Dr. Cairo treated Ms. Abrams with three rounds of ICE chemotherapy protocol, radiation, and an autologous stem cell transplant that was the same protocol offered at other institutions. However, the reason Dr. Cairo was chosen to treat Ms. Abrams was that he also proposed the use of Rituximab infusions and most importantly that Ms. Abrams receive an allogenic umbilical cord blood transplant. Because Ms. Abrams was a full-size adult at age 17, securing an appropriate sample was difficult. After much searching of the existing cord blood bank databases, a sample was found in Milan, Italy, and the transplant occured in June 2001.

Today, Ms. Abrams is a graduate of the University of Vermont with dual degrees in Animal Science and Geography, works as a nature educator at the South Fork Natural History Museum in Bridgehampton, New York, leads spinning classes at the local gym (despite having been treated with bleomycin), and has recently applied for admission to veterinary school.

She is cured thanks to Dr. Cairo and continues to be extremely healthy with few ongoing concerns.

He served as scientific director of the San Raffaele Scientific Institute (1998 to 2006) and held positions as director of Hematology, head of the Gene Therapy and Bone Marrow Transplantation Program. Dr. Bordignon received his M.D. degree from the School of Medicine of the University of Milan and completed his medical and science training during eight years spent in several of the most prestigious U.S. institutions, including four years at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center (New York).

In 1997, following a deeper conversion to the Lord, Fr. Austriaco entered the novitiate of the Order of Friars Preachers. He completed both his pontifical bachelor’s degree in sacred theology and his master’s of divinity degree at the Pontifical Faculty of the Immaculate Conception at the Dominican House of Studies in Washington, D.C., in 2003. He was ordained to the priesthood on May 21, 2004. In 2005, he earned his pontifical license in sacred theology summa cum laude. He is currently pursuing a pontifical doctorate degree in sacred theology from the University of Fribourg in Switzerland.

Fr. Austriaco currently serves as an associate professor of biology and an instructor of theology at Providence College in Providence, R.I. He is also an investigator for the Rhode Island-IDeA Network of Biomedical Research Excellence Program funded by the National Institutes of Health, a scientific advisor at the National Catholic Bioethics Center, and an ethics consultant for St. Joseph Health Services of Rhode Island.

Fr. Austriaco has intellectual interests both in molecular and cellular genetics and in moral theology. His laboratory at Providence College is investigating the genetics of programmed cell death using yeasts as model organisms. Papers describing his research have been published in a number of scientific journals and he has had a number of essays in bioethics published as well. Finally, Fr. Austriaco’s first book, Biomedicine and Beatitude: An Introduction to Catholic Bioethics, is scheduled to be published by the end of this year.

He served as chancellor of the Pontifical Academy for Life from January 3, 2005, until his appointment by Pope Benedict XVI as president of the academy on June 30, 2010.

Dr. Coffey has received many honors and awards, including the prestigious Estelle Doheny Living Tribute Award in 2009, Retinitis Pigmentosa International’s Vision Award in 2009, CIRM Leadership Award in 2010, and recently the New York Stem Cell Foundation’s Robertson Award for translation stem cell work. CIRM reviewers characterized Dr. Coffey’s work as “truly innovative, novel, ambitious and important…highly significant, with a potential to revolutionize the field.” He is engaged in public service endeavors to explain stem cell research to the lay public, including talks to the British Parliament and the Vatican. Dr. Coffey received his D.Phil. degree at Oxford University and was a member of the faculty at Oxford and later the University of Sheffield, as lecturer and senior lecturer, before joining the faculty at UCL as head of the Ocular Biology and Therapeutics Research Department.

Dr. March has dedicated his career to bringing new medical approaches to patients. His publications include more than 110 manuscripts. He was editor of the first book dedicated to cardiovascular gene transfer. Dr. March’s research has resulted in more than 40 worldwide (23 U.S.) patents, with others pending. He invented the Closer, a suture-mediated closure device, used to close the puncture wound in an artery following heart catheterization, used in about 400,000 patients annually.

His laboratory focuses on vascular biology, with particular emphasis on function and translational study of stem cells found in adipose tissue, which his laboratory identified as peri-vascular cells with critical roles in vasculogenesis, angiogenesis, and adipose tissue regulation. Dr. March is recognized as a leading expert in the field of adult stem cell research, particularly involving adipose-derived stromal stem cells. In 2008, he became Chair of the NIH/NHLBI DSMB that oversees cell therapy trials in the areas of heart, lung, and blood diseases.

In 2010, he established the Center for Regenerative Medicine at the Indianapolis VA Medical Center, the first VA-sited Center dedicated specifically to moving adult stem cell therapies from the laboratory into patients.

In addition to his research roles, Dr. March has served as president (since 2007) of the International Federation of Adipose Therapeutics and Science and serves as the chief medical advisor for the Cell Therapy Foundation. In both affiliations, he has worked to advance collaboration as well as awareness about adult stem cells.

In September 2006, he had adult stem cells injected into his heart muscle at the Scripps Green Hospital in San Diego, California. He underwent stem cell mobilization, a process that includes injections of a stem cell mobilizing agent over the course of several days, followed by apheresis, where the mobilized stem cells are collected by filtering them from his whole blood into a centrifuge.

After the collection process, he spent the night in the hospital and, early the next day, Dr. Schatz injected the collected cells into his heart muscle through a catheter in a process very similar to an angiogram. He spent the balance of that day and one night in the hospital before being released. He started noticing improvement within three weeks.

Dr. Schatz continued to moniter Mr. Melber’s progress, running tests at various intervals. Mr. Melber continued to improve with longer treadmill times and positive responses to other tests. Within a few months, he showed remarkable improvement.

Dr. Pecora currently serves as vice president of Cancer Services and chief innovations officer of the John Theurer Cancer Center at Hackensack University Medical Center (HUMC), and co-managing partner of the Northern New Jersey Cancer Center that is a private physicians practice group affiliated with HUMC.

Dr. Pecora has worked with numerous companies in developing their products and manages a large clinical practice and cancer department at a major health care institution. Dr. Pecora currently serves as chairman of the Board of Directors of Tetralogics, a private venture-funded biotechnology company developing small molecules for cancer therapy and on the Board of Directors of Cancer Genetics, a private venture-funded cancer diagnostics company. Dr. Pecora also has significant experience in the design of clinical trials (Phase I to III), institutional review board practices, conducting clinical trials, clinical research, and in payor relationships both domestically and internationally.

Dr. Pecora is a professor of medicine at the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey. He is a scientific advisor for numerous state, national, and international organizations, and serves on the Board of Directors for the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation.

Dr. Pecora received his medical degree from the University of Medicine and Dentistry of New Jersey, graduating with honors. He went on to complete his medical education in internal medicine at New York Hospital and in hematology and oncology at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, both in New York City. He is board certified in internal medicine, hematology, and oncology.