J. Wade Atkins is an MT ASCP with a Specialty in Blood Banking, is credential as a Certified Advanced Biotherapies Professional, a certified Quality Auditor through the American Society for Quality and has a Master of Science in Health Care Administration.

 For 22 years he has been associated with quality assurance and regulatory affairs for the Department of Transfusion Medicine (DTM) in the Clinical Center for the National Institutes of Health in Bethesda Maryland and is currently supervising a staff of 9 quality associates. He has responsibilities for ensuring compliance with standards and regulations for manufacturing high quality products.

 The DTM is a full-service blood bank with a licensed collection facility and a full transfusion service and maintains an active HCTP manufacturing facility that supports roughly 80 protocols and 35 or more of those are regulated by IND at the FDA. The Blood establishment and Center for Cellular Engineering employee about 200 staff.

In her role with SCB, Katie brings a combination of leadership and technical skills gained from her prior experience as a researcher, a postdoctoral community advocate, and a scientific policy advisor in Congress.

 Prior to joining SCB, Katie worked in U.S. House of Representatives for the Committee on Energy and Commerce as the American Society of Hematology’s inaugural American Association for the Advancement of Science (AAAS) Science & Technology Policy Fellow. Before the fellowship, she conducted research on rare blood clotting diseases at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, where she also founded a patient education program. She holds a PhD in Chemistry from Binghamton University, where she studied neurotransmitter kinetics.

Christine joined the Parenteral Drug Association (PDA) as their Senior Standards Manager in 2017. Prior to this, she was affiliated with the American Type Culture Collection where over 16 years, she served in numerous capacities, to include technical services, a cell biology lab, and as a standards and certification specialist. She served for 13 years in clinical transplant in the histocompatibility lab at the Medical College at Virginia in Richmond, Virginia, Sentara Norfolk General Hospital in Norfolk, Virginia. She also worked as a Senior Donor Services Coordinator for the “Be The Match” program operated by the National Marrow Donor Program/ CW Bill Young Marrow Program in the Washington DC area. She earned her degree from Virginia Tech.   

Dr. Viswanathan is a Scientist at the Osteoarthritis Program, Division of Orthopedic Surgery, Schroeder Arthritis Institute and the Krembil Research Institute (University Health Network) and an Associate Professor at the Institute of Biomedical Engineering and at the Division of Hematology, Department of Medicine (University of Toronto).

 Dr. Viswanathan is leading international efforts to standardize MSC nomenclature and create reference materials for MSC research. Dr. Viswanathan sits on the Standard Council of Canada’s Mirror Committee for International Organization for Standardization (ISO TC276) on Analytical Methods and Bioprocessing, and is on the steering and working committee of an international Standards Coordinating Body (SCB). Dr. Viswanathan is a formal liaison between ISO TC276 and the International Society of Cell and Gene Therapy (ISCT). Dr. Viswanathan is Associate Editor of Cytotherapy, the official journal for ISCT and N. American VIP Elect (2024-2026) for ISCT.

Samuel C. F. Couto, PhD, is a researcher at the Blood Center of São Paulo (Fundação Pró-Sangue) and also serves as an associate researcher at the University of São Paulo in Brazil. After earning his degree in Biological Sciences from PUC-Campinas University, Dr. Couto pursued a PhD in Biotechnology at the University of São Paulo, followed by postdoctoral fellowships at both the University of São Paulo's Medical School and Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C. He is particularly interested in increasing access to cellular and gene therapies in lower-middle-income countries. He also leads the Laboratory of Stem Cell Processing at the University of São Paulo’s Clinics Hospital (HC/FMUSP).

Lilia C. León-Moreno, PhD, is a posdoctoral researcher focused on the study of exosomes and mesenchymal stromal cells as a potential therapy for neurodegenerative diseases. She is interested in increasing the knowledge of the medical and scientific communities, and general public about advanced therapies and establishing a regulatory framework that enables the development of these therapies in Latin America. She is currently involved in the planning of a CDMO for cell therapy in Jalisco.

