Hans S. Keirstead

Dr. Keirstead is an internationally known stem cell expert and serial entrepreneur that led the development of a treatment that restored movement and sensory function to people with quadriplegic spinal cord injury, and a treatment for cancer that has saved the lives of people with melanoma, brain cancer and ovarian cancer. He has also led therapy development for immune disorders, motor neuron diseases and retinal diseases, as well as a vaccine for COVID-19. He has founded 4 successful biotechnology companies, each returning significant value to investors and treatments to patients. Every one of his prior companies has sold to large or mid-sized pharmaceutical companies for 2.5X-9.5X returns to investors, after return of investment capital. Dr. Keirstead holds Board positions in several prominent biotechnology companies.

Previously, he was a Professor at the University of California, Irvine where he founded and directed and raised the money to build the $77 million Sue and Bill Gross Stem Cell Research Center. As a Full Professor of Anatomy and Neurobiology, he was awarded over $16 million in grants during his 15-year tenure. He has mentored over 100 students, published over 100 manuscripts, and granted over 20 patents. He was awarded the Distinguished Award for Research, the UCI Academic Senate’s highest honor, as well as the UCI Innovation Award for innovative research leading to corporate and clinical development. He was awarded the National Institutes of Health’s Solowey Award for the most promising scientist of the year. He was awarded the Touching One Billion People Award by Singularity University. He was a founding advisor of the California Stem Cell Initiative that resulted in a $8.5 billion stem cell fund (CIRM). He has been a long-time advisor to several governments on biomedical policy.