The Vatican Hosts Third International Regenerative Medicine Conference

Created by The Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Culture and The
Stem For Life Foundation, 3-day Event to Raise Global Awareness of the
Promise of Cellular Therapies to Treat Disease and Reduce Global
Suffering

NEW YORK–(BUSINESS WIRE)–The Vatican’s Pontifical Council for Culture and The Stem For Life
Foundation (a subsidiary of the Cura Foundation) today announced the
beginning of its historic three-day event, The Third
International Conference on the Progress of Regenerative Medicine and
Its Cultural Impact, taking place from within The Vatican, April
28-30, 2016. This event looks at the complex cultural and social
framework of illnesses and the dynamic of cell therapy solutions for
society.

This event, titled Cellular Horizons: How Science, Technology,
Information and Communication will Impact Society, is a continuation
of a seven-year collaboration between The Stem For Life Foundation, a
not-for-profit organization devoted to advancing global awareness of
regenerative medicine and cell therapy, The Vatican’s Pontifical Council
for Culture, and STOQ (Science, Theology and the Ontological Quest)
Foundation. Featuring the personal involvement of Pope Francis, who will
meet with attendees in a scheduled private audience, this year’s event
will have a unique focus on cancer therapy and rare diseases in
marginalized populations, pediatric diseases, as well as those that
occur with aging.

“Whether immunotherapies for cancer or stem cell treatments for rare
diseases, there are now over 30,000 cell therapy trials in development
noted on the clinicaltrials.gov website,” said Dr. Robin Smith,
President of The Stem For Life Foundation. “This event will rally the
world around a powerful idea ─ that the cells of our bodies hold the
potential to vanquish disease, reduce global suffering and inspire hope
for people around the world living with illness.”

The President of the Pontifical Council for Culture, His Eminence
Cardinal Ravasi, said:

“In this Jubilee Year of Mercy, we would like to challenge all of
society to search for the cures to human illness. The advancement of
regenerative medicine holds great promise for the future, and together,
we must bring these vital cellular therapies to the hundreds of millions
of people suffering from disease around the world, especially those from
under-served and developing nations. With this event, we sound a clarion
call to humanity that tomorrow’s cures can be found today in the human
body, and that we have an obligation to bring these cellular therapies
out of the clinic and into the real world.”

The goals of the 2016 Third International Conference on the Progress
of Regenerative Medicine and Its Cultural Impact are to “unite
people in the cellular revolution, without prejudice, creating an open
dialogue about the interconnections among cellular research, technology,
faith and culture,” said Monsignor Tomasz Trafny, Head of the Science
and Faith Department, The Pontifical Council for Culture. Additional
goals of this year’s event include:

• Discussing and understanding the importance of scientific
  advancements, technology and data in the paradigm shift toward
  regenerative medicine, with a particular focus on cellular therapies.
• Fostering an international conversation amongst researchers,
  physicians, philanthropists, faith leaders and policy makers in order
  to help identify a pathway to bring cellular cures to those in medical
  need throughout the world to reduce human suffering.
• Creating global awareness and inspiring the next generation about the
  vital linkages between cellular sciences, technological innovation and
  personalized treatment delivery.
• Catalyzing the necessary funding to support the development of cell
  therapies that will cure and treat a broad range of debilitating
  diseases and medical conditions.
• Establishing a global movement of cellular researchers, medical
  practitioners, technological innovators and cultural and religious
  thought leaders throughout the world devoted to advancing the paradigm
  shift toward regenerative medicine.

The conference will be moderated by renowned journalists. Highlights
will include:

