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Interview with Kyle Cetrulo about the Perinatal Stem Cell Society

August 2015
Kyle Cetrulo
Kyle Cetrulo, co-founder Perinatal Stem Cell Society

Kyle Cetrulo,
CEO of AuxoCell & co-founder of
the Perinatal Stem Cell Society

Where and when is the Perinatal Stem Cell Society Conference?

The 2nd annual Perinatal Stem Cell Society Conference is taking place March 2-4, 2016 in Aspen CO, USA. The conference venue is the Aspen Meadows Resort, a world-class resort and conference center.

What is the story behind the Perinatal Stem Cell Society?

We decided to start the Perinatal Stem Cell Society (PSCS) after we edited the book, Perinatal Stem Cells, Second Edition. We wanted to continue the momentum of the book and create a society where like-minded individuals could meet and collaborate to advance the perinatal stem cell field towards the clinic. Our goals for the society are embodied in our slogan: "Advancing perinatal stem cell research on the path toward treatment".

Membership in the Perinatal Stem Cell Society is FREE so I encourage everyone who is interested in perinatal stem cells to join the society, even if unable to attend the conference this year. Each registrant for the conference will receive a free download of the entire book "Perinatal Stem Cells, Second Edition".

Who should attend the Perinatal Stem Cell Society conference?

The conference is designed to help cord blood bankers learn about perinatal stem cells as well as to create a space for collaboration. Our goal is to utilize the Perinatal Stem Cell Society to educate the cord blood industry on how to process the highest quality cord tissue, amnion, and placenta derived products.

What is the program for the upcoming meeting?

We're hosting an incredible scientific program with topics covering all aspects of the perinatal stem cell field. The faculty line-up for this 3-day event will feature the world's leading perinatal stem cell researchers, specializing in Amnion, Amniotic fluid, Cord Blood, Cord Tissue, and the Placenta. We consciously worked to include both veteran speakers in the field as well as newer researchers who are also doing amazing work. I think this approach keeps the subject matter fresh, which is the whole point of the meeting.

Day 1: Wednesday March 2nd

The conference kicks off Wed. evening with an Après Ski Style reception followed by a great dinner and a keynote presentation by C. Randal Mills, PhD, CEO of the California Institute of Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). Dr. Mills is a reknowned speaker who can share his experiences bringing the first approved stem cell product to market during his tenure at Osiris, followed by his experience guiding CIRM.

Day 2: Thursday March 3rd

Thursday is a full day's program. The day starts with Joanne Kurtzberg, MD, of Duke University Medical Center and Charles S. Cox, Jr. MD, of the University of Texas Health Science Center sharing their experiences treating pediatric brain injuries with cord blood. Hopefully they will have some fresh data from their paradigm-shifting clinical trials.

Talks focused on the placenta will be given by Robert Hariri, MD, PhD, of Celgene Cellular Therapeutics as well as Graham Jenkins, PhD, and Richard Boyd, PhD, from Monash University in Australia.

Talks on amnion stem cells will be presented by Ornella Parilini, PhD, the President of IPLASS, Aleksander Skardal, PhD, from Wake Forest, Euan Wallace, MD, from Monash University, and others. Hopefully Stephen Strom, PhD, from the Karolinski Institute will have first-in-human results from a trial using amnion epithelial stem cells to treat liver disease.

Thursday evening we're hosting a Sports Medicine Program that is open to the public and will be advertised throughout Aspen. Dr. Dennis Lox, a renowned Sports Medicine Surgeon, will moderate the program and we have an outstanding panel of leaders in the sports medicine field. The panel is highlighted by Mikel Sánchez Álvarez, MD, who performed plasma rich therapy on tennis champion Rafael Nadal.

Day 3: Friday March 4th

Friday is a half-day program dedicated exclusively to discussing cord tissue derived stem cells and their potential therapeutic uses. Kang-Hsi Wu, MD, of China Medical University Hospital, will present first-in-human results using MSC from cord tissue to enhance cord blood transplants.

We've allotted ample time to discuss current cord tissue processing methods. We'll examine the philosophies of storing native stems cells that are ready for transplant or expanding stem cells from the cord tissue. We'll consider where each of these processing methods have advantages and disadvantages for potential therapies.

Where will this conference lead?

This conference should be exciting for anyone who is interested in stem cell based regenerative medicine. Perinatal stem cells have huge potential to help patients in need. For researchers, our goal is to use the Perinatal Stem Cell Society to educate and create a platform for collaboration in order to "Advance perinatal stem cell research on the path toward treatment".

Kyle Cetrulo brings 15 years of experience in the stem cell industry to his position as chief executive officer of Auxocell. Kyle Cetrulo has been promoting Perinatal Stem Cells since 1998, when he was the director of the International Cord Blood Society (ICBS), a precursor to the Perinatal Stem Cell Society. Mr. Cetrulo organized the 5th and 6th ICBS Congresses in 2002 and 2004, with participation from representatives across 23 countries. From 2000 to 2008, Mr. Cetrulo worked with cord blood banks, both domestic and international and both public and private. In 2008, Mr. Cetrulo co-founded Auxocell Laboratories, which achieved profitability in three years under his leadership. Mr. Cetrulo was a guest editor of the Stem Cell Reviews journal special edition focused on Perinatal Stem Cells in 2006, and then was an editor for two editions of the book Perinatal Stem Cells (Wiley Press, 2010 and 2013). Working on these publications enabled Mr. Cetrulo to develop relationships with the world's preeminent stem cell researchers working in the perinatal stem cell field. In 2013, Mr. Cetrulo co-founded the non-profit Perinatal Stem Cell Society in order to provide a platform for collaboration and the dissemination of knowledge and information about perinatal stem cells. The 2nd annual Perinatal Stem Cell Society conference will take place March 2-4, 2016 in Aspen, CO USA. For more information: kyle.cetrulo@perinatalstemcells.com