irasia.com - Mesoblast Limited

Mesoblast Limited

Board and Management Team

Board of Directors

Brian Jamieson FCA (Non-Executive Chairman)
Donal O'Dwyer, BE, MBA (Non-Executive Deputy Chairman)
Professor Silviu Itescu, MBBS (Hons), FRACP, FACP, FACR (Director and Chief Scientific Adviser)
Michael Spooner, BCom, ACA, MAICD (Non-Executive Director)
Byron McAllister, B.Sc, M.Ag (Non-Executive Director)

Management and Key Consultants

Paul Rennie, BSc, MBM, MS (Chief Operating Officer)
Kevin Hollingsworth, FCPA, FCMA (Company Secretary)
Ms Jenni Pilcher CA, BBS (Chief Financial Officer)
Dr Donna L. Skerrett, MD, MS (Clinical and Regulatory Affairs)
Michael Schuster, BSc, MS, MBA (Project Manager)
Professor Peter Ghosh, BSc (Hons), PhD, DSc, FRACI, FRSC, CSc. (Vice President for Cartilage Regenerative Programs)

Scientific Advisory Board

Professor Silviu Itescu, MBBS (Hons), FRACP, FACP, FACR (Chairman)
Professor Richard E Gilbert, MBBS, PhD, FRACP (Member)
Professor Robert M Graham, FAA, MBBS (Hons), MD, FRACP, FACP, FAHA (Member)
Professor Stephen Graves, MBBS, D. Phil FRACS, FA, Orth A (Member)
Professor Henry Krum, MBBS, PhD, FRACP (Member)
Professor Joseph Lane, AB,MD (Member)

Board of Directors

Non-Executive Chairman
Brian Jamieson FCA
Brian Jamieson was Chief Executive of Minter Ellison Melbourne and a partner of the Minter Ellison Revenue Group from 2002-2005. He retired as Chief Executive of Minter Ellison Melbourne on 31 December 2005. Prior to joining Minter Ellison, Mr Jamieson was Executive Officer at KPMG from 1998-2000, Managing Partner of KPMG Melbourne and Southern Regions from 1993-1998 and Chairman of KPMG Melbourne from 2001-2002. He was also a KPMG Board Member in Australia , and a member of the USA Management Committee. Mr Jamieson is a Non-Executive Director of Sigma Pharmaceuticals Limited, Oxiana Limited and HBOS Australia Pty Ltd. He is also a Director and Treasurer of Care Australia and the Bionic Ear Institute, and a Director of Veski, The Sir Robert Menzies Foundation, the Australian Council - Major Performing Arts Board and the Tattersall's George Adams Foundation. Mr Jamieson has over 30 years of experience in providing advice and audit services to a diverse range of public and large private companies. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia .
back to top

Non-Executive Deputy Chairman
Donal O'Dwyer, BE, MBA
Mr O'Dwyer has almost 20 years experience as a senior executive in the global cardiovascular and medical devices industries. From 2000 to 2003, he was worldwide president of Cordis Cardiology, the cardiology division of Johnson & Johnson's Cordis Corporation. Cordis is the world's largest manufacturer of innovative products for interventional medicine, minimally invasive computer-based imaging, and electrophysiology. In this role, Mr O'Dwyer led Cordis through the launch of the revolutionary Cypher drug eluting coronary stent technology, and saw the company take over number one market share of coronary stents worldwide. He directly supervised an increase in sales from $US500 million in 2000 to $US2 billion in 2003. Prior to joining Cordis in 1996, Mr O'Dwyer worked for 12 years with Baxter Healthcare, rising from plant manager in Ireland to president of the Cardiovascular Group, Europe , now Edwards Lifesciences. Mr O'Dwyer is a non-executive Director of Cochlear Limited and Sunshine Heart.
back to top

Director and Chief Scientific Adviser
Professor Silviu Itescu, MBBS (Hons), FRACP, FACP, FACR
Professor Itescu is the Founder of Mesoblast Limited and Angioblast Systems, Inc. Most recently Director of Transplantation Immunology at New York 's Columbia University Medical Center , Professor Itescu has established an outstanding international reputation in the fields of stem cell biology, autoimmune diseases, organ transplantation and heart failure. His experiences range from laboratory research to new drug development and clinical evaluation. Professor Itescu pioneered novel approaches to the use of adult stem cells for the treatment of heart disease and is leading international collaborative trials in this area. Professor Itescu was an advisor on cell therapy for cardiovascular diseases to both the United States President's Council on Bioethics and the US FDA Biological Response Modifiers Advisory Committee (BRMAC). He has consulted for many international pharmaceutical companies and has been an advisor to biotechnology and health care investor groups.
back to top

