Biostage, Inc. (Nasdaq: BSTG), a biotechnology company developing bioengineered organ implants to treat life-threatening conditions of the esophagus, bronchus and trachea, today announced that it has appointed Stephen F. Badylak DVM, PhD, MD to its Scientific Advisory Board (SAB). Dr. Badylak joins regenerative medicine and tissue engineering expert, Dr. Joseph Vacanti as Co-Chairman.
Dr. Badylak is a Professor in the Department of Surgery, a deputy director of the McGowan Institute for Regenerative Medicine (MIRM), and directs a laboratory focused upon the use of biologic scaffolds composed of extracellular matrix (ECM) to facilitate functional tissue and organ reconstruction.
"Our goal is to build a preeminent SAB in order to leverage the vast knowledge and expertise of those that are at the forefront of leading a paradigm shift in treatments in the regenerative medicine space. We are thrilled to have Dr. Badylak join our Scientific Advisory Board as Co-Chairman," stated Saverio La Francesca, MD, President and Chief Medical Officer of Biostage. "The expertise he has amassed over the course of his career in the mechanisms by which extracellular matrix signals host tissues to promote and support functional tissue reconstruction will be invaluable as we continue to advance our Cellframe technology, beginning with our Cellspan Esophageal Implant."
Dr. Badylak received his DVM from Purdue University. He then obtained an MS in Clinical Pathology and a PhD in Anatomic Pathology from Purdue University and graduated with highest honors with a MD from Indiana University Medical School. He began his academic career at Purdue University as an Assistant Research Scholar at the Hillenbrand Biomedical Engineering Center in 1983, and eventually served as Director of the Center from 1993-1998. Dr. Badylak was also a Senior Research Scientist within the Department of Biomedical Engineering at Purdue University. He is a charter member and the past President of the Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine International Society (TERMIS) and has served as the Chair of the Study Section for the Small Business Innovative Research (SBIR) at the National Institutes of Health (NIH), and as chair of the Bioengineering, Technology, and Surgical Sciences (BTSS) Study Section at NIH. Dr. Badylak is currently a member of the College of Scientific Reviewers for the NIH.
Dr. Badylak holds over 60 U.S. patents, 300 patents worldwide, has authored more than 350 scientific publications and 40 book chapters. Dr. Badylak has served as Chairman or been a member of the Scientific Advisory Board to several major medical device companies. Dr. Badylak is a Fellow of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, a charter member of the Tissue Engineering Society International. He is also a member of the Society for Biomaterials and editor in chief of the Journal of Immunology and Regenerative Medicine. He has received many awards, including the Sigma Xi Scientific Society 2002 Research Award, the Pittsburgh Business Times Hero in Health Care Innovation & Research for 2005, the 2005 and 2008 Carnegie Science Center Award for Excellence, the 2005 Clemson Award from the Society for Biomaterials, the Chancellor's Distinguished Research Award in 2008, and the TERMIS (America's Chapter) Senior Scientist Award in 2012.
Dr. Badylak commented, "I am excited to join the Biostage Scientific Advisory Board as the Company prepares for its first-in-human clinical trials. I believe that the Cellspan Implants utilizing Biostage's Cellframe technology represent a potential major advancement in the field of regenerative medicine and I look forward to working closely with the Biostage team to provide solutions and a higher quality of life for patients affected with life-threatening conditions of the esophagus, bronchus and trachea."
About Biostage
Biostage is a biotechnology company developing bioengineered organ implants based on the Company's new Cellframe™ technology which combines a proprietary biocompatible scaffold with a patient's own stem cells to create Cellspan™ organ implants. Cellspan implants are being developed to treat life-threatening conditions of the esophagus, bronchus or trachea with the hope of dramatically improving the treatment paradigm for patients. Based on its preclinical data, Biostage has selected life-threatening conditions of the esophagus as the initial clinical application of its technology.
