FOR: RMF & WSCSMedia Contact:
Howard R. Miller
305-573-0882
Howard@gohrmc.com

Regenerative Medicine Foundation Proudly Presents The 2018 "StemCell and Regenerative Medicine Action Award" Honorees
The 13th World Stem Cell Summit Features a Gala Award Dinner In Miami, Florida on January 23, 2018

MIAMI, FL – December 20, 2017 -- Five deserving healthcare heroes have been
selected for the Regenerative Medicine Foundation (RMF) 2018 Stem Cell andRegenerative Medicine Action Awards. For 13 years, the nonprofit organization hascelebrated the stem cell and regenerative medicine community's top innovators,leaders, and champions. The honorees will be recognized at a gala reception andthdinner on January 23rd during the 13 annual World Stem Cell Summit (WSCS) at theHyatt Regency Miami in Miami, Florida, which takes place from January 22-26, 2018.
This year's Action Award honorees include global leaders in the fight to end cancer as
we know it; a world leader in advancing the emerging field of regenerative medicine andgame-changing cell therapy medical treatments; the president of a non-profit groupfocused on developing cures for chronic, debilitating and fatal diseases; a sickle cell andstem cell advocate and founder/science administrator of the Axis Advocacy; and thefounding director of the Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS) at Japan’s Kyoto
University. All of these distinguished honorees are devoted to improving health anddeveloping cures by accelerating stem cell and regenerative medicine.
The 2018 Stem Cell Action Award Honorees Are:Advocacy Award: Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden.
Vice President Joe Biden and Dr. Jill Biden have demonstrated their leadership in andcommitment to improving cancer research and care by injecting a sense of urgency andreimagining how the government, academia, non-profits, and the private sector canbetter organize their resources and systems. Vice President Biden’s leadership of thenational “Cancer Moonshot” effort dramatically advanced efforts to prevent, diagnose,and treat cancer. The Cancer Moonshot launched a series of coordinated efforts that

incentivized bold, creative, and disruptive approaches to conducting cancer research,promoting prevention, and addressing critical needs in cancer care. In addition to driving
this progress in both the public and private sectors, Vice President Biden also helped
lead the effort to pass the 21st Century Cures Act that provides $1.8 billion over sevenyears for the Cancer Moonshot’s scientific priorities.
Building on the progress made under the Cancer Moonshot, Vice President and Dr.
Biden launched the Biden Cancer Initiative in the Summer of 2017. The Biden Cancer
Initiative is dedicated to developing and driving the implementation of solutions toaccelerate progress in cancer prevention, detection, diagnosis, research, and care, andto reducing disparities in cancer outcomes.
Leadership Award: Ed Bosarge – Dr. W. E. “Ed” Bosarge is an acknowledged world
leader in the emerging field of regenerative medicine. His passionate commitment toadvancing biotechnology innovations has resulted in game-changing treatments fororthopedic conditions, cardiovascular diseases, neurological disorders, cancer, diabetes
and other chronic conditions. As Chairman and Founder of Black Beret Life Sciences,Dr. Bosarge maintains an international focus on accelerating the development andclinical introduction of cutting edge regenerative medical, adult stem cell andimmunotherapy treatments. In an effort to bring scientific discovery and medical
innovation back to the forefront of clinical practice in the US, Dr. Bosarge recently
spearheaded a federal legislative initiative supporting the FDA’s leadership to advanceapproval of safe and effective cell-based therapies which would allow Americans with
debilitating or life-threatening diseases expedited access to new potentially lifechanging or life-saving treatments.
Advocacy Award: Shelley Ross and the Cure Alliance – Shelley Ross is President ofThe Cure Alliance, a non-profit group of top scientists, researchers, medical doctors andinnovators, plus those who support their efforts to end suffering by developing cures forchronic, debilitating and fatal diseases. Their #1 goal is to help accelerate themovement of potential cures from the laboratory to the bedside. To that effort, they raise
public awareness and make noise when necessary. In her position at The Cure
Alliance, Ms. Ross calls on her experience as a three-time Emmy Award-winning
executive producer who changed the landscape of morning, primetime and late-nighttelevision. She is best known for her 17 years at ABC News where she won three news
and documentary Emmy awards, a Peabody award, and other honors. CBS has
recently announced the development of a dramatic series based on her early years as ajournalist. A natural story-teller, she presented the FDA with her dramatic first-person
narrative of healing through regenerative medicine after conventional medicine hadfailed. Then she implored them not to unnecessarily restrict treatments for others. She
also contributes to CellR4, the official journal of The Cure Alliance with Dr. Camillo
Ricordi of the Cell Transplant Center and Diabetes Research Institute, University ofMiami, editor-in-chief and founder.
Inspiration Award: Adrienne Bell-Cors Shapiro -- A Sickle Cell Disease and stem
cell Patient Advocate, the Founder and Science Administrator of the Axis Advocacy