Non-Executive Director
Michael Spooner, BCom, ACA, MAICD
Mr Spooner has an extensive network of relationships with investment firms and business communities across the globe, having spent the majority of the past 25 years living and working internationally. He has an outstanding track record in the rapid international commercialisation of high growth companies including within the medical application and commercial technology sectors. Most recently, Mr Spooner was Managing Director & CEO of Ventracor Limited where he led the transformation of a small Australian listed life sciences company into the second highest performing stock on the S&P/ASX 200 index in 2003. He was a Principal Partner and Director of Consulting Services with PriceWaterhouse Coopers (Coopers & Lybrand) in Hong Kong for seven years. Mr Spooner advises a number of high growth corporations and is a non-executive Director of Peplin Limited.
back to top

Non-Executive Director
Byron McAllister, B.Sc, M.Ag
Mr McAllister has extensive expertise in product development, quality assurance, and obtaining FDA regulatory approvals within the healthcare industry. He has extensive expertise within the biologics, pharmaceutical, and medical device industries, and has prepared full documentation for approval by the U.S. FDA, UK MCA, and other world health regulatory authorities. Most recently, Mr McAllister has served as Vice President, Worldwide Quality Assurance, for the Ares-Serono Group based in Geneva and Boston , overseeing operations in over a dozen countries. Mr McAllister has held senior management positions in manufacturing and quality assurance with Abbott Laboratories' Ross Laboratories and Diagnostics Divisions, Amersham Corporation, and Coulter Electronics Corporation. He is a member of the PDA (Parenteral Drug Association), American Society For Quality (ASQ), and the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS).
back to top

Management and Key Consultants

Chief Operating Officer
Paul Rennie, BSc, MBM, MS
Mr. Rennie has over 25 years experience in marketing and business development within the Australian biomedical and pharmaceutical industry. He was formerly Director of Business Development for Soltec, a wholly owned subsidiary of F H Faulding & Co., Ltd, with focus on developing improved pharmaceutical drug delivery systems. Previously, as Business Development Manager for the Biosciences Division of Bonlac, he led the commercialisation strategies and licensing negotiations between Bonlac and multinational global oral care and health care/nutritional companies, including Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, and SmithKlineBeecham, and successfully concluded licensing of Bonlac's CPP-ACP technology to Warner Lambert. Between 1990-1994 he held various positions with the global pharmaceutical company Merck Ltd, where as National Sales and Marketing Manager he was responsible for Australia-wide sales of pharmaceuticals, analytical reagents, environmental monitoring products, and scientific research products. In this capacity, Mr. Rennie implemented a new strategic plan which contributed to transforming Merck Australia from having a loss in 1993 to record sales and profits in 1996.
back to top

Company Secretary
Kevin Hollingsworth, FCPA, FCMA
Mr. Hollingsworth is a certified public accountant, and a past chairman of both the National and Victorian Industry and Commerce Accountants Committees. Mr. Hollingsworth has most recently been non-executive director and company secretary for Alpha Technologies Corporation Ltd, a global company with operations in the US, Mexico and China, designing and manufacturing temperature sensors for disposable medical devices, as well as precision thermometry and instrumentation for the biotechnical and life science industry.
back to top

Chief Financial Officer
Ms Jenni Pilcher CA, BBS
Since qualifying as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse, Jenni Pilcher has worked in corporate and business financial roles for high profile international companies in pharmaceuticals, FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) and services. Before joining Mesoblast as Financial Controller in 2007, Ms Pilcher spent six years with ASX 200 Company, Spotless Group, progressing through a variety of financial roles. Previously Ms Pilcher worked in the finance teams at Cadbury Schweppes plc and international pharmaceutical group Medeva plc, both based in the United Kingdom . She was appointed Chief Financial Officer of Mesoblast in November 2007.
back to top

