Dr. March obtained his M.D. and Ph.D from Indiana University. He is the Director of the Center for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Florida, and throughout his career he has been dedicated to bringing new medical approaches to patients. His publications include more than 170 manuscripts. His laboratory focuses on vascular biology, with a particular emphasis on the function and translational study of stem cells found in the adipose (fat) tissue, which his laboratory identified as cells with critical roles in blood vessel growth and control of inflammation. Dr. March is recognized as a leading expert in the field of adult stem cell research, particularly that involving adipose-derived stem cells. From 2008-2012, he was Chair of the National Institutes of Health Data and Safety Monitoring Board that oversees cell therapy trials in the areas of heart, lung, and blood diseases. Since 2012, he has been an investigator in the Cardiovascular Cell Therapy Research Network (CCTRN), involving seven lead centers in the USA working together to conduct NIH-sponsored cell therapy clinical trials. He has spearheaded FDA approval to conduct multiple U.S. trials employing one’s own fat-derived stem cells or umbilical cord lining-derived stem cells, including an ongoing trial (SUCCESS) to test these cells in the treatment of COVID-19, and three cell-based therapy trials authorized by FDA in early 2021, addressing critical medical needs in other pediatric and adult patient populations.

Dr. Sackstein received his M.D. and Ph.D from Harvard Medical school. He has also received an honorary doctorate from the University of Murcia (Spain) for “improving the efficacy and safety of cell-based therapies, thereby enabling curative-intent treatments for a wide range of disabling and life-threatening diseases.”  Presently, Dr. Sackstein is the Senior Vice-President for Global Health Affairs at Florida International University in Miami, FL.  He is a Professor Emeritus at the Harvard Medical School, where he continues to serve as the Director of the Harvard Career Development Program in Translational Glycobiology.  He also is on the clinical active staff at the Massachusetts General Hospital, the Brigham & Women’s Hospital, and the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute (all in Boson, MA).  In addition, he is on the Scientific Advisory boards of the Wallenberg Center for Molecular Medicine/Center for Regenerative Medicine (Lund, Sweden), of the Jose Carreras Research Institute (Barcelona, Spain), of the Instituto Carlos III Spanish Network for Regenerative Therapeutics (Madrid, Spain), and of the Instituto de Investigacion Biomedica de Bellvitge (IDIBELL; Barcelona, Spain).  Dr. Sackstein’s clinical expertise is bone marrow transplantation, and he is widely recognized for his contributions to cell-based therapeutics.  His scientific research efforts have defined the molecular processes that regulate the movement of cells in blood flow into different tissues throughout the body, and clinical applications of his research findings have led to improved outcomes for patients undergoing bone marrow transplantation, and for patients suffering from a variety of illnesses including cancer, autoimmune conditions, and osteoporosis. He is very well published in the cell therapeutics sector.