Contributors

University of Warsaw

Karolina finished her PhD studies in biological sciences in 2011. Since 2011 she has been working as the researcher and academic teacher at the Department of Cytology, Faculty of Biology, University of Warsaw in Poland. Her scientific interests concern stem cells, regenerative medicine, developmental biology, and ageing. Currently she’s conducting two projects focused on the role of different signalling molecules in the self-renewal and differentiation of pluripotent and mesenchymal stem cells.

Karolina’s also engaged in disseminating knowledge about modern biotechnology (including stem cells) during educational projects and events such as the Festival of Science, the Night of Biology and also by collaborating with media (eg Polish Television, Newsweek Polska).  She’s the co-author of the book for teaching biology in high schools (Simply Biology, title in Polish: Biologia. Po prostu). Since 2012 she has also been the tutor of the Students’ Scientific Association of Medical Biology.  

Wellcome Trust Centre for Stem Cell Research, University of Cambridge

Kate completed a PhD  in the laboratory of Austin Smith in Cambridge, UK at the end of 2011.  She studied rat embryonic stem cells and what makes them different from mouse embryonic stem cells; she hopes her work will help shed light on how to capture embryonic stem cells from other species. Kate’s high school biology teacher told her that if you can’t explain a piece of biology to your grandparents, you don’t really understand it.

Kate graduated with a BA in Genetics from Trinity College Dublin and then became a Masters student on the MSc Science Communication and Public Engagement programme at the University of Edinburgh. She participated in a placement in EuroStemCell as part of her programme, assisting with the social media campaign for Stem Cell Awareness Day 2015, and other tasks for the project. 

EuroStemCell

Kate was EuroStemCell's web and digital communications manager until March 2016. Before that, she was in charge of communications and outreach for the original EuroStemCell. She has also worked in the film industry, and produced the Stem Cell Stories series of films. 

Katerina Sideri is currently lecturing at the University of Crete, Greece. From September 2018 onwards she will be based at the University of Ghent, Belgium as a Marie Curie Individual Fellow working on biased artificial intelligence and openness in innovation and values. In the past she was associate research fellow at the Centre for Sociolegal Studies at the University of Oxford and lecturer in IP law at the University of Exeter (UK). She earned her PhD at the London School of Economics and Political Science, Department of Law. Her research interests are in the areas of: Intellectual Property Law and Knowledge Commons; Biomedical Patents and Public Policy; Deliberative Governance; Bioethics. She has published widely on these and related areas. Her more recent book published by Routledge is Bioproperty Biomedicine and Deliberative Governance: Patents as Discourse on Life.

Biological Sciences, University of Edinburgh

Katy is a final year Biological Sciences student at the University of Edinburgh, currently working on a project to evaluate the EuroStemCell website

Biotechnology Centre (BIOTEC), Technische Universität Dresden

I studied Molecular Medicine in Freiburg and started my PhD thesis a bit more than one year ago (in 2010) at the Biotechnology Centre (BIOTEC) in Dresden as part of  the "Dresden International PhD Program". I work on conditional mutagenesis of H3K4 histone methyltransferases in mouse and embryonic stem cells in the group of Konstantinos Anastassiadis and Francis Stewart. Our aim is to understand how epigenetic regulation controls stem cell self-renewal and lineage commitment and to unravel the underlying molecular mechanisms.

REMEDI, NUI Galway

Kieran is Programme Manager at REMEDI - the Regenerative Medicine Institute at the National University of Ireland, Galway. He is responsible for coordinating and managing activities at REMEDI. This includes intellectual property management, graduate study programmes, financial management and outreach programmes. 

Kirsty undertook her undergraduate and Masters studies in Natural Sciences at Churchill College, University of Cambridge before moving to Edinburgh to complete her PhD at the MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine in the lab of Prof Steve Pollard. She is now a Postdoctoral Researcher in Prof Pollard’s lab, continuing her work investigating the molecular drivers of cancer stem cells in an aggressive adult brain cancer called glioblastoma. Kirsty believes being able to communicate effectively to a non-specialist audience is a vital skill for any scientist. She has attended several workshops on research communication during her PhD and helped produce the Stem Cell Festival Dance with Science Ceilidh led by Lewis Hou.

