Mario R. Capecchi, PhD
Co-Winner of the 2007 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine
Professor of Human Genetics at the University of Utah School of Medicine
Howard Hughes Medical Institute Investigator
2009 NABT Distinguished Service Award

Dr. Capecchi will provide a compelling overview of current stem cell research and the promise of stem cell based therapies for amelioration of many devastating human diseases from Lou Gehrig's disease to Alzheimer’s disease.

Dr. Capecchi is best known for his pioneering work on the development of gene targeting in mouse embryo-derived stem (ES) cells. This technology allows scientists to create mice with mutations in any desired gene. The power of this technology is that the investigator chooses both which gene to mutate and how to mutate it. The investigator has virtually complete freedom on how to manipulate the DNA sequences in the genome of living mice. This allows scientists to evaluate in detail the function of any gene during the development or post-developmental phase of the mouse. His research interests include the molecular genetic analysis of early mouse development, neural development in mammals, production of murine models of human genetic diseases, gene therapy, homologous recombination and programmed genomic rearrangements in the mouse.

Representative Diana DeGette
1st District of Colorado (D-CO)

Chief Deputy Whip Diana DeGette is serving her 7th term in Congress as Representative for the First District of Colorado. As Vice Chair of the powerful Committee on Energy and Commerce, an exclusive congressional committee with vast jurisdiction over health care, trade, business, technology, food safety, and consumer protection, she is one of the leading voices in the health care debate in this country. U.S. Rep. DeGette is also the chief architect of legislation to expand stem cell research, which has been passed twice with broad, bipartisan support in Congress.

Sarah Haecker, PhD
Strategic Advisor, Genetics Policy Institute
Haecker Consulting

Dr. Sarah Haecker is an independent strategist for the Regenerative Medicine Industry. She has more than 16 years of senior-level management experience combining technical and business knowledge with emphasis in business strategy, business development, licensing, opportunity assessment, market analysis and partnering early to late stage therapeutics in the private and public sectors. Her client list ranges from big pharma to emerging regen- and bio-tech companies, investment banking and venture to academia. She has both published and spoken to a world-wide audience broadly in the area of progressive, innovative stem cell science and specifically on business modeling in the ReGEN Industry. Recently, she was retained as Director, Strategic Programs for the Genetics Policy Institute. With postdoctoral training in the School of Medicine and Gene Therapy Program at the University of Pennsylvania, she has a broad technical knowledge base in regenerative medicine, tissue engineering, stem cell biology and application, gene and cell therapy, translational research, and clinic applications. She holds a doctorate degree in molecular biology and bioethics from the University of Minnesota and a Bachelor of Science degree in biochemistry from the University of Wisconsin. She has continued education in the MBA program at the University of Pennsylvania’s Wharton School.

Alan L. Jakimo
Partner
Sidley Austin LLP

Alan L. Jakimo, a partner in the New York office of Sidley Austin LLP, focuses on transactions involving the development, use, transfer, and financing of technology primarily in the life science and information science industries.  His assignments encompass a broad range of transactions involving financial institutions and operating enterprises along the spectrum from start-up to seasoned in venues around the globe.  He serves as a Special Professor of Law at Hofstra University, where he teaches a course on the impact of law on the pathway that drugs, biologics, medical devices, and advanced therapeutic products follow from discovery to commercialization.  Mr. Jakimo also serves on the Legal Advisory Board of Genetics Policy Institute, a not-for-profit organization with the mission of helping to guide policy-making in stem cell research and regenerative medicine.

Dr. Patricia Morton
Director of Planning and Development
Rutgers University, W.M Keck Center for Collaborative Neuroscience

At the W. M. Keck Center, Dr. Morton has extensive contacts with people with spinal cord injuries and their families, and works in collaboration with the major spinal cord injury research institutions and organizations in the United States and internationally. She is responsible for corporate and governmental relations, fund-raising activities, and the building of cooperative efforts between various organizations involved in spinal cord injury research. Dr. Morton has worked to develop programs to bring injured persons and their families into partnership with scientists and is coordinating a state-by-state movement, Quest for the Cure, to pass legislation to increase funding for spinal cord injury research. She has served on numerous national boards and is a founding member of the New Jersey Commission on Spinal Cord Research.

