Lecturers
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Dr. Alptekin Aksan received his Ph.D. from Michigan State University in 2001. His PhD research involved characterization and modeling of heat-induced mechanical responses of collagenous soft tissues. During his post-doctoral research in the Center for Engineering in Medicine, Harvard Medical School, he has focused on biopreservation. This involved developing techniques for mammalian cell membrane permeabilization, desiccation and vitrification of mammalian cells and organelles, determination of the critical water content for cells, and quantification of biothermodynamic phenomena in the cell cytoplasm during osmotic shock. His current research interests include biopreservation, biothermodynamics and bioheat/mass transfer. |
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Fran
Rabe has over 20 years of experience working in the areas of tissue and
cell quality assurance and regulatory compliance. She currently
oversees the quality assurance aspect of operations at the University
of Minnesota Molecular and Cellular Therapeutics (MCT) Facility, a GMP
facility that manufactures standard and IND hematopoietic products,
pancreatic cellular products and active pharmaceutical ingredients.
Fran has extensive experience with audits, having performed in excess of 50 GMP audits at multiple U.S and international institutions. She also has extensive experience with FDA IND submissions and working directly with FDA as it relates to the regulation of cellular and tissue products.In addition to holding a Masters Degree in Manufacturing Systems, Ms. Rabe is an American Society for Quality (ASQ) Certified Quality Manager. |
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Allison Hubel, PhD: Dr. Hubel, BioCoR Director, is currently a Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Minnesota. She is also a former faculty member in teh Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the University of Minnesota. For almost 20 years, Dr. Hubel has studied both basic science and translational issues behind cell and tissue preservation (liquid storage and cryopreservation). Her research focuses on development of protocols for cell and tissue preservation, development of tools to improve preservation, and understanding molecular mechanisms of damage and education/training in the field of preservtion. She has published numerous articles related to cell and tissue preservation and has been awarded three patents related to cell preservation technology. |
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Diane Kadidlo received her B.S from Iowa State University. She has over 19 years experience in cell and tissue manufacturing, regulation and quality assurance. She has served as the Supervisor for University of Minnesota Medical Center Clinical Cell Therapy Laboratory since 1996 overseeing the production of cell and tissue products in support of the University of Minnesota’s Blood and Marrow Transplant Program. Currently she is the Director of the UMN’s Molecular and Cellular Therapeutics Facility and plays a key role in coordinating the transfer of cell and tissue engineering methods from the laboratory bench to clinical trial while ensuring compliance with the FDA’s Good Manufacturing Practices/Good Tissue Practices. |
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Charles Lee is an Associate Professor in the Department of Mechanical Engineering and Engineering Science at the University of North Carolina at Charlotte. He has researched in the field of hypothermic storage of organs for over 20 years. His research has focused on improving preservation solutions and methodology. Recently, his has focused on improving hypothermic machine perfusion preservation of livers, in particular reclaiming marginal donor livers (non-heart-beating donors and fatty livers). His research has utilized intravital microscopy, rodent transplant model, rodent and porcine isolated perfusion models. He has published numerous papers on hypothermic preservation and two patents are pending based on hypothermic machine perfusion. Dr. Lee is an active member of Cryobiology and the Transplantation Society. |
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David McKenna, M.D. recently joined the faculty of the University of Minnesota and is Assistant Professor of Lab Medicine & Pathology and Medical Director of the Clinical Cell Therapy Lab. He is actively involved with the NHLBI-sponsored PACT (Production Assistance for Cellular Therapy) group. Dr. McKenna is a member of the International Society for Cellular Therapy and the American Association of Blood Banks and an Associate Scientific Member of the BEST Cellular Therapy Team. His interests include umbilical cord blood research, QA/QC in cellular therapy, and translational research/clinical scale-up of biotherapeutics. |
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Ian Pope, Ph.D: Former head of Planar, UK, a leading controlled rate freezer manufacturer and presently Vice President for Sales and Marketing at Chart Biomed. Dr. Pope's speciality is is repository and facility design, controlled rate freezing. |
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Amy P.N. Skubitz, Ph.D: Dr. Skubitz Amy P.N. Skubitz, Ph.D: Dr. Skubitz is a Professor in the Department of Laboratory Medicine and Pathology at the University of Minnesota where she serves as the Director of the Academic Health Center’s BioNet Tissue Procurement Facility. She has been a member of the International Society for Biological and Environmental Repositories (ISBER) since 1999 where she has served as a member of ISBER’s Education and Training Committee for 5 years; serving as an Associate Editor of the “Best Practices for Repositories”. Prof. Skubitz’s research is focused on biomarkers for ovarian cancer, which relies heavily upon her expertise in high quality accrual, processing, and preservation of human tissues, cells, and fluids. During the past 30 years, Prof. Skubitz has published over 100 manuscripts and book chapters. |