Clinical and Regulatory Affairs
Dr Donna L. Skerrett, MD, MS
Dr Skerrett has been involved in stem cell procurement, manipulation and transplantation for more than 10 years. She has most recently been Director of the Stem Cell Facilities at Weill-Cornell Medical Center in New York, and previously served as Associate Director of Transfusion Medicine at Columbia University's New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Dr Skerrett oversees clinical development of the antibody-based stem cell selection technology and in vitro culture processes, as well as the human clinical trial programs, while liaising closely with the FDA. She is an advisor to the New York State Department of Health on the progenitor cell committee and the governor's Council on Blood and Transfusion Services. Dr Skerrett has also been an adviser and committee member with the National Marrow Donor Program and the American Society of Hematology.
back to top

Project Manager
Michael Schuster, BSc, MS, MBA
Mr Schuster assists the Board and senior management with strategic planning, maintaining differentiation of Angioblast's technology from its competitors and advancing prospects for commercial growth. Mr Schuster holds an undergraduate degree in science from Tufts University, a Masters degree in Immunology & Microbiology from New York Medical College and has completed a Masters of Business Administration at Fordham University in New York.
back to top

Vice President for Cartilage Regenerative Programs
Professor Peter Ghosh, BSc (Hons), PhD, DSc, FRACI, FRSC, CSc.
Associate Professor Peter Ghosh is recognised as an international authority on osteoarthritis and intervertebral disc disease and has authored more than 400 books, papers and book chapters in these fields. In 1999, Professor Ghosh was elected President and Director of the Institute of Bone and Joint Research of the University of Sydney at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney, Australia. For ten years he was a Board member of the US-based Osteoarthritis Research Society International and remains a member of the journal's Editorial Board and is on the editorial boards of the APLAR Journal of Rheumatology and Current Rheumatology Reviews. He is past president of the Australian and New Zealand Orthopaedic Research Society and the Matrix Biology Society of Australia and New Zealand and was elected a Life Member of the International Hyaluronan Research Society. Professor Ghosh is presently a board member and director of four Australian biotechnology companies and a consultant for several international pharmaceutical companies.
back to top

Scientific Advisory Board

Chairman
Professor Silviu Itescu, MBBS (Hons), FRACP, FACP, FACR
Professor Itescu is the founder of Mesoblast Limited and Angioblast Systems, Inc. Most recently Director of Transplantation Immunology at New York's Columbia University Medical Center, Professor Itescu has established an outstanding international reputation in the fields of stem cell biology, autoimmune diseases, organ transplantation and heart failure. His experiences range from laboratory research to new drug development and clinical evaluation. Professor Itescu recently pioneered novel approaches to the use of adult stem cells for the treatment of heart disease and is leading international collaborative trials in this area. Professor Itescu was an advisor on cell therapy for cardiovascular diseases to both the US President's Council on Bioethics and the US FDA Biological Response Modifiers Advisory Committee (BRMAC). He has consulted for many international pharmaceutical companies and has been an advisor to biotechnology and health care investor groups.
back to top

Member
Professor Richard E Gilbert, MBBS, PhD, FRACP
Professor Gilbert is Professor of Medicine at the University of Melbourne where he directs a large research program exploring new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of cardiovascular and kidney disease. Professor Gilbert is an international authority on the complications of diabetes, particularly vascular, eye and kidney diseases. In 2004, he was awarded the prestigious Eric Susman Medal from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians for outstanding contributions in diabetes research. Professor Gilbert consults to many global pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies on drug discovery, preclinical testing and clinical trials.
back to top

Member
Professor Robert M Graham, FAA, MBBS (Hons), MD, FRACP, FACP, FAHA
Professor Graham is the Des Renford Professor of Medicine, University of NSW; Executive Director, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Sydney; and Professor (adjunct) of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, USA. His research has focused on molecular cardiology, with emphasis on circulatory control mechanisms, receptor signalling and cardiac hypertrophy. Professor Graham is the author of more than 200 peer-reviewed papers, is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and a member of the American Association for Clinical Research, the American Society of Clinical Investigation, the American Heart Association, and the National Heart Foundation of Australia (NSW Division). He has been a consultant to many pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Currently, he is Chairman, Scientific Committee, Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand; Member NSW Ministerial Advisory council on Medical and Health Research and Board Member, EngenelC Ltd, MirACL Therapeutics Pty Ltd and the Lowy Medical Foundation.
back to top

