Teach Me in 10: Accelerating Cell and Gene Therapy Development

Dr. Xiaowen Bai's research interests are centered around the application of stem cells for disease modeling and tissue regeneration. She has authored more than 80 research articles, reviews, and book chapters, all of which focus on stem cell-based tissue regeneration, disease modeling, and drug testing. Currently, her laboratory is primarily focused on investigating the molecular mechanisms underlying the roles of non-coding RNAs, mitochondria, and genetic factors in heart and brain injury in mice. To translate these findings to humans, Dr. Bai's lab utilizes human-induced pluripotent stem cell-derived tissue-specific cell culture and organoid models.

Simon is a co-founder of Broken String Biosciences and Professor in Cancer Studies at the School of Medicine, Cardiff University. He is a leading expert in genome stability with more than 25 years’ experience in the field. He has developed genomic tools used widely by industry partners. Simon was a Fulbright Scholar at the Southwestern Medical Centre at Dallas, Texas, and is Chair of the UK Genome Stability Network.

I hold a degree in chemical engineering, and a Master's in membrane science. But my passion for understanding molecular interactions and their applications led me to pursue a Ph.D. in biomolecular sciences, where I focused on a remarkable class of molecules known as Aptamers. I got to know them first for their application in membrane separation processes. However, during my doctoral research in Italy and subsequent post-doctoral work in Barcelona, I explored their potential in cancer treatment. Today, I serve as a Senior Biomolecular Scientist on Clarivate’s editorial team for molecular interactions. In this role, I provide organizations and researchers with precise and actionable information, empowering them to make informed decisions and address complex challenges.

Dr. Appel is former chair of the Stanley H. Appel Department of Neurology at Houston Methodist Hospital in Houston, Texas. He is Director of the Ann Kimball and John W. Johnson Center for Cellular Therapeutics and the Peggy and Gary Edwards Distinguished Endowed Chair for the Treatment and Research of ALS at Houston Methodist Research Institute, and Professor of Neurology at Weill Cornell Medical College. He was previously Chair of the Department of Neurology at Baylor College of Medicine as well as Chief of the Neurology division and the James B. Duke Professor of Medicine at Duke University Medical Center, North Carolina. Dr. Appel serves as Chair of the Scientific Advisory Board for Coya Therapeutics, Inc. An internationally renowned researcher and neurologist, Dr. Appel is dedicated to the treatment of patients with ALS and is one of the nation's foremost experts on the disease. He has spent more than 40 years devoted to understanding the human brain.

Lior Raviv joined Pluri in 2011 and currently serves as Chief Technology Officer. Prior to that Mr. Raviv served as VP Operations & Development, Process Development Engineer, Projects Manager and Product development Team leader at Pluri. Prior to joining Pluri and during the years 2010-2011, Mr. Raviv held the position of R&D Analytical Researcher at Teva Pharmaceutical Industries. Mr. Raviv holds a M.Med.Sec in pharmacology from the Ben Gurion University and a B.S.c, in Biotechnology engineering from the Ben Gurion University.

Dr John Counsell is an Associate Professor at University College London. His research group engineer novel genetic therapies to overcome observed shortcomings of existing technologies. He is actively involved in translation and commercialisation of novel therapies internal and external to UCL, helping to progress interventions for a range of diseases with unmet clinical needs.