational organization involved in preterm birth research.
James L. Sherley, MD, PhD
Working Towards Better Potency Measures for Improving Perinatal Stem Cell Transplantation Medicine
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James L. Sherley, MD, PhD
Founder and director of Massachusetts stem cell biotechnology company Asymmetrex, LLC
Conference Presentation Topic: Working Towards Better Potency Measures for Improving Perinatal Stem Cell Transplantation Medicine
James L. Sherley, M.D., Ph.D. is the founder and director of Massachusetts stem cell biotechnology company Asymmetrex, LLC. 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.
Barbara Krutchkoff, PhD
How 361 Pathways changed Regenerative Medicine for the Better and for the Worse
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Barbara Krutchkoff, PhD FAARM
Executive Director, Institute of Regenerative and Cellular Medicine
CEO of A3Cell/consultancy
Professor Universite Paris Descartes
Conference Presentation Topic: How 361 Pathways changed Regenerative Medicine for the Better and for the Worse
Barbara Krutchkoff, PhD is a consultant for physicians and biomedical start-up companies in regenerative and cellular medicine. She is Executive Director of the Institute of Regenerative and Cellular Medicine, and Co-Chair of the IRCM IRB, which provides support for translational research and validation of regenerative therapies. Her A3Cell consultancy helps practitioners and biotech entrepreneurs navigate the regulatory pathway, as well as design and manage clinical studies. Barbara has worked tirelessly throughout her 25+ year career to engage with university and industry leaders and help to bring regenerative medicine safely to patients. Her diverse educational background includes physics and computer science at the University of Florida, biomedical engineering graduate studies at Virginia Tech, a PhD in behavioral psychology, a Doctorate in integrative medicine, Stem Cell Fellowships at A4M and UCLA. She is a board-certified Diplomat and Fellow of the AABRM. She is an adjunct professor at the Universite Paris Descartes, and Chair of the IRCM/Regenerative Outcomes committee for the NIH orthopedic registry.
Duncan Ross, PhD
Exosome Characterization and Regulatory Considerations
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Duncan Ross, Ph.D.
Founder of Kimera Labs, Inc.
Conference Presentation Topic: Exosome Characterization and Regulatory Considerations
Dr. Duncan Ross is an expert in stem cell culture and has developed and patented proprietary methods of stem cell manipulation and licensing using growth factors and nucleic acids. A native of Miami Beach, Florida, Dr. Ross earned a Bachelor of Science in Microbiology and Immunology and a Ph.D. in Immunology/Biochemistry from the University of Miami in Coral Gables, Florida, where his research focused on mechanisms of suppression of graft vs. host disease in minor antigen mismatched allogeneic hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. As founder of Kimera Labs, Inc., Dr. Ross’s work is focused on controlling disease with immunological molecular approaches, in particular, exosome isolation from perinatal cells and amniotic fluid. As a pioneer in the development of cell-free exosome products, Dr. Ross’s research has been and continues to be employed by many physicians and clinics in a variety of regenerative medicine protocols. Dr. Ross has been featured in various peer reviewed publications including “Blood” and “Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation”, in which he discussed the use of various cell types to suppress immunological diseases, and currently has a patent pending for wound healing exosomes. Dr. Ross is also the founding board member of the federal nonprofit research organization, The Kimera Society, which has developed a number of clinical partners in the US and abroad by serving as an educational conduit for clinics.
Joanne Kurtzberg, MD
Extending Perinatal Therapies for the Brain.
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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.
Peter Marks, MD, PhD
How FDA Regulates Perinatal Stem Cell and Tissue Products.
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Peter Marks, MD, PhD
Director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) at the Food and Drug Administration. The center is responsible for assuring the safety and effectiveness of biological products, including vaccines, allergenic products, blood and blood products, and cellular, tissue, and gene therapies.
Conference Presentation Topic: How FDA Regulates Perinatal Stem Cell and Tissue Products
Ornella Parolini, PHD
Immunomodulatory Properties of the Amniotic Membrane Derivatives: Key Mechanisms of their Therapeutic Effects.
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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.
Zhong Chao Han, MD, PhD
Research and Development of Investigational New Drugs from Perinatal Mesenchymal Stem Cells.
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Curtis L. Cetrulo, MD
Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology, Tufts University School of Medicine
President, International Cord Blood Society (ICBS)
Medical Consultant, Auxocell Laboratories, Inc.
Conference Presentation Topic: Finally, Everyone is Interested in the Placenta! And It's About Time!