Member
Professor Stephen Graves, MBBS, D. Phil FRACS, FA, Orth A
Professor Graves was the inaugural Professor of Orthopaedics at the University of Melbourne and Director of Orthopaedics at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, where he remains Director of Orthopaedic Research. He is currently Director of Musculoskeletal Research at Epworth Hospital and Flinders Medical Centre; Director of the Australian Orthopaedic Association National Joint Replacement Registry; Chairman of the Australian Orthopaedic Association Bone and Tissue Banking Committee and member of the Commonwealth Health Department Hip and Knee Prostheses Clinical Advisory Groups. He is a member of the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) Medical Device Evaluation Committee (MDEC), Expert Advisory Group on Cell & Tissue Based Therapies and subcommittee on Device Tracking.
back to top

Member
Professor Henry Krum, MBBS, PhD, FRACP
Professor Krum is Chair of Medical Therapeutics at Monash University, Melbourne, and is an Adjunct Faculty member of Columbia University, New York. He is also Director of the NHMRC Centre of Clinical Research Excellence in Therapeutics at Monash University. Professor Krum is currently a member of the Pzizer Global Heart Failure Advisory Boards, has previously served on Glaxo Smith Kline and Roche Global Advisory Boards, and is Chairman of the Working Group on Heart Failure of the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand. Professor Krum has been Principal Investigator, Chairman and Advisory Board Member for numerous international and national trials in cardiovascular therapeutics, and has consulted for many pharmaceutical companies, investment banks, and venture capital firms.
back to top

Member
Professor Joseph Lane, AB,MD
Professor Joseph Lane is Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Assistant Dean at Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York. Professor Lane's clinical expertise includes spine and hip trauma, spinal surgery, osteoporosis-related fractures, and non-union fractures. At the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, he is Medical Director of the Osteoporosis Center, Chief of the Metabolic Bone Disease Service, and Associate Director of the Trauma Service. Professor Lane has served as Chairman for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Oversight Panel on Women's Health, and was also a member of the AAOS Council on Research. He was President of the Orthopaedic Research Society and Musculoskeletal Tumor Society. He serves as a reviewer of several journals including Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma, Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, and Spine. Professor Lane has published over 300 articles and chapters and served as member and chairman of several of the United States National Health Institute (NIH) study sections.
back to top

updated 27th February, 2008

Company's Index

irasia.com

DISCLAIMER: irasia.com Ltd makes no guarantee as to the accuracy or completeness of any information provided on this website. Under no circumstances shall irasia.com Ltd be liable for damages resulting from the use of the information provided on this website.
TRADEMARK & COPYRIGHT: All intellectual property rights subsisting in the contents of this website belong to irasia.com Ltd or have been lawfully licensed to irasia.com Ltd for use on this website. All rights under applicable laws are hereby reserved. Reproduction of this website in whole or in part without the express written permission of irasia.com Ltd is strictly prohibited.
TERMS OF USE: Please read the Terms of Use governing the use of our website.

		Non-Executive Chairman Brian Jamieson FCA Brian Jamieson was Chief Executive of Minter Ellison Melbourne and a partner of the Minter Ellison Revenue Group from 2002-2005. He retired as Chief Executive of Minter Ellison Melbourne on 31 December 2005. Prior to joining Minter Ellison, Mr Jamieson was Executive Officer at KPMG from 1998-2000, Managing Partner of KPMG Melbourne and Southern Regions from 1993-1998 and Chairman of KPMG Melbourne from 2001-2002. He was also a KPMG Board Member in Australia , and a member of the USA Management Committee. Mr Jamieson is a Non-Executive Director of Sigma Pharmaceuticals Limited, Oxiana Limited and HBOS Australia Pty Ltd. He is also a Director and Treasurer of Care Australia and the Bionic Ear Institute, and a Director of Veski, The Sir Robert Menzies Foundation, the Australian Council - Major Performing Arts Board and the Tattersall's George Adams Foundation. Mr Jamieson has over 30 years of experience in providing advice and audit services to a diverse range of public and large private companies. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Australia . back to top

