ReGEN Podcast

This episode of the reGEN Podcast features our conversation with Jennifer Graves, MD, PhD, who serves as a clinical professor of neurosciences and as a clinical trial expert with the Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center Alpha Clinic at UC San Diego. Her work includes a focus on Multiple Sclerosis and emerging therapeutic applications for this and other neurological conditions with stem cells and regenerative medicine. Graves oversees active clinical trials at the UC San Diego Alpha Clinic for MS and is a prolific published researcher. Hosted by Bobby Gordon, MA, MBA This episode was recorded on Aug. 18, 2025, and information presented herein is current at the time of recording. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/GoTI9QZ-V-U 

This episode features Sheldon Morris, MD, MPH, and an overview of the Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center where Morris serves as director. The Clinical Center at UC San Diego encompasses a wide scope of services and outreach, including the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) Alpha Clinic, clinical trials, community engagement, CIRM grant application assistance and management. We discuss the importance of the collaborative nature of the Clinical Center partnering with trial experts from UC San Diego Health, industry leaders and other researchers for novel discoveries and therapeutics related to stem cells, regenerative medicine and gene therapies. Hosted by Bobby Gordon, MA, MBA This episode was recorded on April 7, 2025, and information presented is current as of the date of this recording. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/5E_YA0-PKm8

This episode features our conversation with Jonathan Thomas, PhD, JD, President and CEO of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM). Thomas was previously the chair of the CIRM governing board from June 2011 to March 2023 and has played an integral role in supporting patient-centric research, strategies and outcomes within the Alpha Clinic network and UC San Diego's Sanford Stem Cell Institute. We discuss his history with CIRM and the impact the organization has had across California. Thomas has a long-standing commitment to patient advocacy. He spent more than 15 years on the board of the Crippled Children's Society of Southern California and served as chair for four years. The organization, now called AbilityFirst, assists children with spinal cord injuries and mental disabilities that could be targets of stem cell therapies. Hosted by Bobby Gordon, MA, MBA This episode was recorded on Oct. 17, 2025, and information presented herein is current at the time of recording.

Our conversation with Tannishtha Reya, PhD, reviews her work and publications on understanding the mechanisms that drive cancer initiation, progression, and therapy resistance. Her research also includes developing high resolution in vivo imaging approaches to map normal stem cell behavior and interactions within a living organism, to define how these change during cancer formation. Tannishtha is the associate director for Translational Research and director of the Irving Drug Discovery Program at Columbia's Herbert Irving Comprehensive Cancer Center. She is also a former professor with the UC San Diego School of Medicine. An expert in how stem cells fuel cancer growth, she is known for co-authoring a publication in Nature in 2001 that coined the term 'cancer stem cell' to describe how some cancer cells can mirror the properties of stem cells in normal tissues. Reya's laboratory has uncovered critical pathways and therapeutic targets in leukemia and pancreatic cancer, contributing to clinical trials and approvals for new therapies. She has been recognized for her contributions to the field with many prestigious awards, including an NIH Director's Pioneer Award and an NCI Outstanding Investigator Award. Hosted by Bobby Gordon, MA, MBA This episode was recorded on Oct. 16, 2025, and information is current as of the time of this recording.

Our conversation with Leo D. Wang, MD, PhD, includes unique insights into novel discoveries and therapeutics for HIV, diabetes, cancer and other conditions.  As the director of the City of Hope Alpha Clinic, we discuss the innovative and collaborative nature of the California Institute for Regenerative Medicine (CIRM) Alpha Clinic network.  The City of Hope was the first of now nine CIRM Alpha Clinics, designed to improve patient access to stem cell and regenerative medicine clinical trials for all Californians. Leo Wang also serves as an associate professor in the Departments of Pediatrics and Immuno-Oncology, and the division chief of cell, gene, and transplantation therapy at City of Hope, a cancer hospital located outside of Los Angeles, CA, with additional affiliate locations.  He leads a research lab dedicated to reprogramming the immune system to fight childhood cancers, where his team works to modify the body's own immune cells to target and destroy cancer cells. Additionally, his lab studies how these engineered cellular therapies interact with tumors and the native immune system. Wang also oversees clinical trials that use these "living medicines" to treat pediatric brain tumors and other aggressive cancers. Hosted by Bobby Gordon, MA, MBA This episode was recorded on Oct. 17, 2025, and information is current as of the time of this recording.