Curtis L. Cetrulo, MD has a profound passion for stem cells and pursues this passion with the same excitement and energy that he has brought with him at every stage of his career. Since 1984 until the present, Dr. Cetrulo has been a Professor of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Tufts University School of Medicine. He is one of the two founding members and is the current President of the International Cord Blood Society (ICBS), a non-profit organization founded in 1995. In 2007, Dr. Cetrulo guest edited an edition of the Journal “Stem Cell Reviews” that focused on Pregnancy related stem cells. Dr. Cetrulo is currently a medical consultant for Auxocell Laboratories, Inc. a company that focuses on stem cells obtained from the Wharton’s Jelly of the human umbilical cord. From 1996 until 2005, Dr. Cetrulo was the medical director of New England Cord Blood Bank, Inc. From 1992- 1994, Dr. Cetrulo was the Chairman of the Obstetrical Quality Assurance Committee at New England Medical Center. In 1992, he was named the Director of Regional Perinatal Program at New England Medical Center and from 1975-1992, Dr. Cetrulo was the Director of Maternal-Fetal Medicine at St. Margaret’s Hospital in Boston. In 1990, Dr. Cetrulo was named the President of Medical Staff at St. Margaret’s Hospital. In 1977, Dr. Cetrulo was board certified in Maternal Fetal Medicine. He was the first OB/GYN to be board certified in Maternal Fetal Medicine in Boston, Massachusetts. Dr. Cetrulo completed his Maternal Fetal Medicine fellowship at the University of Southern California Medical Center in Los Angeles, California in 1975. He completed his Obstetrics/Gynecology residency program at the University of Colorado in Denver, Colorado in 1973. Dr. Cetrulo graduated from the New Jersey College of Medicine in 1969. He did his undergraduate work at Columbia University (1965) where he was the captain of the 1964 NCAA champion Fencing team.
Neil Riordan, PA, PhD
A Review of the Perinatal Field and what the Future Holds.
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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.
Graham Jenkin, PhD
Stem Cell Therapy for Perinatal Injury.
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Graham Jenkin, PhD
Personal Chair and is a Professor in the Monash Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Monash University. He is Deputy Director of The Ritchie Centre at the Hudson Institute of Medical Research.
Conference Presentation Topic: Stem Cell Therapy for Perinatal Injury
Graham Jenkin holds a Personal Chair and is a Professor in the Monash Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at Monash University. He is Deputy Director of The Ritchie Centre at the Hudson Institute of Medical Research. Its mission is to improve the health of women and children through innovative research that informs better healthcare. Research currently being undertaken includes studies on the maintenance of fetal and neonatal well-being; including intra uterine growth restriction, fetal and neonatal hypoxia and premature labour. His group is pioneering potential therapies for the amelioration of chronic lung disease in the neonate and the prevention and treatment of the neurological consequences of cerebral palsy. His research interests include the use of placental derived, particularly cord blood, stem cells for cell based therapies. He has published over 160 peer reviewed journal articles and 31 invited book chapters/journal review articles.
Frances Verter, PhD
The Role of Perinatal Cell Therapy in Fighting COVID-19.
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Frances Verter, PhD
Founder and Director of the Parent’s Guide to Cord Blood Foundation
Frances Verter holds a PhD in astrophysics and worked at NASA Goddard for decades.
Conference Presentation Topic: The Role of Perinatal Cell Therapy in Fighting COVID-19
Frances Verter, PhD, is the founder of Parent’s Guide to Cord Blood Foundation ( https://parentsguidecordblood.org ) and a co-founder of Cell Trials Data ( https://CellTrials.org ). Her day job is educating parents worldwide about their options for the storage and therapeutic use of their perinatal cells and tissues. Her research interest is discovering trends in cell therapy clinical research which have not been previously reported.
Joshua Hare, MD
MSCs are Still the Future of Regenerative Medicine.
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Joshua Hare, MD
Chief Sciences Officer, Senior Associate Dean for Experimental and Cellular Therapeutics, Director of the Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute (ISCI), and Louis Lemberg Professor of Medicine at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine
Conference Presentation Topic: MSCs are Still the Future of Regenerative Medicine
Dr. Hare is an expert in cardiovascular medicine and specializes in heart failure, myocardial infarction, inflammatory diseases of the heart, and heart transplantation. He is an internationally acknowledged pioneer in the field of stem cell therapeutics for human heart disease, currently seeing and evaluating patients from all over the world for this new experimental therapy.
Dr. Hare is the founding director of the Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute, an Institute devoted to basic scientific and translational work in the field of stem cell therapy and regenerative medicine. The Institute houses 70 faculty members and 15 independent research groups. Dr. Hare led the first randomized allogeneic mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) clinical trial for patients with myocardial infarction and is principal investigator of multiple other trials for heart failure and cardiovascular disease. He has pioneered the use of all allogenic MSCs for multiple disease areas. Under his leadership, ISCI now has active programs in cancer biology, cardiology, aging, neonatology, skin diseases, bone diseases, neurologic diseases, ophthalmology, and a program devoted to the ethics of stem cell therapy.
