12 Aug Cellular Dynamics International Appoints Leroy Hood, M.D., Ph.D., and George Church, Ph.D., to its Scientific Advisory Board
“Stem cells have the potential to transform 21st century medicine-perhaps in a manner similar to antibiotics in the 20th century,” commented Dr. Hood. “I am excited about the pioneering work of Cellular Dynamics in the production of iPS cells from individual human patients and the expansion of these stems cells into tissues relevant to the study of the individual’s disease.”
“The commercial opportunity associated with human iPS cells is rapidly becoming complementary and/or competitive with existing markets for small molecule drugs, cord blood banking, embryonic cell research, regulatory genomic predictions, personalized toxicity and efficacy testing, and so on,” said Dr. Church. “Significant demand for these cells already exists, and I am impressed with the scale, quality assurance and level of industrialization CDI has achieved and their plans to meet future demand.”
“George Church and Lee Hood are thought leaders with broad experience in bringing discoveries out of their academic labs into the world where those discoveries can make a real impact on people’s lives. Both have been key players in the genomic revolution, and we will look to them for creative insights into the impact of iPS cells in personalized medicine. It is an honor that they have chosen to work with us, and I am looking forward to interacting with them at our SAB meetings,” said Dr. James Thomson, CDI Chief Scientific Officer. Thomson also serves as director of Regenerative Biology at the
“We are excited to welcome Dr. Hood and Dr. Church to CDI’s Scientific Advisory Board. Lee and George are recognized as leading pioneers in the rapidly growing field of personalized medicine. Coupling their expertise with Dr. Thomson’s provides an added level of scientific vision that will advance the company’s goals in the development and delivery of iPS cell-based drug discovery tools and personalized medicine therapies,” said Bob Palay, CEO and Chairman of CDI.
Dr. Leroy Hood is co-founder and president of the
Technology. He has played a role in founding more than 14 biotechnology companies, including
Dr. George Church is professor of genetics at Harvard Medical School; director of the Lipper Center for Computational Genetics,