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'''Hans Keirstead''' is a medical scientist and entrepreneur specializing in stem cell research. |
'''Hans Keirstead''' is a medical scientist and entrepreneur specializing in stem cell research. He is a candidate for US Congress running for [[California's 48th congressional district|California's 48th district]], currently occupied by [[Republican Party (United States)|Republican Party]] Congressman [[Dana Rohrabacher]].<ref name="WaPo">{{cite web|url=https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/speaking-of-science/wp/2017/06/20/he-broke-ground-in-stem-cell-research-now-hes-running-for-congress/|title=He broke ground in stem-cell research. Now he's running for Congress.|first=Ben|last=Guarino|date=June 20, 2017|newspaper=The Washington Post}}</ref> |
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==Early life and education== |
==Early life and education== |
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Revision as of 21:33, 6 June 2018
Hans Keirstead is a medical scientist and entrepreneur specializing in stem cell research. He is a candidate for US Congress running for California's 48th district, currently occupied by Republican Party Congressman Dana Rohrabacher.[1]
Early life and education
Keirstead was raised on a farm in Canada.[2] He took his PhD at the University of British Columbia and also trained at the University of Cambridge.
Career
In 2000, Keirstead left his position at the University of British Columbia, where his spinal cord research had been funded by Rick Hansen's charitable foundation. He joined the Reeve-Irvine Research Center at the University of California, Irvine.[3]
Keirstead testified on the state's biotech industry to the California State Senate in 2002 amidst a national debate about stem cell laws and policy in the United States.[3]
In 2004, Keirstead publicly supported California Proposition 71, which aimed to authorize three billion dollars for stem cell research for a newly created California Institute for Regenerative Medicine. During the debate he released a video of how he could restore mobility to paralyzed rats using his stem cell research. Keirstead was criticized at the time, because the procedure had yet to be published in a peer reviewed journal, but it subsequently published the following year in the Journal of Neuroscience. The procedure was reproduced by three other labs by 2006, confirming that cells engineered to make myelin can help restore damaged areas of the spinal cord.[3]
Keirstead was Professor of Anatomy and Neurobiology and Professor of Neurological Surgery at the School of Medicine of the University of California at Irvine, for fifteen years. He founded the Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center there.[4]
He launched medical research startup companies in Orange County and is currently CEO at AIVITA Biomedical. Other corporate affiliations include Neuron Therapeutics, Inc., Caladrius Biosciences, Inc., Lifeline Cell Technology, LLC, International Stem Cell Corporation, NeoStem Oncology, LLC, Ekso Bionics Holdings, Inc., and ALPHAEON Corporation.[5]
He has developed new treatments for cancer and for neurological injuries.[6]
In 2010, Geron Corporation began the world's first clinical trial of human embryonic stem cell treatment for spinal cord injuries, based on the research of Keirstead's team at UC Irvine. However, the trials ended after a year due to lack of funds.[7]
In 2013, Keirstead took a leave of absence from UC Irvine to conduct tests in the private sector. He joined California Stem Cell, Inc., also based in Irvine, as its president and CEO. His first focus after the leave of absence was trials for targeting skin cancer cells using stem cells from the cancer itself to train the immune system.[7]
In 2014, he sold a stem-cell company in a deal worth $124 million.[8]
Keirstead announced in June 2017 that he would run for Congress as a Democrat, challenging a seat held by Dana Rohrabacher in California's 48th Congressional District.[1] In a 2018 interview with ABILITY Magazine, Keirstead said "We don’t have anyone [in Washington] with a broad, deep understanding of the healthcare system, for example, not a one. 435 members, and there’s no one there with a broad, deep understanding of what is 20 percent of our economy. We need that.”[9]
Personal life
His wife, Niki, is a neuroscientist specializing in Alzheimer's disease. They have one son.[4]
Keirstead has a third-degree black belt in Taekwondo. He owns and flies his own helicopter.[10]
References
- ^ a b Guarino, Ben (June 20, 2017). "He broke ground in stem-cell research. Now he's running for Congress". The Washington Post.
- ^ "Meet Hans - Dr. Hans Keirstead for Congress". Kierstead campaign website.
- ^ a b c MacQueen, Ken (July 1, 2006). "Canadian Researcher Hopes to Reverse Paralysis". Maclean's. The Canadian Encyclopedia. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ a b "Hans Keirstead". 314 Action.
- ^ "Hans S. Keirstead Ph.D.: Executive Profile & Biography -". Bloomberg.
- ^ Decker, Cathleen. "Stem cell scientist to become the latest Democrat trying to topple Dana Rohrabacher in O.C. House race". Los Angeles Times.
- ^ a b Brennan, Pat (December 26, 2013). "Stem-cell pioneer exits UCI for private cancer fight". Orange County Register. Retrieved March 22, 2018.
{{cite news}}: Cite has empty unknown parameter:|dead-url=(help) - ^ "3 House Republicans Likely to Lose Their Seats in 2018". Observer. December 29, 2017.
- ^ "Dr. Hans Keirstead: Fighting to Cure Cancer, and Fighting for California". ABILITY Magazine. May 16, 2018. Retrieved May 19, 2018.
- ^ "Mr. Science Goes to Washington?". Stem Cell Battles.