		Non-Executive Deputy Chairman Donal O'Dwyer, BE, MBA Mr O'Dwyer has almost 20 years experience as a senior executive in the global cardiovascular and medical devices industries. From 2000 to 2003, he was worldwide president of Cordis Cardiology, the cardiology division of Johnson & Johnson's Cordis Corporation. Cordis is the world's largest manufacturer of innovative products for interventional medicine, minimally invasive computer-based imaging, and electrophysiology. In this role, Mr O'Dwyer led Cordis through the launch of the revolutionary Cypher drug eluting coronary stent technology, and saw the company take over number one market share of coronary stents worldwide. He directly supervised an increase in sales from $US500 million in 2000 to $US2 billion in 2003. Prior to joining Cordis in 1996, Mr O'Dwyer worked for 12 years with Baxter Healthcare, rising from plant manager in Ireland to president of the Cardiovascular Group, Europe , now Edwards Lifesciences. Mr O'Dwyer is a non-executive Director of Cochlear Limited and Sunshine Heart. back to top

		Director and Chief Scientific Adviser Professor Silviu Itescu, MBBS (Hons), FRACP, FACP, FACR Professor Itescu is the Founder of Mesoblast Limited and Angioblast Systems, Inc. Most recently Director of Transplantation Immunology at New York 's Columbia University Medical Center , Professor Itescu has established an outstanding international reputation in the fields of stem cell biology, autoimmune diseases, organ transplantation and heart failure. His experiences range from laboratory research to new drug development and clinical evaluation. Professor Itescu pioneered novel approaches to the use of adult stem cells for the treatment of heart disease and is leading international collaborative trials in this area. Professor Itescu was an advisor on cell therapy for cardiovascular diseases to both the United States President's Council on Bioethics and the US FDA Biological Response Modifiers Advisory Committee (BRMAC). He has consulted for many international pharmaceutical companies and has been an advisor to biotechnology and health care investor groups. back to top

		Non-Executive Director Michael Spooner, BCom, ACA, MAICD Mr Spooner has an extensive network of relationships with investment firms and business communities across the globe, having spent the majority of the past 25 years living and working internationally. He has an outstanding track record in the rapid international commercialisation of high growth companies including within the medical application and commercial technology sectors. Most recently, Mr Spooner was Managing Director & CEO of Ventracor Limited where he led the transformation of a small Australian listed life sciences company into the second highest performing stock on the S&P/ASX 200 index in 2003. He was a Principal Partner and Director of Consulting Services with PriceWaterhouse Coopers (Coopers & Lybrand) in Hong Kong for seven years. Mr Spooner advises a number of high growth corporations and is a non-executive Director of Peplin Limited. back to top

		Non-Executive Director Byron McAllister, B.Sc, M.Ag Mr McAllister has extensive expertise in product development, quality assurance, and obtaining FDA regulatory approvals within the healthcare industry. He has extensive expertise within the biologics, pharmaceutical, and medical device industries, and has prepared full documentation for approval by the U.S. FDA, UK MCA, and other world health regulatory authorities. Most recently, Mr McAllister has served as Vice President, Worldwide Quality Assurance, for the Ares-Serono Group based in Geneva and Boston , overseeing operations in over a dozen countries. Mr McAllister has held senior management positions in manufacturing and quality assurance with Abbott Laboratories' Ross Laboratories and Diagnostics Divisions, Amersham Corporation, and Coulter Electronics Corporation. He is a member of the PDA (Parenteral Drug Association), American Society For Quality (ASQ), and the Regulatory Affairs Professionals Society (RAPS). back to top

Chief Operating Officer Paul Rennie, BSc, MBM, MS Mr. Rennie has over 25 years experience in marketing and business development within the Australian biomedical and pharmaceutical industry. He was formerly Director of Business Development for Soltec, a wholly owned subsidiary of F H Faulding & Co., Ltd, with focus on developing improved pharmaceutical drug delivery systems. Previously, as Business Development Manager for the Biosciences Division of Bonlac, he led the commercialisation strategies and licensing negotiations between Bonlac and multinational global oral care and health care/nutritional companies, including Johnson & Johnson, Procter & Gamble, and SmithKlineBeecham, and successfully concluded licensing of Bonlac's CPP-ACP technology to Warner Lambert. Between 1990-1994 he held various positions with the global pharmaceutical company Merck Ltd, where as National Sales and Marketing Manager he was responsible for Australia-wide sales of pharmaceuticals, analytical reagents, environmental monitoring products, and scientific research products. In this capacity, Mr. Rennie implemented a new strategic plan which contributed to transforming Merck Australia from having a loss in 1993 to record sales and profits in 1996. back to top