Helmholtz Zentrum München - German Research Center for Environmental Health

Konstantinos is a PhD student in Timm Schroeder's lab in Helmholtz Center Munich, Germany. He is currently working on the mechanism through which hematopoietic stem cells interact with their microenvironment (niche). In the past, he also studied the differentiation of embryonic stem cells towards hematopoietic cell lineages in Lesley Forrester's lab at the MRC Centre for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh.

Department of Medical Ethics, Lund University, Sweden

Kristina Hug, M.A., is a Ph.D. student in the Department of Medical Ethics at Lund University, Sweden. She has studied Human Rights at the Central European University in Budapest and Medical Law at the University of Essex, UK. Her current research interests include biomedical research ethics in general and, more specifically, ethical and legal aspects of stem cell research, research on vulnerable groups, as well as models and functioning of Research Ethics Committees. Kristina teaches courses in Biomedical Research Ethics at Lund University and is a faculty member in Research Ethics Advanced Certificate Program (net-based course coordinated by Vilnius University, Lithuania, Albany Medical College, and the Graduate College of Union University, USA). Kristina’s working experience also includes teaching Health Law at Kaunas Medical University, Lithuania, as well as a position of a specialist in the Lithuanian Bioethics Committee. Since 2004, she has been a partner in several recent and ongoing EU-funded research projects, such as EuroStemCell, ESTOOLS and NeuroStemCell. Since May 2009, she is a member of the Editorial board of the journal “Stem Cell Reviews and Reports.” From 2011 she is an external ethics advisor for the European Network "Screen Tox" (Stem Cells for Reliable, Efficient, Extended and Normalized Toxicology).

Humanist Society of Scotland

Lara Celini is a Registered Celebrant with the Humanist Society Scotland, and a volunteer on the local Humanist Group committee in Edinburgh. The Group organises a varied programme of monthly speakers, cultural excursions to galleries and exhibitions, sponsors screenings at the Filmhouse and organises social events, including a popular monthly pub night. Celebrants of the Humanist Society Scotland conduct baby namings, legal weddings, and funerals in Scotland, which continue to grow in popularity. The Society itself wants to be a significant voice in public policy debates, and is increasingly asked where (Scottish) Humanists stand on important issues in public life. The Society aims to reflect the views of the millions of Scots who have no religious belief, and wants to promote a secular Scotland - one in which there is equal treatment in law and policy of everyone, regardless of religion, belief and non-belief.

Find out more

• Lara's Celebrant Profile
• Lara's Facebook Page
• Humanist Society national Facebook Group
• Humanist Society local Edinburgh Facebook Group
• Humanist Society Edinburgh events on Meetup

The Humanist Society Scotland is a registered Scottish charity (SC 026570) and a Scottish Company limited by guarantee, registered under Company Number 413697.

Laura studied Biochemistry at the University of Barcelona. After obtaining her Bachelors degree, she moved to Edinburgh and Cambridge where she achieved her PhD in Stem Cell Biology under the supervision of Dr. Jennifer Nichols and Professor Austin Smith. She is currently working as a Stem Cell and IPS Reprogramming Specialist at the Center for Regenerative Medicine Barcelona (CMRB). She was a panelist in our Barcelona staging of “El sueño de las células madre” (A Stem Cell Dream).

Alzheimer's Research UK

Laura Phipps is Science Communications Manager at Alzheimer’s Research UK, the UK’s leading dementia research charity. The Science Communications Team at Alzheimer’s Research UK helps people to understand the progress being made in dementia research by promoting new research findings, providing expert comments on stories making the headlines, and developing new ways for people to engage with research. This includes their virtual dementia lab tour and frequent contributions to the Alzheimer’s Research UK blog. They also produce free, evidence-based health information on dementia, in booklets and online.

Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh

Centre for Inflammation Research, University of Edinburgh

Lesley Forrester is a group leader in the Centre for Regenerative Medicine and the MRC Centre for Inflammation Research at the University of Edinburgh. Her research focus is on the production of blood cell lineages from embryonic stem cells both as a model for haematopoietic development and for the production of cells for potential therapies.

King's College London

Linda is a senior lecturer in Department of Haematological Medicine at King's College London. Her research interests are the immunology of haematopoietic stem cell transplantation with a focus on development of therapies to prevent the detrimental graft versus host disease and promote the beneficial graft versus leukaemia effect. 