Mark Noble, PhD
UR Stem Cell & Regenerative Medicine Institute
University of Rochester Medical Center

Along with being Director of the University of Rochester Stem Cell and Regenerative Medicine Institute, Dr. Noble is a member of a three-laboratory team that addresses a wide range of areas related to the fields of stem cell medicine (Cell and Organism-Based Disease Models, Cellular Signaling Networks, Stem Cell Biology, Bioinformatics and Systems Biology, Functional Genomics and Developmental Biology). The unifying theme of Dr. Noble’s research program is a focus on aspects of stem cell biology that are relevant to developing a mature field of stem cell medicine. The field of stem cell biology provides multiple opportunities to enhance the understanding and treatment of a variety of diseases; however, we are only in the early stages of understanding how best to build the bridges between laboratory discoveries and clinical opportunities. Dr. Noble’s lab is particularly interested in identifying opportunities for bridge building that also extend the fields of stem cell biology and stem cell medicine into new territories.

Brandon Pletsch
Founder and Lead Animator
Radiant 3D

In 2003 Brandon Pletsch earned his MS in Medical Illustration from the Medical College of Georgia.  Both as a student and a professional, Brandon received international recognition as a medical animator.  He has the unique honor of being the only illustrator in the history of the Association of Medical Illustrators to win the Orvile Parkes Student Best of Show award for two consecutive years.  Soon after graduation, he won first place in the multimedia category of the 2003 Science and Engineering Visualization Challenge.  Since then Brandon has produced animations and illustrations for the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industry.  In addition, he has provided educational content to institutions and organizations around the globe, including NASA, Discovery Channel and Harvard University.

Dr. Nirupama (Rupa) Shevde
WiCell Research Institute

Dr. Shevde is a Senior Scientist and the Director of the Education and Outreach at WiCell Research Institute. She also maintains an appointment as a Senior Scientist in the Department of Biochemistry at the University of Wisconsin-Madison. Dr. Shevde earned her Doctorate from Harvard and has conducted research for several years in the area of steroid hormones and their actions on the skeleton (Bone Biology). Prior to joining the WiCell team, she played a role as a consultant and was instrumental in developing some of the recent training courses offered to the scientific community. She and her team train scientists from all around the world to culture and maintain human embryonic stem cells through the training courses offered at WiCell. Dr. Shevde also leads a dynamic Outreach program that focuses on inspiring and empowering middle school and high school students who are our future scientists. Her current research interests are centered on the regulation of cellular differentiation, particularly as it relates to human stem cells and their selective transition into bone cells (osteoblasts and osteoclasts).

Jamie Shuda, EdD
Director
Life Science Outreach and Project BioEYES Institute for Regenerative Medicine & The Netter Center for Community Partnerships

Dr. Jamie Shuda is the co-founder of Project BioEYES and Bridge to ReBIO science outreach programs. These programs have educating over 18,000 students and partnered with 180 teachers across the country. Dr. Shuda received an Ed.D in Education Leadership and Policy Studies and is the Director of Life Science Outreach at the University of Pennsylvania.

Bernard Siegel
Executive Director
Genetics Policy Institute

Bernard Siegel, J.D., is the Founder and full-time Executive Director of the nonprofit Genetics Policy Institute (GPI) based in Palm Beach Gardens, 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. He served as the immediate past co-chair of the Governmental Affairs Committee of the International Society for Stem Cell Research. Mr. Siegel has appeared as a policy expert on the CBS Evening News, the CBS Early Show, CNN, CNN International, MSNBC, Fox and Friends, CNBC and network news shows throughout the U.S. and the world. He was profiled on National Public Radio’s All Things Considered. He has been quoted in the New York Times, The Washington Post, The Boston Globe, Wired, The Scientist, New Scientist, The London Times, Le Monde, Pravda, The Peoples Daily and many other publications.