Dana Levin, MD, MPH, serves as the director of Space Medicine for Vast. As the International Space Station plans for decommission in 2030, Vast is an industry pioneer with developing the first commercial space station, Haven-1, for long-term human habitation of low Earth orbit. We discuss the implications of humans inhabiting space in this new frontier of opportunities, challenges, questions and implications for human health and medicine. Dana's background before his role at Vast includes working for NASA as a clinical scientist for the human research program, developing methods to assess medical risk for deep space missions and designing medical systems to mitigate them. He was also the clinical lead for NASA's artificial intelligence clinical decision support task force.    Hosted by Bobby Gordon, MA, MBA This episode was recorded on Oct. 17, 2025, and information is current as of the time of this recording. Note, since recording, Vast has released a new launch timeline of 2027 for Haven-1.

Our conversation this week is with Bruce Y. Lee, MD, MBA, a digital health and AI expert whose research focuses on AI systems modeling and other computer-aided approaches within the healthcare industry. Bruce has founded, built, and led multiple initiatives in systems science, AI, mathematical and computer modeling, digital health, operations research and science/health communications, including research consortia, centers at universities and independent companies. Hosted by Bobby Gordon, MA, MBA This episode was recorded on Oct. 15, 2025, and information presented herein is current at the time of recording.

Our conversation with Alysson Muotri, PhD, covers a broad scope of topics including his innovative work and discoveries in space-based research, Neanderthal DNA, and groundbreaking breakthroughs in regenerative medicine and indigenous plants found in the Amazon Rainforest.  Muotri serves as the director of the Sanford Integrated Space Stem Cell Orbital Research Center (ISSCOR) at UC San Diego's Sanford Stem Cell Institute, leading numerous research missions in sustained microgravity and low-Earth orbit. His work includes a focus on generating human disease models to determine the molecular and cellular mechanisms driving complex neurological disorders like autism and Alzheimer's disease, while identifying and testing novel therapeutic approaches. Hosted by Bobby Gordon, MA, MBA This episode was recorded on Oct. 2, 2025, and information presented is current as of the date of this recording. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/O1RvSe5GJQY

This episode features our conversation with Tiffani Manolis, vice president and general manager of the cell biology business at Thermo Fisher Scientific. Our discussion highlights her passion for cell biology and innovative trends in the gene and cell therapy industry, with a focus on advancing technologies that support the development of life-changing therapeutics. Tiffani is an experienced leader in the life sciences industry in her current role and joined Thermo Fisher Scientific in 2022 to lead the cell culture and cell therapy business. Prior to this role, Tiffani held various leadership positions at Agilent Technologies from 2015 to 2022, including vice president and general manager, and associate vice president of marketing for the chemistries division. Tiffani's career also includes significant roles at Bio-Rad Laboratories and USA Scientific. Hosted by Bobby Gordon, MA, MBA This episode was recorded on Oct. 16, 2025, and information presented is current as of this date. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/kGtHR4yxBcY

Our conversation with Gene Yeo, PhD, MBA, features a deep dive into his innovative work with RNA, gene editing and intersection of stem cells and regenerative medicine. We discuss what's on the horizon for discoveries and industry-based opportunities. Yeo serves as the director of the Sanford Stem Cell Innovation Center with the goal to facilitate industry growth by leveraging research findings and developed technologies to support the commercialization of applications through strategic collaboration with industry partners. Yeo's work focuses on high-throughput genomics, systems biology approaches, engineering, and statistical and machine learning methods, as well as biochemical, molecular, and stem cell biology techniques, to solve problems in RNA processing.  Hosted by Bobby Gordon, MA, MBA. This episode was recorded on Sept. 22, 2025, and all information is current as of the date of recording. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/itE9wr4pxZI

This episode features our conversation with Julissa Gonzalez, MS, who serves as the clinical research data manager at the UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center. Her work helps frame and prepare insights into stem cell-related clinical trials. Our discussion explores information the public may not readily know about preparing for and administering therapeutics via clinical trials, including unique perspectives on validation, analyses, and patient care outcomes. This episode was recorded on June 2, 2025, and information is current as of the date of this recording. Hosted by Bobby Gordon, MA, MBA.