Sickle Cell Disease website, Ms. Shapiro is the fourth generation of mothers in her
family to have a child born with Sickle Cell Disease. She was one of the first supportersof the work done by UCLA’S Dr. Don Kohn in bone marrow and later stem celltransplants. As a firm believer that stem cell science will cure Sickle Cell Disease, shehas dedicated a large portion of her life to improving the lives and overall healthcare ofthose living with the disease. In the past three years Ms. Shapiro has found her voice asa stem cell activist, speaking at multiple forums in support of the funding for clinical trials
through the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine(CIRM) and her role as anambassador for the Americans for Cures Foundation. Her experience includes attending
educational conferences and seminars, as well as meeting with lawmakers to promotesupport for the Sickle Cell Education Act.
International Leadership: Norio Nakatsuji – Professor Nakatsuji is the Founding Director ofthe Institute for Integrated Cell-Material Sciences (iCeMS) at Kyoto University in Japan, aninstitute which advances cross-disciplinary research and technological innovation basedon cell biology, chemistry and physics. He is focused at making the best use of humanpluripotent stem cells, including ES and iPS cells, for drug discovery and cell therapy bymultidisciplinary R&D. He is part of the pioneering groups which established human ES
cell lines and distributed them to other scientists free of charge. He is also a scientificfounder of a start-up company, ReproCELL, Inc., which accomplished a successful IPO
in 2013. Moreover, he has been taking leadership of several Japanese governmentsupported stem cell R&D collaboration projects between industry and academia.
Professor Nakatsuji has been at the forefront of cutting edge work done in Japan, which is agreat global collaborative hub for stem cell research and regenerative medicine whose
regenerative market is growing exponentially. Japanese companies are investing in advanced
therapies around the globe. He is a valued advocate and philanthropist and recently founded
and funded, the Nakatsuji Foresight Foundation dedicated to support the next generation
students and scientists by advancing programs relating to education, science andtechnology.

The 13th World Stem Cell Summit has garnered international attention. Brought to you
by RMF, this original, translation-focused, international and partnering conference is
expecting 1,000 attendees from over 30 countries in the world, more than 210
participating organizations, and 100+ speakers.
This year the WSCS will be co-located with the industry's premier partnering event;Phacilitate World Leaders Forum, incorporating Cell & Gene Therapy World, ImmunoOncology Frontiers World, and our shared Cord Blood & Perinatal Stem Cells track. Coorganizers are the Regenerative Medicine Foundation, Karolinska Institute, Maryland
Stem Cell Research Fund/TEDCO, Mayo Clinic, The New York Stem Cell Foundation,Nova Southeastern University and NSU Cell Therapy Institute, The Cure Alliance,
Interdisciplinary Stem Cell Institute at the University of Miami Miller School of Medicine,University of Florida Center for Regenerative Medicine, Wake Forest Institute forRegenerative Medicine, and Weill Cornell Medicine. Together, this will be the world's
largest interdisciplinary event dedicated to Advanced Therapies and Regenerative
Medicine, the one meeting on the global calendar attended by all of the critical decisionmakers from both inside and outside of the ﬁeld.
To register or for a complete detailed timeline and agenda, please visit:
http://worldstemcellsummit.com/. If you are interested in a customized sponsorship oran exhibit, please contact us today at 1-888-238-1423 or email
Bernard@worldstemcellsummit.com.
About the Regenerative Medicine Foundation (RMF)
The nonprofit Regenerative Medicine Foundation fosters strategic collaborations toaccelerate the development of regenerative medicine to improve health and delivercures. RMF pursues its mission by producing its flagship World Stem Cell Summit,
honoring leaders through the Stem Cell Action Awards, publishing with our official
Platinum media and journal partner Stem Cells Translational Medicine, and promoting
educational initiatives. For further information about RMF please visit:
http://regmedfoundation.org/
About the World Stem Cell Summit
Produced by the 501(c)(3) non-profit Regenerative Medicine Foundation (RMF), and inits 13th year, the World Stem Cell Summit 2018 is co-located with the Phacilitate
Leadership Forum, Cell & Gene Therapy World and Immuno-Oncology Frontiers World
conferences. It is the most inclusive and expansive interdisciplinary, networking, andpartnering meeting in the stem cell science and regenerative medicine field. With theoverarching purpose of fostering biomedical research, funding, and investments
targeting cures, the Summit is the single conference serving the diverse ecosystem ofstakeholders.
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