UK Regenerative Medicine Platform

Loriana is research associate at the University of Cambridge working under the UK Regenerative Medicine Platform, a national cross-disciplinary project for cell therapy. Her research focus on the generation of neuronal and liver cells from human embryonic stem cells under protocols that can be used for clinical trials and cell therapy manufacturing.

She has a PhD in stem cell research from the University of Manchester where she studied human embryonic stem cell survival in prof. Sue Kimber’s laboratory. Loriana is actively involved in science communication and outreach.

Lou Robson is a freelance writer, based in Shropshire. She has qualifications in politics, journalism and heritage management and has worked as a reporter and editor for newspapers, websites, government departments and NGOs in Australia and the UK.

Lucia is studying for a  PhD in Organic Chemistry at the University of York (York, UK, Prof. Richard Taylor's group) in cooperation with AnalytiCon Discovery GmbH (Potsdam, Germany). She is working on the synthesis of steroidal natural product analogues as modulators of the Hedgehog/Gli signalling pathway in stem cells, regeneration and cancer. Her project is being carried out within the Healing project (Marie Curie FP7, Initial Training Network).

Her passion for cutting edge research, science communication and, of course, Italy have been perfectly mixed by helping EuroStemCell with translations into Italian.

Bioethical Research Platform, Center for Biomedical Research of La Rioja (CIBIR)

Dr. Luis Vivanco coordinates the Bioethical Research Platform at the Center for Biomedical Research of La Rioja (CIBIR). The Platform carries out two main activities: research projects and formative support on bioethics at local and international levels. He was a panelist in our Barcelona staging of El sueño de las células madre (A Stem Cell Dream).

Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine

Labor Trifft Lehrer

Luiza Bengtsson, PhD, develops and runs a continuing professional development program for teachers called "Labor Trifft Lehrer" at Max-Delbrück-Center for Molecular Medicine (MDC) in Berlin, Germany. With this initiative, the MDC aims to introduce current concepts in life science into German classrooms, to bridge the gap between research currently carried out in institutes and the science that is being taught in schools.

Healing project

Lukasz Cegielkowski is a Phd student with a field study on epidermal stem cells in cancer and skin regeneration at the University of Salzburg, Austria

(Dpt of Molecular Biology, prof. Fritz Aberger's group). He is part of the Healing project network. He helps EuroStemCell with translations into Polish.

Originally from the United States, Lynda-Marie moved to Scotland for a postgraduate study in Science Communication and Public Engagement at the University of Edinburgh. Her continuing education and work experience includes international travel to El Salvador, Kenya, Liberia, Spain and The United Kingdom. As a digital communications strategist, she has created web content, managed digital assets, led social media trainings, and directed promotional videos. Previously, she was a print and radio journalist and web producer. During her placement with EuroStemCell, under Dr. Jan Barfoot, she co-created a Twitter campaign for Stem Cell Awareness Day 2015 that aimed to debunk myths about stem cell research. She has a bachelor’s degree from Meredith College and a certificate in documentary arts from the Center of Documentary Studies at Duke University.

Mahendra De Silva is from Sri-Lanka (Ceylon). He was initially trained to be a Veterinarian and received his BVSC degree at the University of Ceylon. After completing the BVSc degree, he came to the United States to follow post- graduate studies. In the United States, he completed the following:

1. M.S degree in Reproductive Physiology in the Department of Dairy Science at Virginia Polytechnic Institute & State University
2. Ph.D degree in Reproductive Physiology and Endocrinology-in the Department of Animal Science at the University of Wyoming
3. Post-doctoral fellowship in Reproductive Physiology and Endocrinology at Washington State University

After completing the post-doctoral fellowship, Mahendra worked as a Director of In Vitro Fertilization (IVF) Laboratories and as an Assistant Professor. After several years in IVF, Mahendra joined the pharmaceutical industry and worked in several therapeutic areas: women’s health, neuroscience, diabetes and hypertension.

LIFE&BRAIN GmbH

Dr. Manal Hadenfeld is a trained biologist. She conducted her PhD thesis in the field of stem cell research and is currently working as a project manager at LIFE&BRAIN GmbH,  a technology transfer platform of University of Bonn in the field of biomedicine. There she is working on different projects related to industrial applications of stem cells. 