Company Secretary Kevin Hollingsworth, FCPA, FCMA Mr. Hollingsworth is a certified public accountant, and a past chairman of both the National and Victorian Industry and Commerce Accountants Committees. Mr. Hollingsworth has most recently been non-executive director and company secretary for Alpha Technologies Corporation Ltd, a global company with operations in the US, Mexico and China, designing and manufacturing temperature sensors for disposable medical devices, as well as precision thermometry and instrumentation for the biotechnical and life science industry. back to top

Chief Financial Officer Ms Jenni Pilcher CA, BBS Since qualifying as a Chartered Accountant with Price Waterhouse, Jenni Pilcher has worked in corporate and business financial roles for high profile international companies in pharmaceuticals, FMCG (fast moving consumer goods) and services. Before joining Mesoblast as Financial Controller in 2007, Ms Pilcher spent six years with ASX 200 Company, Spotless Group, progressing through a variety of financial roles. Previously Ms Pilcher worked in the finance teams at Cadbury Schweppes plc and international pharmaceutical group Medeva plc, both based in the United Kingdom . She was appointed Chief Financial Officer of Mesoblast in November 2007. back to top

Clinical and Regulatory Affairs Dr Donna L. Skerrett, MD, MS Dr Skerrett has been involved in stem cell procurement, manipulation and transplantation for more than 10 years. She has most recently been Director of the Stem Cell Facilities at Weill-Cornell Medical Center in New York, and previously served as Associate Director of Transfusion Medicine at Columbia University's New York-Presbyterian Hospital. Dr Skerrett oversees clinical development of the antibody-based stem cell selection technology and in vitro culture processes, as well as the human clinical trial programs, while liaising closely with the FDA. She is an advisor to the New York State Department of Health on the progenitor cell committee and the governor's Council on Blood and Transfusion Services. Dr Skerrett has also been an adviser and committee member with the National Marrow Donor Program and the American Society of Hematology. back to top

Project Manager Michael Schuster, BSc, MS, MBA Mr Schuster assists the Board and senior management with strategic planning, maintaining differentiation of Angioblast's technology from its competitors and advancing prospects for commercial growth. Mr Schuster holds an undergraduate degree in science from Tufts University, a Masters degree in Immunology & Microbiology from New York Medical College and has completed a Masters of Business Administration at Fordham University in New York. back to top

Vice President for Cartilage Regenerative Programs Professor Peter Ghosh, BSc (Hons), PhD, DSc, FRACI, FRSC, CSc. Associate Professor Peter Ghosh is recognised as an international authority on osteoarthritis and intervertebral disc disease and has authored more than 400 books, papers and book chapters in these fields. In 1999, Professor Ghosh was elected President and Director of the Institute of Bone and Joint Research of the University of Sydney at the Royal North Shore Hospital in Sydney, Australia. For ten years he was a Board member of the US-based Osteoarthritis Research Society International and remains a member of the journal's Editorial Board and is on the editorial boards of the APLAR Journal of Rheumatology and Current Rheumatology Reviews. He is past president of the Australian and New Zealand Orthopaedic Research Society and the Matrix Biology Society of Australia and New Zealand and was elected a Life Member of the International Hyaluronan Research Society. Professor Ghosh is presently a board member and director of four Australian biotechnology companies and a consultant for several international pharmaceutical companies. back to top

Chairman Professor Silviu Itescu, MBBS (Hons), FRACP, FACP, FACR Professor Itescu is the founder of Mesoblast Limited and Angioblast Systems, Inc. Most recently Director of Transplantation Immunology at New York's Columbia University Medical Center, Professor Itescu has established an outstanding international reputation in the fields of stem cell biology, autoimmune diseases, organ transplantation and heart failure. His experiences range from laboratory research to new drug development and clinical evaluation. Professor Itescu recently pioneered novel approaches to the use of adult stem cells for the treatment of heart disease and is leading international collaborative trials in this area. Professor Itescu was an advisor on cell therapy for cardiovascular diseases to both the US President's Council on Bioethics and the US FDA Biological Response Modifiers Advisory Committee (BRMAC). He has consulted for many international pharmaceutical companies and has been an advisor to biotechnology and health care investor groups. back to top