Marisa Korody, PhD, serves San Diego Zoo Wildlife Alliance as a scientist in conservation genetics, working on the northern white rhino rescue project.  She works closely with collaborators at The Scripps Research Institute to optimize the production of induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) from banked rhino fibroblast cells in the Frozen Zoo® for potential use in assisted reproductive technologies. This episode was recorded on Aug. 13, 2025, and information is current as of the date of recording. Hosted by Bobby Gordon, MA, MBA. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/5y7CCbGWQms

This episode features our conversation with Alexis Komor, PhD, who serves as deputy director of the Sanford Stem Cell Innovation Center and assistant professor in the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at UC San Diego.  Not long after the discovery of CRISPR technology, Komor Identified how to edit DNA in a new, more precise way, down to a single base unit in the DNA sequence. Komor's contributions in teaching, mentoring, and research have been recognized with many awards, including the Cottrell Scholar Award, the "Talented 12" recognition by C&EN News, an NSF Faculty Early Career Development (CAREER) award, a U.S. National Institutes of Health early stage investigator Maximizing Investigators' Research Award (MIRA), and a "40 under 40" recognition in healthcare by Fortune magazine. Hosted by Bobby Gordon, MA, MBA. This episode was recorded on July 7, 2025, and information presented is accurate as of this date.

This episode features a conversation Dan Kaufman, PhD, Director of the Sanford Advanced Therapy Center at the Sanford Stem Cell Institute, and his extensive background in the field of regenerative medicine.  At UC San Diego, Dr. Kaufman performs clinical work in hematology and blood and marrow transplantation. He also oversees the Advanced Cell Therapy Laboratory (ACTL), a cGLP/cGMP-compliant facility which provides good manufacturing practice and cell manufacturing to translate new cell-based therapies to clinical trials; to help investigators advance cell therapy products from research to clinical manufacturing. Hosted by Bobby Gordon, MA, MBA. This episode was recorded on Aug. 14, 2025, and information was current as of the date of recording.

Our discussion in this episode features Alex Khalessi, MD, MBA, and his innovative work on the intersection between stem cell therapies, regenerative medicine, and neurological disorders.  He serves as co-director of the Brain Tumor and Neurorestoration Program at the Sanford Stem Cell Institute. Khalessi is the former president of the Congress of Neurological Surgeons (CNS), and is chair of the Department of Neurological Surgery, professor of neurological surgery, radiology and neurosciences and the inaugural Don and Karen Cohn Chancellor's Endowed Chair in Neurosurgery at UC San Diego. As a board-certified neurosurgeon, he specializes in complex cranial surgery, endovascular neurosurgery, stroke care, and neurological oncology. Hosted by Bobby Gordon, MA, MBA. This episode was recorded Aug. 15, 2025; information presented was current as of the date of recording. 

This episode is a robust conversation with Pinar Mesci, PhD, the Senior Program Manager for In-Space Manufacturing at Axiom Space. Our discussion includes her postdoctoral work with Alysson Muotri, PhD, at UC San Diego and her ongoing work leading and facilitating space-based research in low-Earth orbit. Previously, Dr. Mesci was a project scientist at UC San Diego studying human neurodevelopment using human induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs). Her career includes experience in translational and biomedical research with a track record of publications in the fields of neuroscience, stem cells, inflammation, Zika virus and coronavirus infections. Dr. Mesci holds a patent for the development of methods to generate functional human brain organoids. In 2021, she received the International Rett Syndrome Foundation (IRSF) Innovation Award for her work studying the immune interactions in Rett Syndrome using iPSCs. Hosted by Bobby Gordon, MA, MBA. This episode was recorded Aug. 8, 2025; information presented was current as of the date of recording.  Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/nvZNLk-bCVY

The Sanford Stem Cell Institute's Bobby Gordon sits down with Joel Castellanos, MD, one of UC San Diego's premiere spinal cord injury researchers and practitioners.  He serves as one of the Alpha Clinic's Trial Experts, and as the associate clinical professor of anesthesiology at UC San Diego School of Medicine.  Our discussion includes his ideas and work formulating and building a foundational infrastructure across disciplines to treat and rehabilitate spinal cord injuries and function. He is a board-certified physical medicine and rehabilitation and pain medicine physician, and serves as medical director of Inpatient Rehabilitation. Dr. Castellanos' prime focus is improving function using an individualized approach. His expertise with interventional pain techniques allows for an integrative strategy to preserve and restore function. Dr. Castellanos evaluates, diagnoses and treats all forms of functional disability and pain using a multi-disciplinary team-based approach. He is particularly interested in neuromodulation at various levels including spinal cord stimulation and peripheral nerve stimulation, interventional spine procedures, radiofrequency neurotomy, ultrasound-guided and fluoroscopically-guided procedures, and regenerative medicine such as platelet-rich plasma, stem cells, and Tenex (minimally invasive technology for treatment of chronic pain). Hosted by Bobby Gordon, MA, MBA. This episode was recorded Jan. 21, 2025; information presented was current as of the date of recording. 