• A panel discussion on cancer immunotherapy featuring leading
  immunotherapy doctors, including Dr. James P. Allison, Professor and
  Chair of Immunology at the MD Anderson Cancer Center at the University
  of Texas; Dr. Carl H. June, Richard W. Vague Professor in
  Immunotherapy and Director, Translational Research Program at the
  Abramson Cancer Center, Perelman School of Medicine at the University
  of Pennsylvania; Dr. Tak W. Mak, Senior Scientist at the Princess
  Margaret Hospital at the Ontario Cancer Institute; and Dr. Jedd D.
  Wolchok, Chief, Melanoma and Immunotherapeutics Service and Lloyd J.
  Old Chair for Clinical Investigation at the Memorial Sloan Kettering
  Cancer Center.
• An in-depth look at the Parker Institute with Sean Parker, President
  of the Parker Foundation and Founder of the Parker Institute.
• A panel of philanthropists discussing why they fund cell therapy
  research and how they decide what to support, featuring Dr. W.E.
  Bosarge, President Bosarge Family Foundation; Sean Parker, President
  of the Parker Foundation; and T. Denny Sanford, Chairman and Chief
  Executive Officer of the United National Corporation and Health Care
  Philanthropist (with Kelby K. Krabbenhoft, Sanford Health President
  and Chief Executive Officer).
• A panel discussion on how close we are to creating a vaccine to treat
  cancer with Dr. Patrick Soon-Shiong, Chairman of the Chan Soon-Shiong
  Family Foundation, Chairman and Chief Executive Officer of the Chan
  Soon-Shiong Institute of Molecular Medicine, and Chairman and Chief
  Executive Officer of NantKwest.
• A panel discussion on gene and stem cell therapy approaches to treat
  rare diseases, moderated by Stephen C. Groft, Senior Advisor to the
  Director at the National Center for Advancing Translational Sciences
  at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and featuring Dr. William
  W. Hauswirth, Rybaczkl-Bullard Professor of Ophthalmology at the
  College of Medicine at the University of Florida; Dr. Sven Kili, Vice
  President and Head of Gene Therapy Development at GSK; Dr. Joanne
  Kurtzberg, Chief Scientific Officer and Chief Medical Officer of the
  Robertson Clinical and Translational Cell Therapy Program, Director of
  the Carolinas Cord Blood Bank and Director of the Pediatric Blood and
  Marrow Transplant Program at the Duke University Medical Center; Dr.
  David A. Pearce, President of Sanford Research at Sanford Health,
  Senior Scientist at the Children’s Health Research Center at Sanford
  Research, and Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the Sanford
  School of Medicine at the University of South Dakota; Dr. Jakub Tolar,
  Professor and Director at the Stem Cell Institute at the University of
  Minnesota; and Dr. Jill M. Weimer, Director and Scientist at the
  Children’s Health Research Center at Sanford Research, and Associate
  Professor in the Department of Pediatrics at the Sanford School of
  Medicine at the University of South Dakota
• A keynote speech on cancer moonshots by Joseph R. Biden, Jr., Vice
  President of the United States.
• A conversation examining the regulatory environment in multiple
  countries – including Japan, Europe and the United States – with
  respect to cell therapy development and availability to patients,
  moderated by The Honorable Tommy Thompson, 42^nd Governor of
  Wisconsin and former HHS Secretary, and featuring Dr. W.E. Bosarge,
  American businessman, entrepreneur, scientist, mathematician and
  philanthropist; Dr. Andrew C. von Echenbach, Former Commissioner of
  the U.S. FDA and 12^th Director of the National Cancer
  Institute at the National Institutes of Health, USA; The Honorable
  William H. Frist, MD, American physician, businessman, politician,
  former U.S. Senator from Tennessee and former U.S. Senate Majority
  Leader; Dr. Tatsuya Kondo, Chief Executive of Japan’s Pharmaceuticals
  and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA); and Guido Rasi, Executive Director
  of the European Medicines Agency (EMA).
• A panel discussion examining unique approaches to Type 1 Diabetes
  research and funding, moderated by Henry Anhalt, Chief Medical Officer
  of T1D Exchange, and featuring Dr. Jeffrey A. Bluestone, Executive
  Vice Chancellor and Provost of the University of California, San
  Francisco; Dr. Douglas W. Losordo, Senior Vice President of Clinical,
  Medical and Regulatory Affairs and Chief Medical Officer of Caladrius
  Biosciences; Dr. Douglas A. Melton, Co-Director of Stem Cell Institute
  and Co-Chair of the Department of Stem Cell and Regenerative Biology
  at Harvard University; Dr. David Pearce, President of Sanford Research
  at Sanford Health, Senior Scientist at the Children’s Health Research
  Center at Sanford Research, and Professor in the Department of
  Pediatrics at the Sanford School of Medicine at the University of
  South Dakota; and Dr. Yong Zhao, Associate Scientist at Hackensack
  University Medical Center.
• A conversation on ethical challenges that comes with the cellular
  revolution, featuring Rev. Fr. Nicanor Pier Giorgio Austriaco,
  Associate Professor of Biology and Theology at Providence College; and
  Dr. Gregory Stock, Professor in the Department of Genetics and Genomic
  Sciences and Co-Director of the Harris Center for Precision Wellness
  at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mt. Sinai, and author of
  “Redesigning Humans.”
• A look at how technology and big data will usher in a new paradigm in
  drug discovery and healthcare delivery, featuring Dr. Lynda Chin,
  Associate Vice Chancellor for Health Transformation and Chief
  Innovation Officer for Health Affairs at the University of Texas;
  Robert H. High Jr., IBM Fellow, Vice President and Chief Technology
  Officer at IBM Watson; and Dr. Krishnan “Nandu” Nandabalan, President
  and Chief Science Officer at BioXcel Corporation.
• New innovation in pediatric cancer using T-cell therapy for acute
  lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL), featuring a patient family and their
  doctor, Dr. Susan Rheingold, Outpatient Medical Director, Division of
  Oncology at the Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia, and Associate
  Professor at the Perelman School of Medicine at the University of
  Pennsylvania.
• A look at who is paying for miracles, featuring Dana Ball, Chief
  Executive Officer of Unitio and Co-Founder and Executive Director of
  T1DX; Dr. C. Randal Mills, President of California’s Stem Cell Agency
  (CIRM); David Panzirer, Trustee of The Helmsley Trust; and Derek Rapp,
  President and Chief Executive Officer of JDRF.
• A panel discussion on healthy aging featuring Dr. Nir Barzilai,
  Director of the Institute for Aging Research at the Albert Einstein
  College of Medicine, and Director of the Paul F. Glenn Center for the
  Biology of Human Aging Research and of the National Institutes of
  Health’s (NIH) Nathan Shock Centers of Excellence in the Basic Biology
  of Aging; Dr. Ronald DePinho, President of the University of Texas MD
  Anderson Cancer Center; Dr. Robert Hariri, Co-Founder and President of
  Human Longevity Cellular Therapeutics; and Dr. Pranela Rameshwar,
  Professor in the Department of Medicine, Hematology – Oncology at
  Rutgers, New Jersey Medical School.