Member Professor Richard E Gilbert, MBBS, PhD, FRACP Professor Gilbert is Professor of Medicine at the University of Melbourne where he directs a large research program exploring new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of cardiovascular and kidney disease. Professor Gilbert is an international authority on the complications of diabetes, particularly vascular, eye and kidney diseases. In 2004, he was awarded the prestigious Eric Susman Medal from the Royal Australasian College of Physicians for outstanding contributions in diabetes research. Professor Gilbert consults to many global pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies on drug discovery, preclinical testing and clinical trials. back to top

Member Professor Robert M Graham, FAA, MBBS (Hons), MD, FRACP, FACP, FAHA Professor Graham is the Des Renford Professor of Medicine, University of NSW; Executive Director, Victor Chang Cardiac Research Institute, Sydney; and Professor (adjunct) of Physiology and Biophysics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, Cleveland, USA. His research has focused on molecular cardiology, with emphasis on circulatory control mechanisms, receptor signalling and cardiac hypertrophy. Professor Graham is the author of more than 200 peer-reviewed papers, is a Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science and a member of the American Association for Clinical Research, the American Society of Clinical Investigation, the American Heart Association, and the National Heart Foundation of Australia (NSW Division). He has been a consultant to many pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. Currently, he is Chairman, Scientific Committee, Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand; Member NSW Ministerial Advisory council on Medical and Health Research and Board Member, EngenelC Ltd, MirACL Therapeutics Pty Ltd and the Lowy Medical Foundation. back to top

Member Professor Stephen Graves, MBBS, D. Phil FRACS, FA, Orth A Professor Graves was the inaugural Professor of Orthopaedics at the University of Melbourne and Director of Orthopaedics at the Royal Melbourne Hospital, where he remains Director of Orthopaedic Research. He is currently Director of Musculoskeletal Research at Epworth Hospital and Flinders Medical Centre; Director of the Australian Orthopaedic Association National Joint Replacement Registry; Chairman of the Australian Orthopaedic Association Bone and Tissue Banking Committee and member of the Commonwealth Health Department Hip and Knee Prostheses Clinical Advisory Groups. He is a member of the Therapeutic Goods Administration (TGA) Medical Device Evaluation Committee (MDEC), Expert Advisory Group on Cell & Tissue Based Therapies and subcommittee on Device Tracking. back to top

Member Professor Henry Krum, MBBS, PhD, FRACP Professor Krum is Chair of Medical Therapeutics at Monash University, Melbourne, and is an Adjunct Faculty member of Columbia University, New York. He is also Director of the NHMRC Centre of Clinical Research Excellence in Therapeutics at Monash University. Professor Krum is currently a member of the Pzizer Global Heart Failure Advisory Boards, has previously served on Glaxo Smith Kline and Roche Global Advisory Boards, and is Chairman of the Working Group on Heart Failure of the Cardiac Society of Australia and New Zealand. Professor Krum has been Principal Investigator, Chairman and Advisory Board Member for numerous international and national trials in cardiovascular therapeutics, and has consulted for many pharmaceutical companies, investment banks, and venture capital firms. back to top

Member Professor Joseph Lane, AB,MD Professor Joseph Lane is Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery and Assistant Dean at Weill Medical College of Cornell University in New York. Professor Lane's clinical expertise includes spine and hip trauma, spinal surgery, osteoporosis-related fractures, and non-union fractures. At the Hospital for Special Surgery in New York, he is Medical Director of the Osteoporosis Center, Chief of the Metabolic Bone Disease Service, and Associate Director of the Trauma Service. Professor Lane has served as Chairman for the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons (AAOS) Oversight Panel on Women's Health, and was also a member of the AAOS Council on Research. He was President of the Orthopaedic Research Society and Musculoskeletal Tumor Society. He serves as a reviewer of several journals including Journal of Bone and Joint Surgery, Journal of Orthopaedic Trauma, Clinical Orthopaedics and Related Research, and Spine. Professor Lane has published over 300 articles and chapters and served as member and chairman of several of the United States National Health Institute (NIH) study sections. back to top