This episode's conversation focuses on the innovative work of Dr. Catriona Jamieson, Director of the Sanford Stem Cell Institute at UC San Diego, and the Axiom-4 (Ax-4) launch.  This space research mission includes the Institute's testing of the efficacy of "rebecsnib" on tumor organoids derived from cancer stem cells of consenting patients with secondary acute myeloid leukemia, ovarian cancer, metastatic breast cancer and glioblastoma multiforme. The drug holds potential to fight 23 types of cancer — any that involve ADAR1 in their development and progression. The hope is that the investigational new drug prevents the miniature tumors from growing, as it did on Axiom Space's previous Ax-3 mission, with cell line-derived triple negative breast cancer tumor organoids.  Hosted by Bobby Gordon, MA, MBA. This episode was recorded on June 6, 2025, and information presented is accurate as of this date. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/RDb-iOnJYBY

This episode features our conversation with Sarah Karpen, PA-C, who serves as an APP supervisor with the Alpha Clinic, CRM service, and Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center at UC San Diego.  Sarah provides an overview for what it's like to participate in regenerative medicine and stem cell clinical trials from a patient perspective, and discusses our holistic, inter-disciplinary approach to healthcare.  Hosted by Bobby Gordon, MA, MBA. This episode was recorded on January 24, 2025 and information presented is current as of this date.

This episode features Holly Young, MSc, who serves as the facility director of the Advanced Cell Therapy Laboratory (ACTL), as part of the Sanford Advanced Therapy Center at UC San Diego.  The mission of ACTL is to provide leading-edge services for the development and production of innovative cell therapy products, to support UC San Diego and other researchers in the transition from research and development to clinically relevant manufacturing of cell therapy products; to improve patient treatments.  Learn more at actl.ucsd.edu. Hosted by Bobby Gordon, MA, MBA. This episode was recorded on January 30, 2025 and information presented is current as of this date.

This episode features our conversation with Dr Kenneth A. Savin, Chief Scientist at Redwire.  Dr. Savin was named to TIME's "2025 TIME100 Health List of the 100 Most Influential People in Global Health." We discuss his 20-plus year career and expertise in the pharmaceutical industry and his pioneering work accelerating cutting-edge space biotech research capabilities, leveraging microgravity to improve human health on Earth. At Redwire, Dr. Savin has overseen trailblazing investigations onboard the International Space Station (ISS) in partnership with NASA and the ISS National Laboratory. Redwire successfully bioprinted the first human knee meniscus and first live human cardiac tissue using its BioFabrication Facility on the ISS. These breakthroughs address challenges faced by millions of people worldwide through the application of organ transplantation and tissue therapy and advance the next generation of pharmaceutical therapies.  Dr. Savin has coordinated groundbreaking protein crystallization investigations onboard the ISS with pharmaceutical companies like Eli Lilly and Company (Lilly) and Bristol Myers Squibb using Redwire's in-space pharmaceutical lab, PIL-BOX, for improved drug development. These investigations have focused on various applications to address the world's most prevalent conditions, including antiviral, antifungal, and antiseizure applications, heart disease, and bone loss. Hosted by Bobby Gordon, MA, MBA. This episode was recorded on December 2, 2024, and information presented in this episode is current as of this date.

Our conversation with Dr. Sheldon Morris, M.D., MPH, includes an overview of stem cells and some of the basics of regenerative medicine.  Our Stem Cells 101 episode provides listeners with high-level, foundational knowledge about research and therapeutic treatments, clinical trials and related work from Dr. Morris and his team at the UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Institute and the Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center.  Learn more at stemcells.ucsd.edu. Hosted by Bobby Gordon, MA, MBA. This episode was recorded on April 7, 2025, and information presented is current as of the date of this recording.

The Sanford Stem Cell Institute's Bobby Gordon sits down with Davide Marotta, Ph.D., program director of in-space biomanufacturing at the International Space Station National Laboratory (ISSNL), to discuss the innovative low-Earth orbit economy and the future of science in space. We also discuss ISSNL's collaborations with UC San Diego's Sanford Stem Cell Institute. Before joining the ISSNL in 2022, Dr. Marotta worked as a scientist at the New York Stem Cell Foundation, where his research focused on developing advanced models of neurodegenerative diseases using induced pluripotent stem cell (iPSC)-derived brain organoids and tracking the effects of microgravity on them. He received both bachelor's and master's of science degrees in biomedicine from the University of Palermo in Italy, and a Ph.D. in molecular and cell biology at University College London. He conducted post-doctoral research at the Institute of Cancer Research in London, where he worked on drug discovery and cancer evolution, and Columbia University in New York, where his research centered on hematopoietic stem cells and aging. Dr. Marotta is the author of the newly released book "The Gravity of Innovation." Published in April 2025, it explores the revolutionary impact of space on science, technology, and industry. Hosted by Bobby Gordon, MA, MBA. This episode was recorded Oct. 15, 2024; information presented was current as of the date of recording.  Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/KGeB51tGlO0