Neuroimmunology Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology, San Raffaele Scientific Institute

Marco Bacigaluppi is currently a researcher at the Neuroimmunology Unit, Institute of Experimental Neurology at the San Raffaele Scientific Institute in Milan. After completing his MD he spent, during his residency in Neurology, two years at the University Clinic in Zürich learning experimental modeling of stroke. Back in Milan, since 2007, he continues working as a clinician and researcher on stroke with a main focus on the therapeutic role of neural stem cells in cerebral ischemia.

Department of Biology

Marco Onorati is Associate Professor at the Department of Biology, University of Pisa (Italy) and director of the Neural Stem Cell Lab. His research focuses on understanding the cellular and molecular basis of how neural stem cells generate distinct types of neurons in the cerebral cortex, the region of the brain that is critical for cognition, perception and behavior. An important element of this research is the study of human pluripotent and neural stem cell models to investigate the mechanisms of neurodevelopment, regeneration and neurodegeneration.

Maria obtained her PhD from the University of Salamanca (Spain) working in the laboratory of Dr. Xose R. Bustelo at the Cancer Research Centre (CSIC-University of Salamanca). Her PhD was focused in understanding how the Vav family of oncoproteins, involved in many human diseases such as cancer, are regulated upon cell signalling activation. She moved to the UK to work as a postdoctoral researcher in the Hendrich Lab based at the Wellcome Trust - MRC Stem Cell Institute, University of Cambridge. There she studies how embryonic stem cells make decisions during mouse embryo development focusing on how these processes are controlled by gene regulation and cell signalling events. In the last years she has become really interested in science communication and public engagement trying to bring science closer to the general public.

María got her PhD at the University of Sevilla (Spain), where she studied the responses to acute hypoxia and hypoglycaemia. Then she developed a postdoc at the Rockefeller University (NY, USA) and a second one at The Spanish National Cancer Research Institute (CNIO, Madrid, Spain), studying apoptosis and melanoma, respectively. She is currently a Research Associate in Simón Méndez-Ferrer´s laboratory (University of Cambridge and the Stem Cell Institute, UK), where she works in the regulatory networks between haematopoietic and mesenchymal stem cells.

Mariana came from Costa Rica to do her Ph.D. in the laboratory of Prof. Kate Storey at the University of Dundee, in Scotland. There, she studied the cells in the “stem zone” of the neural tube, which provide neural progenitors for the spinal cord. As a postdoc in Bath (England) and in Seville (Spain), she studied the development of the neural crest, a multipotent cell population that contributes to a wide range of tissues in the embryo. Her interest in science communication and policy started during her undergrad degree, and she has combined it with her interest in languages by volunteering as a translator for EuroStemCell. Mariana has recently returned to Costa Rica, where she will set up a zebrafish lab and will also lecture on developmental biology.

Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research

Dr Marie-Liesse Asselin–Labat is a post-doctoral fellow in the Stem Cells and Cancer Division at the Walter and Eliza Hall Institute of Medical Research in Melbourne. After her PhD working on regulation of leukemic cell death at the University Paris XI in France, she moved to Australia to study mammary stem cells and their role in breast cancer development.

Marousa Darsinou is a senior Ph.D student in the Biomedical Research Division, at the Institute of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology (IMBB-FORTH), Ioannina, under the supervision of Dr. T.M. Michaelidis. She has a degree in Biology and her research interest focuses on neural stem cells differentiation. She participated in the Hydra XII Summer School on Stem Cell Biology, organized by EuroStemCell organization in 2016, by receiving a bursary. 

Department of Pharmacological Sciences and Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology, University of Milan

Marta obtained the Laurea in Biological Sciences at the University of Milan in 2001, working on transcriptional disregulation in huntingtin inducible cell lines and in October 2006 she completed a Doctorate in Pharmaceutical Biotechnology at the same University.  Her research is focused on the mechanisms underlying mutant huntingtin toxicity, with particular emphasis on gene transcription. Her major contribution has been in the identification of a dysfunction of the cholesterol biosynthetic pathway in Huntington's Disease (Valenza et al., J. Neurosci., 2005).

