|
Lecturers
|
Dr. Alptekin Aksan received his Ph.D. from Michigan State University in 2001. His PhD research involved characterization and modeling of heat-induced mechanical responses of collagenous soft tissues. During his post-doctoral research in the Center for Engineering in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, he has focused on biopreservation. This involved developing techniques for mammalian cell membrane permeabilization, desiccation and vitrification of mammalian cells and organelles, determination of the critical water content for cells, and quantification of biothermodynamic phenomena in the cell cytoplasm during osmotic shock. His current research interests include biopreservation, biothermodynamics and bioheat/mass transfer. |
| |
|
 |
Fran Rabe has over 20 years of experience working in the areas of tissue and cell quality assurance and regulatory compliance. She currently oversees the quality assurance aspect of operations at the University of Minnesota Molecular and Cellular Therapeutics (MCT) Facility, a GMP facility that manufactures standard and IND hematopoietic products, pancreatic cellular products and active pharmaceutical ingredients.
Fran has extensive experience with audits, having performed in excess of 50 GMP audits at multiple U.S and international institutions. She also has extensive experience with FDA IND submissions and working directly with FDA as it relates to the regulation of cellular and tissue products.In addition to holding a Masters Degree in Manufacturing Systems, Ms. Rabe is an American Society for Quality (ASQ) Certified Quality Manager.
|
| |
|
 |
Allison Hubel is Mayhugh Associate Professor of Mechanical Engineering with a joint appointment in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the University of Minnesota. For more than 15 years, Dr. Hubel has studied both basic science and translational issue behind cell and tissue preservation (liquid storage and cryopreservation). Her research focuses on cell and tissue preservation for human therapeutic applications. She has published numerous articles related to cell and tissue preservation and two patents related to cell preservation technology. Prof. Hubel has been an active member in the Society for Cryobiology and a member the International Society for Cellular Therapy. |
| |
|
 |
Diane Kadidlo has been working in cell and gene therapies for over 12 years, and is the technical supervisor of the Cell Therapy Clinical Laboratory and Apheresis Blood/Donor Center at Fairview-University Medical Center , University of Minnesota . Ms. Kadidlo has extensive experience in process development, validation, quality assurance, laboratory management and operations, training, and GMP and GTP manufacturing of cell and gene therapies. She is a member of the Advisory Board of the International Society for Cellular Therapy and serves on the editorial board of the ISCT Telegraft, for which she co-authors Tech Talk, a regular column on the technical and regulatory aspects of cell and gene therapy. |
| |
|
 |
Charles Lee is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He has researched in the field of hypothermic storage of organs for over 20 years. His research has focused on improving preservation solutions and methodology. Recently, his has focused on improving hypothermic machine perfusion preservation of livers, in particular reclaiming marginal donor livers (non-heart-beating donors and fatty livers). His research has utilized intravital microscopy, rodent transplant model, rodent and porcine isolated perfusion models. He has published numerous papers on hypothermic preservation and two patents are pending based on hypothermic machine perfusion. Dr. Lee is an active member of Cryobiology and the Transplantation Society. |
| |
|
 |
David McKenna, M.D. recently joined the faculty of the University of Minnesota and is Assistant Professor of Lab Medicine & Pathology and Medical Director of the Clinical Cell Therapy Lab. He is actively involved with the NHLBI-sponsored PACT (Production Assistance for Cellular Therapy) group. Dr. McKenna is a member of the International Society for Cellular Therapy and the American Association of Blood Banks and an Associate Scientific Member of the BEST Cellular Therapy Team. His interests include umbilical cord blood research, QA/QC in cellular therapy, and translational research/clinical scale-up of biotherapeutics. |
| |
|
 |
Ian Pope, Ph.D: Former head of Planar, UK, a leading controlled rate freezer manufacturer and presently Vice President for Sales and Marketing at Chart Biomed. Dr. Pope's speciality is is repository and facility design, controlled rate freezing. |
| |
|
 |
Ken Roberts is an associate professor in the Departments of Urologic Surgery and Physiology at the University of Minnesota Medical School. Dr. Roberts received his Ph.D. in biochemistry from Washington State University and postdoctoral training in the Division of Reproductive Biology at Johns Hopkins University . He joined the faculty of the University of Minnesota Medical School in 1993. Dr. Roberts' research interests are focused in the area of male reproduction, including the cryobiology of sperm preservation and the molecular and cellular events leading to sperm maturation and fertilization. His lab strives to understand the important aspects of sperm function and ways to reduce damage to these cells during cryopreservation. |
| |
|
|
|