Major support also comes from philanthropists who believe in the promise
of cellular therapies, including the Bosarge Family Foundation, the
Parker Foundation and Sanford Health. Sponsors and benefactors include
Aegis Capital Corp.; AGTC; Andrew S. Bluestone; Aspire Capital; the
Catholic Association Foundation; Cedi Economics; Coffee of Grace; David
M. Richwhite; Fondazione Internazionale D’Amato Onlus; Foundation
Medicine; Gabriella’s Kitchen; Guthy Jackson Charitable Foundation;
Hackensack University Health Network; JDRF; John and Mary Pappajohn;
Karen and David Haug; Maxim Group; Mesoblast; the Norma and Gordon Smith
Family Foundation; Organova; Pfizer Oncology; PiperJaffray; Provectus
Biopharmaceuticals, Inc.; RSJ; Susan Scott Foundation; and Sternaegis
Ventures.

An array of patients with inspiring stories, who have received cellular
therapies or have unique stories to share, are available for media
interviews, including:

• Nicholas Wilkins, who was diagnosed with Acute Lymphoblastic Leukemia
  (ALL) at the age of 4 and later received a T-cell therapy at The
  Children’s Hospital Of Pennsylvania.
• Elena Simon, who was diagnosed with fibrolamellar hepatocellular
  carcinoma at the age of 12 and later sequenced her own tumor.
• Eugene Gasana Jr., who was diagnosed with stage two Hodgkin’s Lymphoma
  at the age of 13 and inspired the creation of a new children’s cancer
  treatment hospital in Rwanda.

To learn more about The Third International Conference on the
Progress of Regenerative Medicine and Its Cultural Impact, please
visit http://www.celltherapyconference2016.com.
Follow us on Twitter @StemForLife and join in the conversation with
#UnitetoCure.