Matt Grant is a Science Communications and Public Engagement (MSc) student at the The University of Edinburgh. He has a Bachelor’s degree in Physiological Science and was awarded the 2016 Rob Clarke gold award by the Physiological society. He currently writes for the Science and Technology section of The Student newspaper, hosts the Science Diction podcast, and one of the radio hosts for Sci-Friday a science show on FreshAir.org.uk.

The London Project to Cure Blindness

Matt Smart is a PhD student for The London Project to Cure Blindness, a project that launched in 2007, and aims to make the most of human embryonic stem cells to prevent blindness and restore sight in patients with Age-related Macular Degeneration (AMD). 

Regenerative Medicine Institute (REMEDI)

National University of Ireland

Matt Griffin is Professor of Transplant Biology in the Regenerative Medicine Institute (REMEDI) at the National University of Ireland, Galway and a Consultant Nephrologist at Galway University Hospitals. His interests lie in the immunological mechanisms underlying kidney disease and organ transplant complications, as well as the role of stem cell therapies in suppressing harmful immune responses. His laboratory examines how insights gained from the field of organ transplantation can be applied to achieve better success with off-the-shelf stem cell therapies. Prof. Griffin qualified in Medicine from University College Cork, Ireland in 1988 and trained and worked in Nephrology, Transplantation and Experimental Immunology in the University of Chicago and Mayo Clinic in the United States before joining the REMEDI faculty in 2008.

Laboratory of Stem Cell Dynamic, EPFL (website in French)

EPFL

Melissa is a PhD student in Yann Barrandon’s laboratory at EPFL in Lausanne, Switzerland. She started her PhD in 2008 and she is currently working with human thymic epithelial cells, investigating their potential in vitro and in vivo.

Centre for Health, Law and Emerging Technologies (HeLEX), University of Oxford

STEMBANCC

REMEDiE

Michael’s primary research interest and expertise lies in the application of insights and perspectives from Science and Technology Studies (STS) and medical sociology to the study of novel and emerging biotechnologies. More specifically, he is concerned with understanding the ways in which these technologies are shaped by a variety of social factors – including institutional and regulatory cultures as well as the perspectives of developers and prospective users – throughout the course of their development and deployment into practice; and how, in turn, new biomedical technologies shape and reconfigure our understandings of disease, health, and the ‘sorts’ of people we are or can be.

Michael is currently based at the centre for Health, Law and Emerging Technologies (HeLEX) at the University of Oxford, where he is providing governance and ethical support to the IMI STEMBANCC project. He is also working with Dr Jane Kaye and other HeLEX members to develop novel consent procedures for large-scale biobanking projects.

University of Western Sydney

Dr Michael O'Connor is interested in using human stem cells to better understand normal human development and disease progression. His current research activity makes use of human pluripotent stem cells (i.e. cells that can produce any cell type of the body) to learn more about cataract, a variety of conditions that involve degradation of the ocular lens leading to blindness.

Regenerative Medicine Institute (REMEDI), National University of Ireland

Mikey Creane is a PhD student in Timothy O’Brien’s laboratory at Regenerative Medicine Institute (REMEDI) at the National University of Ireland, Galway.  His current work focuses on the clinical translation of human mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) with a particular interest in safety.

National University of Ireland Galway

Muriel Grenon is a molecular geneticist working in the field of cancer biology and is a research Fellow in the Centre for Chromosome Biology at the National University of Ireland Galway. Muriel is also honorary lecturer in Cellular Genetics and practices research-inspired teaching. She has used and adapted some of the EuroStemCell resources to engage undergraduate students in the learning process required for the NUIG biotechnology degree.

University of Edinburgh

Nia has recently graduated from the University of York with a degree in Genetics, and is currently studying for an MSc in Science Communication and Public Engagement at the University of Edinburgh. She hopes to pursue a career in science communication and is interested in science writing and journalism.

Dublin City University, Ireland

Niamh Higgins is an undergraduate studying for a BSc degree in Genetics & Cell Biology at Dublin City University, Ireland. Niamh has spent the past two summers working at the National Institute for Cellular Biotechnology, Ireland. Firstly as a Cancer and Cell Biology Research Intern (breast cancer invasiveness and metastasis projects) and most recently as a Research Assistant (Investigating Multiple Myeloma and personalized medicine). Currently in her penultimate year of study, Niamh hopes to gain another interesting placement in industry or research for 2014. Current research interests; stem cells, cancer, genetics, personalized medicine and equine research. 

