OUR CAPABILITIES 

Professor Macdonald brings his valuable experience in clinical medicine and basic biomedical science. He spent 28 years in academic nephrology before moving into the pharmaceutical industry with Merck Sharp and Dohme (Australia). Since his retirement in 2007, Professor Macdonald has been engaged in biotechnology consulting projects and has been Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Australian Stem Cell Centre, Chairman of Vectus Biosciences Limited and non-executive Deputy Chairman of the National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia. In June 2012, Professor Macdonald received an Australian Queen’s Birthday Honour in the General Division of the Order of Australia for ‘service to the biomedical research in the areas of hypertension and renal disease, to medical education, to the promotion and awareness raising of organ donation, and as a mentor’.

Stephen has a wealth of expertise in accountancy and Board corporate governance. He is a member of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia and the Australian Institute of Company Directors. Stephen has held positions as Company Secretary or Chief Financial Officer of various start-up technology and public companies and major chartered accountancy firms both in Australia and the UK.

Professor Peter Gray is the founding Director of the Australian Institute of Bioengineering and Nanotechnology (AIBN) at the University of Queensland and he is also a member of the Board of Directors for Stem Cells Ltd. Professor Gray is internationally recognised for his work on the expression and production of complex proteins in mammalian cell cultures. His research is aimed at reducing some of the ‘bottlenecks’ present when mammalian cells are used to produce biopharmaceuticals and he is applying his experience to the development of conditions and strategies which will allow the scalable expansion of pluripotent stem cells under fully defined conditions. Professor Gray’s research group has an extensive collaborative network of international research groups and corporations. He is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering, the Australian Institute of Company Directors, the Institution of Engineers Australia, and was awarded the Centenary Medal by the Australian Government (2003).

Professor Caroline Gargett is a National Health and Medical Research Council Investigator Fellow, Theme Leader of Women’s Health and heads the Endometrial Stem Cell Biology Group at the Hudson Institute of Medical Research. She is also an Adjunct Professor in Monash University Department of Obstetrics and Gynaecology. She is a Director of the National Stem Cell Foundation of Australia and Chairs its Science and Ethics Committee, and is a Scientific Advisory Board Member of the Centre for Commercialisation of Regenerative Medicine, Australia. Professor Gargett discovered and has characterised adult stem/progenitor cells in the highly regenerative lining of the uterus (endometrium) and investigates their role in endometriosis. She also leads an interdisciplinary research program investigating a cell-based therapy for Pelvic Organ Prolapse using endometrial MSCs and novel biomaterials.

Associate Professor Sturm has extensive experience in the manufacture of biotherapeutic products. She holds an adjunct position in School of Biomedical Science, Faculty of Health and Medical Science, the University of Western Australia. She recently retired as Facility Director of Cell and Tissue Therapies WA (CTTWA), a highly accredited biotherapeutic manufacturing facility at Royal Perth Hospital, a position she held for over 15 years. She was responsible for the development, manufacturing and safety of clinical products, in compliance with national and international regulatory standards. She oversaw the TGA licensing of the manufacturing facility and several clinical products, international accreditation by the Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapies (FACT) of the facility and two cell therapy clinical programs, and NATA accreditation. Her knowledge of regulatory standards is extensive, having worked on several TGA committees and she is a member of the TGA Advisory Committee on Biologics. She also is a Director and CSO of Isopogen WA Ltd, a company involved in the commercialisation of a cell therapy for inflammatory/immune disorders.