Jessica Pham — manager of Dr. Catriona Jamieson's lab at the University of California San Diego and Stellar Mission Specialist at its Sanford Stem Cell Institute — has successfully prepared seven research payloads for transport to the International Space Station. There, astronaut-scientists have used the tumor organoids she creates from the stem cells of consenting cancer patients to better understand, predict, and treat disease progression, in partnership with researchers on the ground.  Host: Bobby Gordon, MA, MBA. This episode was recorded on October 18, 2024 and information presented is current as of the recording of this episode.

Our conversation explores the work of John E. Dick, Ph.D., FRS, senior scientist and cancer research chair at the Princess Margaret Cancer Centre and McEwen Centre for Regenerative Medicine, of the University Health Network; professor of molecular genetics at the University of Toronto; and co-leader of the Acute Leukemia Translational Research Initiative at the Ontario Institute for Cancer Research. Dick's research focuses on the role of stem cells in the development of blood and blood cancer. In the mid-1990s, Dick was the first to identify cancer stem cells, transforming our views on the origin and nature of cancer. Because cancer stem cells survive conventional chemotherapy treatment and regenerate, his discovery has important implications for cancer therapy. Hosted by Bobby Gordon, MA, MBA. This episode was recorded Oct. 17, 2024;  information presented was current as of the date of recording.

Our conversation with Jana Stoudemire, M.S., highlights her expansive career. Among her chief accomplishments: creating new market sectors in the low-Earth orbit economy, for in-space manufacturing of biomedical and advanced material applications.    Stoudemire transitioned away from pharma to help lead microgravity life science research at the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space, which manages the International Space Station National Laboratory. She then joined Space Tango, where she established defining partnerships for an emerging in-orbit biomedical market.   Stoudemire is the former global director of in-space manufacturing for Axiom Space and serves as a member of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine's Committee on Biological and Physical Sciences in Space. She is also a member of the Regenerative Medicine Manufacturing Society, a National Stem Cell Foundation International Space Station program advisor, and a United Mitochondrial Disease Foundation Board of Trustees member. Additionally, she is a past New Organ Alliance Oversight Committee member and co-chair of the Microgravity Enabling Technology committee. In March 2025, she began work with Barrios Technology, a woman-owned and operated aerospace business.  Stoudemire served as co-editor of the book "In-Space Manufacturing and Resources: Earth and Planetary Exploration Applications," published in 2022 by Wiley.  Host: Bobby Gordon, MA, MBA. Interview recorded October 18, 2024. Information presented herein is current as of the date of recording. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/9lpugiWrvLY

Dr. Cech grew up in Iowa, attending Grinnell College (B.A.) and then UC-Berkeley (Ph.D.). After postdoctoral research at M.I.T., he joined the faculty of the University of Colorado Boulder in 1978. In 1982 Dr. Cech and his research group announced RNA self-splicing in Tetrahymena, providing the first exception to the long-held belief that biological reactions are always catalyzed by proteins. Dr. Cech became an HHMI investigator in 1988 and later president of HHMI (2000-2009). He received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry (1989) and the National Medal of Science (1995) and has been elected to the U.S. National Academies of Science (1987) and Medicine (2000). Episode Host: Bobby Gordon, MA, MBA. This episode was recorded on 10-17-24 and the information discussed is current as of the date of the recording. Watch on YouTube: https://youtu.be/q9XpnCfwaqQ

This episode features our conversation with Elizabeth Blackburn, Ph.D., Distinguished Professor Emerita at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies in La Jolla, CA.  She won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine in 2009 for discovering the molecular nature of telomeres, the ends of chromosomes that serve as protective caps essential for preserving genetic information, and for co-discovering telomerase, an enzyme that maintains telomere ends.  In addition to the Nobel Prize, Blackburn has received nearly every major award in science, including the Lasker, Gruber and Gairdner prizes. She was named to the "TIME 100" in 2007, the magazine's yearly list of the most influential people in the world. She is a member of numerous prestigious scientific societies, including the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Medicine and the Royal Society of London.  Episode Host: Bobby Gordon, MA, MBA. Recorded October 18, 2024; during the annual Sanford Stem Cell Institute Symposium in La Jolla, CA. All information presented in this recording is current as of the date of recording.