Virginia Picanço e Castro, PhD, is a prominent researcher at the Regional Blood Center of Ribeirão Preto in Brazil, where she focuses on pluripotent stem cells and cell reprogramming. After earning her degree in Biological Sciences from the University of São Paulo, Dr. Picanço e Castro pursued a Ph.D. in Genetics at the Medical School of Ribeirão Preto, followed by postdoctoral fellowships at both the Regional Blood Center and Indiana University. Her research explores the complex pathways involved in cell reprogramming, specifically aiming to generate pluripotent stem cells from human somatic cells. She also investigates the molecular mechanisms that regulate the differentiation of hematopoietic and pluripotent stem cells, with the ultimate goal of developing effective in vitro differentiation protocols.

Dr. Picanço e Castro’s work aims to create a comprehensive database of genomic proto-proteins involved in hematopoietic differentiation, which could lead to new gene overexpression techniques that enhance cell differentiation and reprogram fibroblasts into adult blood cells. Her research is highly relevant to Brazil's burgeoning biotechnology sector, with the potential to offer safer and more efficient stem cell-based therapies. She collaborates with leading national and international researchers and guides a team of students at the Biotechnology Laboratory Group, contributing to significant advancements in regenerative medicine and therapeutic innovation.

Andrés Gomez-De Léon, MD, is based in a University Hospital in Mexico and focuses on acute leukemia and hematopoietic stem cell transplantation. He is committed to enhancing healthcare access in low-resource settings, aiming to provide high-quality, cost-effective care. His institution is Mexico's largest transplant center, known for its pioneering work in outpatient allogeneic transplants. A graduate and faculty member of the American Society of Hematology Clinical Research Training Institute, he collaborates globally, drives clinical trials in leukemia, and builds a diverse research team. He also creates educational content in Spanish to promote hematology research and training across borders.

Chase D. McCann, PhD, MSPH, is an Assistant Research Professor of Pediatrics at The George Washington University School of Medicine and Health Sciences and the Assistant Director of Manufacturing at Children's National Hospital Cell Therapy Laboratory. He completed his Ph.D. in Immunology and Microbial Pathogenesis at Weill Cornell in 2020, following an M.S. in Public Health Microbiology from The George Washington University and a BSc in Biology and Neuroscience Psychology from UMass Amherst. His professional journey includes leadership roles in cell therapy and research positions at top institutions such as the University of North Carolina and Weill Cornell Medicine. Dr. McCann's research focuses on immune system mechanisms and cell therapy advancements, contributing to significant developments in pediatric and public health immunology.

Beth E. Roxland, J.D., M.Bioethics is a seasoned Attorney & Bioethicist with multifaceted experience across Industry, Law, Government & Academia. She serves as the Senior Advisor on Law, Policy and Ethics for Roxland Consultants Ltd., an independent consultancy where she leverages her unique expertise to provide comprehensive yet practical strategic advice and support to life-science, biotechnology & research entities, law firms, hospitals & healthcare practitioners, venture capital & financial institutions, and professional & patient associations confronting complex legal, ethical, operational & communications challenges in the scientific and medical arenas. Roxland is also a practicing attorney, specializing in litigation, regulation, torts, health law, public health & pandemics, and risk & crisis management. Roxland is a frequent public speaker & author, serves on several academic, medical and research oversight boards, and occupies leadership roles in professional societies.

Roxland’s executive experience includes her prior roles as:

• Johnson & Johnson's Bioethics and Strategy Leader, in the Global Chief Medical Officer's Office;
• Executive Director of The New York State Task Force on Life & the Law;
• Special Advisor to the Commissioner of Health on Stem Cell Research Ethics;
• Senior Litigation Associate at Simpson Thacher & Bartlett LLP;
• Federal Judicial Law Clerk in the Southern District of New York (S.D.N.Y.); and
• Adjunct Professor of Law at NYU School of Law. 

Roxland graduated from Columbia University with a Bachelors degree in Biology, and from the University of Pennsylvania Magna Cum Laude with joint degrees in Law and Bioethics (Juris Doctorate – Masters in Bioethics). 

Kirstin R.W. Matthews, Ph.D., is a fellow in science and technology policy at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy and a lecturer in the Department of BioSciences at Rice University. She is also a track advisor for the Wiess School of Natural Sciences’ Professional Science Master in Biosciences and Health Policy, a core member of the Rice Synthetic Biology Institute, and a steering committee member for Rice’s Medical Humanities Research Institute.