Centre for Clinical Brain Sciences, Centre for Neuroregeneration, University of Edinburgh

& Centre for Regenerative Medicine, University of Edinburgh

Nina Rzechorzek is a Clinical PhD student in Siddharthan Chandran’s lab at the University of Edinburgh.  Her research uses human stem cell-derived cortical neurons to explore mechanisms of neuroprotection in the context of acute and chronic neuronal injury.  She is funded by a Wellcome Trust Integrated Training Fellowship for Veterinarians. 

Nina has written a blog post for EuroStemCell and a summary of an article published by the Chandran lab.  She was also involved in developing the Hope Beyond Hype Project.

Harvard University Medical School, Harvard Stem Cell Institute and Center for Neuroregeneration Research at McLean Hospital

Dr. Ole Isacson is Professor of Neurology (Neuroscience) at Harvard Medical School. He is the Director of the Center for Neuroregeneration Research/Neuroregeneration Laboratories at McLean Hospital and an NIH Udall Parkinson's Disease Research Center of Excellence grant awardee. Dr. Isacson is also a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Harvard NeuroDiscovery Center and Principal Faculty of Harvard Stem Cell Institute. He received his Medical Bachelor (1984) and Doctor of Medicine (a research doctoral degree in Medical Neurobiology, 1987) from the University of Lund in Sweden. In 1989, after a 2 year postdoctoral position at Cambridge University, England, Dr. Isacson was recruited to Harvard as an Assistant Professor of Neuroscience and there established a small independent research laboratory for his work on neuroregeneration. Over the last decade his original laboratory has grown to an internationally recognized academic research center for Parkinson's disease and related disorders, funded by the NIH, DOD and private foundations. Dr. Isacson's scientific models and studies of conceptually new therapies for neurodegenerative diseases have resulted in many new findings and clinical trials for Parkinson's and Huntington's disease. He is Receiving Editor of the European Journal of Neuroscience and on the board of numerous scientific journals. He is a founding member and past President of the American Society for Neural Transplantation and Repair, and is the current President of the international Cell Transplant Society, CTS (branch of The Transplantation Society, TTS). He serves as a scientific reviewer and advisor to the NIH, DOD and many Parkinson community groups. Dr. Isacson has received several international prizes, research awards and lectureships. He is author or co-author of over 200 scientific research publications in neuroscience and neurology, and 3 books in his field.

Lund Stem Cell Centre, Lund University

Dr. Olle Lindvall is Professor of Clinical Neurology and Chairman of the Division of Neurology at the University Hospital, Lund, Sweden. He has served as Chairman of the Swedish Movement Disorder Society 1995-1998, Vice-Dean of the Medical Faculty at the University of Lund 1997-1999, elected member of the Board of the Swedish Research Council (medical division) 2001-2006, clinical coordinator in EU-sponsored integrated project EuroStemCell 2003-2007, and Chairman of the Steering Committee for Nordic Centers of Excellence in Molecular Medicine 2003-2007. He has received numerous Prizes and Awards. Since 2004 Dr. Lindvall has been a member of the Board of the International Society for Stem Cell Research, and since 2005 a member of the Board of Reviewing Editors for SCIENCE and a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research.  He recently led the The ISSCR Task Force for the Clinical Translation of Stem Cells, an international group of experts who developed the Guidelines for the Clinical Translation of Stem Cells.

Since 1983 Dr. Lindvall has headed the clinical neurotransplantation program in  Lund. This program has pioneered cell replacement strategies and been the first to show proof-of-principle, i.e., that transplanted neurons can survive, grow, restore transmitter release, become functionally integrated, and give rise to clinically measurable improvements in the diseased, 50-60 year old human brain. Current research interests in Dr. Lindvall’s laboratory are the development of stem cell-based approaches for cell replacement in Parkinson’s disease and stroke, and of gene therapeutic strategies for neuroprotection and neuroregeneration in Parkinson’s disease. Much focus is on the role and possible therapeutic relevance of neurogenesis from the adult brain’s own neural stem cells in stroke and epilepsy.

