Stem Cells Keynote Speakers

Lusine Danielyan Head, Division of Cellular/Molecular Pharmacology, University Hospital of Tuebingen Lusine Danielyan MD is Head of Division of Cellular/Molecular Pharmacology at the Department of Clinical Pharmacology, University Hospital of Tuebingen, Germany. She earned her MD at the University Hospital of Tuebingen. Her current research interests include the exploration of mechanisms and efficacy of neuroprotection provided by several agents including growth factors and therapeutic cells in neurodegenerative disorders such as Alzheimer’s, Parkinson’s disease and stroke. Her new findings on intranasal delivery of cells to the brain were highlighted by several journals including Nature Methods, European Journal of Cell Biology, Neurology Today, The New Scientist and others. For the discovery of intranasal delivery of cells to the brain she received an award from the German Ministry of Nutrition and Agriculture in 2009 and also received the World Pharma Young investigator Award in 2010.
William Frey Director, University of Minnesota Dr. William H. Frey II is Director of the Alzheimer's Research Center at Regions Hospital in St. Paul, MN, Professor of Pharmaceutics and faculty member in Neurology, Oral Biology and Neuroscience at the University of Minnesota and consultant to the pharmaceutical and biotechnology industry. His patents, owned by Novartis, Stanford University, HealthPartners Research Foundation and others, target noninvasive delivery of therapeutic agents, including stem cells, to the brain and spinal cord for treating neurological disorders, psychiatric disorders and obesity. Dr. Frey's non-invasive intranasal method for bypassing the blood-brain barrier to target CNS therapeutic agents to the brain while reducing systemic exposure and unwanted side effects has captured the interest of both pharmaceutical companies and neuroscientists. The intranasal insulin treatment he developed for Alzheimer’s disease has been shown in clinical trials to improve memory in both Alzheimer’s patients and normal adults. With over 100 publications in scientific and medical journals, Dr. Frey has been interviewed on Good Morning America, The Today Show, 20/20, All Things Considered and numerous other television and radio shows in the U.S., Europe and Asia. Articles about Dr. Frey's research have appeared in the Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, U.S. News and World Report and other magazines and newspapers around the world. Dr. Frey earned his BA in Chemistry at Washington University in 1969 and Ph.D. in Biochemistry at Case Western Reserve University in 1975.
Hans Keirstead Professor of Anatomy and Neurobiology, University of California, Irvine Canadian-born neuroscientist Dr. Hans Keirstead received his Ph.D. from the University of British Columbia in Vancouver, Canada. His thesis concerned his invention of a novel method for regenerating damaged spinal cords, and formed the basis of several worldwide patents as well as the formation of a company in 1999 to bring this treatment towards clinical trials. Hans’ Ph.D. work constituted the first demonstration of functional regeneration of the injured adult spinal cord, and for his achievements he received the Cameron Award for the outstanding Ph.D. thesis in Canada. Hans then completed four years of post-doctoral studies at the University of Cambridge. He was elected to two senior academic posts at the University of Cambridge, Fellow of the Governing Body of Downing College, and Senate Member of the University of Cambridge, and was the youngest member to have been elected to those positions. In 2000, Dr. Keirstead became a tenure-track Assistant Professor in the Reeve-Irvine Research Center at the University of California Irvine. The Reeve-Irvine Research Center, founded by actor Christopher Reeve and philanthropist Joan Irvine, is a leading center for spinal cord injury research. Hans was recently awarded the Distinguished Assistant Professor of UCI Award, the UCI Academic Senate's highest honor, and the UCI Innovation Award for innovative research leading to corporate and clinical development, and was thereafter promoted to Associate Professor. He has testified at the Federal Senate and House on multiple occasions regarding stem cell research and policy. He has founded and funded 3 biotechnology companies to bring treatments to clinical trials. Hans directs a research team investigating the cellular biology and treatment of spinal cord trauma, research that also has significance for multiple sclerosis and other diseases of the nervous system. He is currently Co-Director of the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center, Director of the UCI Africa Initiative, and Chairman of the Scientific Advisory Board of California Stem Cell. A complete overview of Hans’ research and publications can be found at www.anatomy.uci.edu/keirstead.html.
Bernard Siegel Founder and Executive Director, Genetics Policy Institute Bernard Siegel is the founder and full-time executive director of the nonprofit Genetics Policy Institute (GPI) based in Wellington, (Palm Beach County) Florida. He is the founder and the co-chair of the World Stem Cell Summit series of global conferences and editor-in-chief of the World Stem Cell Report.  A native of Richmond, Virginia, he received his undergraduate and law degrees from the University of Miami. He is a member of the Florida Bar since 1975.Mr. Siegel serves on the board of directors of the Coalition for Advancement of Medical Research (CAMR) and Americans for Cures Foundation. He also serves on the executive committee of the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM) and chaired that group’s nominating committee. He is a past co-chair of the Governmental Affairs Committee of the International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR). At the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine, Mr. Siegel serves on the Governance Advisory Board of the Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute and as a member the Embryonic Stem Cell Research Oversight (ESCRO) Committee.
Alan Trounson President, California Institute for Regenerative Medicine Alan Trounson, Ph.D., is President of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine in San Francisco, California, the state’s $3billion stem cell agency. Prior to joining CIRM in January 2008, Trounson was Director of the Monash Immunology and Stem Cell Laboratories at Monash University. Dr. Trounson founded seven companies and the ‘Australian Stem Cell Centre’. He was a pioneer of human in vitro fertilisation (IVF) and associated reproductive technologies; the diagnosis of inherited genetic disease in pre-implantation embryos; the discovery and production of human embryonic stem cells and of their directed differentiation into a wide range of cell and tissue types. He is currently driving basic research in stem cell biology and medicine and facilitating the translation of stem cell discoveries into clinical treatments for patients.