Dr. Hare has published more than 260 original research articles, editorials, and review articles, and is the recipient of seven grants from the National Institutes of Health. He holds 10 FDA Investigational New Drug applications for cell-based therapy in patients with heart disease, including the first in the United States for Idiopathic Pulmonary Fibrosis and Aging Frailty. He is the recipient of three active NIH RO1’s and is the PI of the UM National Heart Lung and Blood Institute Cardiac Cell Therapy Trial Network (CCTRN) center; together these awards fund ~$3M in basic and translational research annually. Under his leadership, ISCI has been awarded $10M from The Starr Foundation and a $25M award from The Soffer Family. Dr. Hare recently completed a term as chair of the Cardiac Contractility and Heart Failure study section of the National Institute of Health (NIH), chairs the Stem Cell Working Group of the American Heart Association (AHA), and is the current Chair of the AHA Basic Cardiovascular Science Council.
Educated at the University of Pennsylvania (1984), Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine (1988), The Brigham and Women’s Hospital (1994), and Harvard Medical School, Dr. Hare spent 12 years on the faculty at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine where he rose to the rank of Professor of Medicine and Biomedical Engineering, and Director of the Cardiac Transplant and Heart Failure program in 2004 before joining the faculty at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine in 2007. Dr. Hare is an elected member of the American Association of Physicians (2011) and the Association of University Cardiologists (2007). Dr. Hare is the inventor of 10 (three issued) United States patents, and his research discoveries have led to the founding of four biotechnology companies, all of which have received initial funding.
Bernie Siegel
The Future of Regenerative Medicine
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Bernie Siegel
Executive Director of the Regenerative Medicine Foundation and the Founder & Chair World Stem Cell Summit.
Conference Presentation Topic: The Future of Regenerative Medicine
As the Executive Director of the Regenerative Medicine Foundation and the Founder & Chair World Stem Cell Summit, Bernie Siegel has a unique perspective on the direction that the Perinatal stem cell field is headed.
Biju Parekkadan, PhD
MSCs - What the Future Has in Store
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Biju Parekkadan, PhD
Associate Professor of Biomedical Engineering, Rutgers University; Co-Founder, Director, Sentien Biotechnologies, Inc.
Conference Presentation Topic: MSCs - What the Future Has in Store
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.
Sam Fagg, MSc, PhD
Unpacking a black box: Investigating the mechanisms through which amniotic regenerative effects are mediated.
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W. Sam Fagg MS, PhDAssistant Professor and Distinguished University Chair of Transplant Surgery; Department of Surgery and Department of Biochemistry and Molecuar Biology; University of Texas Medical Branch, Galveston TX. b. Lead Scientist; Merakris Therapeutics, Research Triangle Park, NC. c. Lab/Research
Conference Presentation Topic: Unpacking a black box: Investigating the mechanisms through which amniotic regenerative effects are mediated.
Dr. Fagg's lab studies how post-transcriptional regulation of gene expression influences cell fate decisions. Dr. Fagg received his PhD from the RNA Center for Molecular Biology at UC-Santa Cruz, under the supervision of Manny Ares Jr (Distinguished Professor of Molecular, Cell and Developmental Biology and HHMI Professor) where he studied regulation of alternative splicing. He has taken that foundation and broadened his approach to understand how regulated RNA processing can influence cell fate decisions. He is applying this fundamental field of study to several different contexts, including development/stem cell differentiation, liver and heart disease, and regenerative medicine. His lab uses a variety of experimental approaches including genomics and proteomics, computational investigation, molecular genetics, cell biology, and biochemistry to find everything from systems-level evidence, down to specific gene/nucleotide sequences that can influence gene expression. The overall goal is to learn how the coordinated flow of molecular genetic information is regulated in development and use this to inform us and the greater scientific community of how to potentially "fix" this when it goes awry in disease or degenerative conditions.
Mike Druckman
Perinatal Stem Cell and Tissue Products Regulation
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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.
Mikel Sanchez, MD
Perinatal Stem Cells for Sports Injuries
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Mikel Sanchez, MD
Head of the Arthroscopic Surgery Unit (UCA), Vitoria-Gasteiz, Spain
Conference Presentation Topic: Perinatal Stem Cells for Sports Injuries
Dr. Sánchez has been one of the pioneers in the advance of Arthroscopic Surgery in Spain. Part of Leeds-Keio teamwork (1986-1997), an Anglo-Japanese collaboration in order to boost developed prototypes of surgical equipment for the anterior and posterior cruciate ligament reconstruction and for the treatment of shoulder chronic instability. In 2000, he understood the therapeutic potential of Platlet Rich Plasma (PRP) and its applications in traumatology. From 2003 to 2005, he was part of GIDA teamwork (Arthrex, Florida, USA) as leader in orthobiology. Finally, since 2013 is a precursor in Spain of the use in surgery of 3D printing technology. He continues with the development of surgical techniques and equipment, application methods of PRP Technology in open and arthroscopic surgery and biological minimal invasive treatments. Currently, Dr. Sánchez conducts 600 surgeries per year, by using his own surgical technology largely. Dr. Sánchez has authored more than 50 papers in international journals, more than 250 lectures, six book chapters and holds two international patents.