Karolinska Institutet

Outi Hovatta is Professor in Obstetrics and Gynaecology, especially Assisted Reproduction, at the Karolinska Institutet, Stockholm, Sweden, and Chief physician in the Fertility Unit, Karolinska University Hospital Huddinge, Sweden. 

She graduated from the University of Helsinki with M.D. in 1970 and Ph.D. 1973, and has been a specialist in Obstetrics and Gynecology since 1978. After working as consultant in the Helsinki University Hospital, she established the Infertility Clinic of the Family Federation of Finland, and lead it from 1986-1995. From 1995-1998, Dr. Hovatta was a senior research fellow and visiting professor in the Imperial College, at Hammersmith Hospital in London, UK, before her current role at the Karolinska Institutet. 

Junta de Andalucía Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research (GENYO)

Pablo Menéndez Buján, PhD MBA, is a Principal Investigator at Pfizer - Universidad de Granada - Junta de Andalucía Centre for Genomics and Oncological Research (GENYO), Spain.

Remembering Paolo Bianco: Scientist at the forefront in the battle against Stamina

The scientist who urged us to never surrender

1955-2015

Paolo Bianco, anatomical pathologist and professor of the University “La Sapienza” of Rome, dedicated his studies to complex diseases and to mesenchymal and skeletal stem cells.

He spent some years at University College London, where he became a leading world expert in this area. He then worked at the National Institutes of Health (US), before returning to Sapienza in Rome, where he created the Laboratory of Stem Cells and gathered an excellent group of researchers from the University’s Department of Molecular Medicine.

Paolo "enjoyed boundless admiration from his students", and his lessons "were exemplary for clarity, rigour, brilliance and humour." He was a regular faculty member at the annual Hydra Summer School on Stem Cells and Regenerative Medicine, where his lectures certainly met those criteria, and were always a highlight of the week.

Paolo was a principal investigator and partner on the EuroStemCell project (as well as several other European projects), working with us most recently on the tricky and ever topical issue of mesenchymal stem cells. 

Paolo was always "a voice that was always rigorous and impartial", and for many years in Italy stood up for scientific freedom, most recently in the battle against Stamina, often at significant personal cost.

He was awarded the ISSCR's public service award in 2014, with colleagues Elena Cattaneo and Michele De Luca, in recognition of their involvement in public debate and policy-making in Italy and their championing of rigorous scientific and medical standards and stringent regulatory oversight in the introduction of new stem cell treatments into the clinic.

Intercytex

Regener8

Paul Kemp has been involved in commercial regenerative medicine for over 20 years. He has a successful track record in virtually all aspects of the private and public Biotech business in both the USA and UK, from founding biotech companies, raising significant public, private and non-equity based funding in Europe, the USA and Asia to taking a regenerative medicine company public; designing, building and operating GMP facilities in the USA and UK; designing and operating clinical trials including extensive interactions with the MHRA, EMA and FDA; running multi-national, multi-centre Phase I, II and III studies, and finally, launching, marketing and selling cell-based products both in the USA and UK. He is the inventor on several patents related to multiple regenerative medicine products both in development and on the market and publishes and presents widely in the field. He holds a BSc from the University of Wales and a PhD from the University of Leeds. He is Chairman of the Industrial Group of Regener8 and on the editorial board of Regenerative Medicine, the industry journal. He is also Chief Executive and Chief Scientific Officer of Intercytex.

London Project to Cure Blindness

Prof. Pete Coffey is Director of the London Project to Cure Blindness.

Two major groups of diseases termed retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration are the leading causes of blindness. In these diseases, loss of vision is due to progressive degeneration of the light sensitive cells of the eye or defects in the supporting cells of the eye. There is no cure for this at present although several have been suggested from studies on experimental animals, mostly rats and mice with similar diseases. One of these involves the transplantation of cells to slow the degeneration of photoreceptors or replace photoreceptors lost by the disease. My work explores this approach with the object of finding the best conditions for transplantation, identifying events that might compromise transplant efficacy and finding solutions to their deleterious effects, and specifically an assessment of how much visual improvement might be expected from this approach. Most important it will provide the necessary science prior to the clinical application of this approach in people.

Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, University of Liverpool

Peter Clegg is Professor of Musculoskeletal Biology in the Institute of Ageing and Chronic Disease, University of Liverpool.  Peter qualified from the University of Cambridge in 1987 and spent four years working in equine practice. Peter has worked at the University of Liverpool since 1997 as Lecturer and Senior Lecturer and subsequently was appointed as Chair in Equine Orthopaedics in 2005. In 2003, he was awarded a Wellcome Trust Research Leave Fellowship to undertake research into cartilage repair in conjunction with the University of Manchester.  Peter is a Diplomate of the European College of Veterinary Surgeons and a RCVS Specialist in Equine Surgery.

University of Edinburgh

Professor Peter Sandercock, MA, DM, FRCPE, FMedSci is an Academic Clinical Neurologist at the University of Edinburgh. He studied Medicine at the University of Oxford, and undertook his postgraduate clinical training in Stoke-on-Trent, Manchester, Oxford and Liverpool, followed by a visiting academic fellowship at McMaster University Canada.  His initial research was on the epidemiology of stroke in Oxfordshire, and in clinical trials of stroke prevention.  When he took up his post in Edinburgh he set up and ran the first International Stroke Trial (IST-1), the first ‘mega-trial’ in acute ischaemic stroke.  It tested aspirin & heparin in 19.435 patients recruited within 48 hours of stroke onset from 467 hospitals in 37 countries.  He is  the Co-Chief Investigator of IST-3, the largest-ever trial of  ‘clot-busting’ thrombolytic therapy for acute ischaemic stroke with 3035 patients.  He was Co-ordinating Editor of the Cochrane Stroke Research Group (CSRG) for over 10 years, and still remains active in the group. 

Institute of Molecular Genetics

Petr Svoboda is a junior group leader at the Institute of Molecular Genetics AS CR in Prague since 2007. He studies post-transcriptional regulations during oocyte-to-zygote transition and the role of small RNAs in embryonic stem cells. He received Ph.D at the University of Pennsylvania where he studied RNA interference in mouse oocytes in Richard Schultz group. During his postdoc in Witold Filipowicz group at the FMI in Basel, he studied RNA silencing in mammalian cells.

Philip is a post-doctoral research fellow currently working at the Centre for Regenerative Medicine (University of Edinburgh) on the safety assessment of regenerative medicine therapies on liver tissue under the supervision of Prof. Stuart Forbes. This work comprises part of the Safety Hub of the UK Regenerative Medicines Platform. Current research interests include the determination of adverse reactions of various regenerative medicine therapies, including stem cells, macrophages and macrophage stimulating agents.

Wellcome Trust - Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute

Philippa Russell is the former Public Engagement Officer at the Wellcome Trust - Medical Research Council Cambridge Stem Cell Institute. She holds a MA in Human Rights from Sciences Po, Paris and has previously worked on engagement initiatives with rural communities in northern Malawi and disadvantaged youth in France. During her time at Cambridge Stem Cell Institute, she worked to develop a comprehensive programme of public engagement training and events at the Stem Cell Institute.

University of Edinburgh

Rachel is a Biochemistry graduate and is currently studying for an MSc in Science Communication and Public Engagement at the University of Edinburgh. She is particularly interested in science writing and the use of social media in science communication.

University College London Cancer Institute

The Physicians Clinic, London

Rajeev Gupta is Clinical Senior Lecturer in Haematology at the University College London Cancer Institute and a Consultant Haematologist at The Physicians Clinic in London. He gained his PhD at NIMR Mill Hill and was a post-doctoral scientist at the Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine in Oxford. His current research focuses on the control of cell fate decisions in haematopoietic stem cells.

Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic

Dr Rebecca Devon is a freelance scientific editor and science writer for multiple neuroscience research centres at the University of Edinburgh. She writes copy for a variety of media including websites, and has recently become the science communications manager for the Anne Rowling Regenerative Neurology Clinic. She has a PhD in molecular genetics from the University of Edinburgh, and did post-doctoral research on motor neurone disease in Vancouver, Canada, before embarking on her science writing career.

Rebecca is a PhD student in the lab of Michaela Frye at the German Cancer centre (DKFZ) in Heidelberg, Germany.