Ibon Garitaonandia, PhD, MBA profile page

Dr. Ibon Garitaonandia, MBA, is chief scientific officer (CSO) at CellProthera, a French clinical-stage biotechnology company developing stem cell-based therapies for ischemic diseases. He has recently completed a Phase 2 study in post-acute myocardial infarction and is preparing for a pivotal Phase 3 study. Garitaonandia is a seasoned executive with several years of experience advancing stem cell-based therapies in multiple indications from early discovery to clinical translation. Prior to CellProthera, he was CSO at Richmond Research Institute, where he conducted clinical research in cardiovascular indications. Before that, Garitaonandia was CSO at Histocell, where he advanced stem cell-based therapies for spinal cord injury and acute respiratory distress syndrome. Previously, he was director of translational research at International Stem Cell Corporation, where he built a preclinical and clinical program for stem cell-based therapies for Parkinson’s disease and traumatic brain injury. Before that, he received a prestigious CIRM postdoctoral fellowship to conduct stem cell research at Jeanne Loring’s laboratory at the Center for Regenerative Medicine at the Scripps Research Institute. Garitaonandia obtained a PhD in biochemistry from the University of Florida and a bachelor’s degree in chemistry from the University of the Basque Country.