Matthews is the director of the Baker Institute Science and Technology Policy Program and the Center for Health and Biosciences’ Biomedical Research Program. Her research focuses on ethical and policy issues at the intersection between traditional biomedical research and public policy. Specifically, she focuses on regulation and ethical issues associated with emerging biotechnology, including vaccines, stem cells, synthetic biology, and genomic medicine. Matthews also collaborates with Kenneth Evans and Neal Lane to understand how scientific advice is used in and provided for the federal government, including the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) and the President’s Council of Advisors on Science and Technology (PCAST).

Matthews has a B.A. in biochemistry from The University of Texas at Austin and a Ph.D. in molecular biology from The University of Texas Health Science Center at Houston.

Paul Knoepfler is an award-winning scientist who is particularly interested in what controls stem and cancer cell biological behavior.

Known also for his popular blog – ipscell.com – and passionate stem cell advocacy, Knoepfler and his laboratory team focus on how a cell’s pluripotency control machinery goes awry during cancer.

Knoepfler is using cutting-edge genomics technology to better understand why stem cells behave the way they do, and working to determine how cell behavior can be directed toward safe and effective clinical use as well as to develop new cancer therapies for kids.

He is the author of three books including Stem Cells: An Insider’s Guide and has a popular TED talk on CRISPR and designer babies.

Dr. Adriana Migliorini is a senior postdoctoral research fellow in Dr. Maria Cristina Nostro’s laboratory, at the McEwen Stem Cell Institute, University Health Network, Toronto, Canada. She studied medical biotechnology at the University of Florence (Italy) and completed her Ph.D. in human biology, at the Ludwig Maximilian University in Munich, Germany. Her research primarily revolves around the field of human pluripotent stem cells (hPSCs) and developmental biology, with a specific focus on the pancreas. Her current work involves investigating the composition and phenotype of the fetal pancreatic immune niche to gain a deeper understanding of its role during endocrine development and to explore novel applications for the treatment of Type 1 Diabetes (T1D).

Mustapha Najimi is director of research at the institute of Experimental and Clinical Research (IREC) of the Faculty of Medicine and Pharmacy-UCLouvain in Brussels. He holds a PhD in cell and molecular biology from the Pierre & Marie Curie University, Paris in 1999. He joined the team of Pr Etienne Sokal in 2003 to set up a platform of liver cells’ culture dedicated to the development of a clinical cell therapy program. Since then, he led the stem cell group and coordinated the cell culture technology platform of the laboratory of pediatric hepatology and cell therapy. Thanks to an accumulated know-how and significant knowledge of human liver cells’ biology as well as the strategies to isolate them, his research activity led to the discovery of a population of liver mesenchymal progenitor cells. Those cells were the subject of more than 40 international publications, more than 200 citations and the attribution of 7 related patents. Mustapha NAJIMI has actively been/is involved in i) the design and supervision of the large-scale production of the first batches of these progenitor cells, that have been infused to patients with liver diseases at Saint-Luc hospital- Brussels, ii) the technology transfer of this cell therapy product to a spinoff company, iii) the supervision of R&D activities related to those cells with an industrial vision. Thanks to an active network of international collaborations, he continues conducting his research investigations with the major objectives of better understanding the mechanisms governing liver regeneration and improving the use of cell therapy for liver defects.

hPSC-derived Liver Endothelium: A potential Cell Therapy for Hemophilia A

Gene therapy for haemophilia B widely adopted but problems remain for haemophilia A

Director of the Office of Research Regulatory Affairs at Nationwide Children’s Hospital. As a RAC-certified regulatory professional, he advises the development and regulatory strategy of novel drugs, biologics and devices with extensive focus on cell and gene therapy. 

First sickle cell disease patient, who volunteered in 2019 for the exa-cel therapy trial, sponsored by Vertex Pharmaceuticals and CRISPR Therapeutics. Mother of four from Forest, Mississippi, she is a sickle cell warrior having received a CRISPR-based therapy for SCD.

Chair of the Sickle Cell Society (UK). Michele was formerly the Vice-Chair & Treasurer and has been working for the Sickle Cell Society since 2014, contributing to its goal to support and represent people affected by sickle cell, to improve their overall quality of life.

Clinician-scientist in the Department of Bone Marrow Transplantation and Cellular Therapy at St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital. He is an expert in development of novel gene editing therapeutics, and his research includes transplant and gene therapy clinical trials for patients with SCD.