The Cura Foundation is a 501(c)(3) global charitable organization
dedicated to the advancement of cellular therapies and technologies that
improve human health, increase quality of life and enhance patient care.
Through its programs and initiatives, The Cura Foundation seeks to
catalyze the funding of the advancement of a wide array of cellular
therapies, whether immunotherapies, adult stem cell treatments, gene
therapies, technology or emerging cell-based therapies that enhance
cellular health and longevity.

The Stem For Life Foundation (SFLF) is the educational and
advocacy subsidiary of The Cura Foundation and is devoted to fostering
global awareness of the potential for regenerative medicine to treat and
cure a range of deadly diseases and debilitating medical conditions, as
opposed to merely treating their symptoms. The Foundation stands at the
forefront of a fundamental shift away from traditional drug treatment in
favor of amplifying the body’s natural repair mechanisms to vanquish
disease. For more information on The Stem For Life Foundation, please
visit http://www.stemforlife.org

The Science and Faith Foundation – “STOQ” is a
Foundation under Vatican law promoted by the Pontifical Council for
Culture. The identity and mission of the Foundation have their main
Magisterial references in the Pastoral Constitution Gaudium et
spes, in the talks of St John Paul II and Benedict XVI on the
relations between science and faith, particularly in the Encyclical Fides
et ratio. The Foundation aims to give continuity to the activities
of Project STOQ, which emerged from the collaboration between the
Pontifical Council for Culture and Pontifical Roman Universities
following the Galileo Commission and the Jubilee of Scientists in the
year 2000. Among the aims of the Foundation are research and study of
the themes of dialogue between science, philosophy and theology;
realisation of conferences and other activities of high cultural and
scientific value, even at the popular level; publication of works of
merit on the main arguments of the science-faith dialogue.

The Pontifical Council for Culture traces its origins to the
Second Vatican Council and its opening up to that great, dynamic,
worried and multiform world of contemporary culture. In its Pastoral
Constitution Gaudium et spes, the Council Fathers expressed the need for
the Church to continually place itself before the needs of the cultures
of the world. It was a new period of history where a new humanism was
arising, and the Church, faithful to its own traditions, was aware of
the universality of its mission, entering into communion with the
different forms of culture, a communion that would enrich the Church as
much as the cultures. The Pontifical Council for Culture is committed to
the dialogue with many realities in their relation to culture and faith
such Art, Music, Cultural Goods, Cultures in the World, Mysticism,
Atheism, Economics, Language & Communication, International Cultural
Bodies, Sport and Science.

The Science and Faith Department is the vehicle of the
Pontifical Council for Culture’s engagement with contemporary science.
This commitment is based on the firm belief that between science and
faith not only is there no opposition, but there should also be
beneficial serene dialogue. The Christian faith when properly understood
is a creator of culture and an inspiring source of science. For this
reason, the Department of Science and Faith seeks further understanding
of the phenomena of scientific and technological development and their
possible influence on theological and philosophical thought to achieve
the following objectives:

1. Elaborate a cultural analysis of the development of natural sciences,
   enquiring after its impact on theological and philosophical
   reflection, and on the cultural and social dynamics over the short and
   long term;
2. Promote reciprocal cooperation in the sphere of the dialogue of
   science and faith with the various institutions beginning with other
   Dicasteries and bodies of the Holy See, also international Catholic
   organizations, ecclesial and secular institutions, universities and
   research institutes throughout the world, making common projects and
   sustaining initiatives of scientific research and cultural discovery;
3. Encourage a greater commitment for the ideal of dialogue between
   science and faith, and promote critical reflection on the frontier
   themes in the area of interdisciplinary research for a renewed
   anthropology, and for ethics, theology and philosophy of nature;
4. Offer collaboration as a service to Episcopal Conferences and their
   bodies on themes relating to science and faith; and
5. Promote initiatives to spread awareness through public conferences,
   congresses and study days, as well as publishing books and educational
   volumes to support the Church in its pastoral and educational tasks.

For more information on The Pontifical Council for Culture, please visit http://www.cultura.va

Contacts

The Vatican
Pontifical Council for Culture
Msgr. Tomasz Trafny
00120
Vatican City
or
The Stem For Life Foundation
Robin Smith,
MD, +1-212-584-4176
rsmith@stemforlife.org
or
Allison+Partners
Linda
Burns, +1-917-817-1225
Senior Vice President, Media Relations
Linda@allisonpr.com