StemCells, Inc. Names Alan Jacobs Chief Medical Officer and Vice President of Clinical Research, Neural Program
Jacobs Brings Expertise in Managing and Implementing Clinical
Trials Involving Cell-Based Therapies for Neurological Disorders
PALO ALTO, Calif.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 28, 2005--StemCells, Inc.
(NASDAQ: STEM) today announced that Dr. Alan
Jacobs will join the company as chief medical officer and vice
president of clinical research, neural program. Formerly the senior
director of clinical development at Titan Pharmaceuticals, Jacobs
offers valuable experience in managing clinical trial development of
cell-based therapies for indications such as Parkinson's disease and
stroke. In his current capacity, Jacobs will lead the company's adult
human neural (brain) stem cell (hCNS-SC) program through the clinical
development process.
"Alan has expertly directed two separate cell-based therapies
through late-stage clinical trials, and has worked with the leading
neuroscience companies in the world including Titan and Elan," said
Martin McGlynn, chief executive officer of StemCells, Inc. "For these
reasons in particular, Alan will be an invaluable addition to
StemCells, Inc. and will no doubt strengthen our scientific management
team."
At Titan Pharmaceuticals, Jacobs led Titan's Central Nervous
System (CNS) clinical development efforts which included
Spheramine(R), a cell-based therapeutic for Parkinson's disease
developed in collaboration with Schering AG. He designed and
implemented phase II and III clinical studies, managed an ongoing
multi-center trial and closely interacted with the Food and Drug
Administration (FDA). Jacobs previously served as medical director of
Layton Biosciences, where he was responsible for clinical and
regulatory development of a neural cell line for the indications of
stroke and Parkinson's disease. Jacobs has also worked with
neuroscience company Elan Pharmaceuticals as assistant director of
clinical affairs.
"I am excited to put my experience in neurological research to
work for StemCells, Inc., and to leverage its impressive preclinical
research supporting the safety and efficacy of neural stem cell
treatments," said Jacobs. "I am committed to collaborating with the
full scientific team to reach StemCells' ultimate objective--bringing
neural stem cell therapies to the clinic and providing treatments for
patients who currently have few viable medical options."
Jacobs brings a strong scientific and medical background in
neuroscience. He has co-authored peer-reviewed research and review
articles in prestigious journals such as Journal of Neuroscience,
Neurosurgery, Experimental Neurology and Brain Research. He has also
served as an expert resource for the National Institutes of Health
NINDS Stroke Progress Review Group and Health Technology Center's
Expert Panel on Stem Cell Technology, both in 2001. He currently is a
member of the American Society of Experimental Neurotherapeutics and
the American Society of Neurotransplantation and Repair.
Jacobs received a Ph.D from the University of Pennsylvania, David
Mahoney Institute of Neuroscience, and an M.D. from the University of
Pennsylvania, School of Medicine, in 1995. Following completion of
these programs, Jacobs served as a resident neurosurgeon at the
University of California, San Francisco Medical Center. He also
received an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University in
1988.
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CONTACT: Company Contact:
StemCells, Inc.
Judi Lum, 650-475-3100
or
Media Contact:
Schwartz Communications, Inc.
781-684-0770 or 415-512-0770
stemcells@schwartz-pr.com
SOURCE: StemCells, Inc.
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