Ira Pastor, ideaXme life sciences ambassador and founder of Bioquark, interviews Dr. Robert Hariri, MD, PhD, surgeon, bio-medical scientist and highly successful serial entrepreneur in two technology sectors: bio-medicine and aerospace.
Dr. Hariri Utilizes Biomedicine to Aid Human Longevity
Dr. Hariri is Chairman, Founder, and CEO, of Celularity, Inc., a clinical-stage cell therapeutics company developing allogeneic cellular therapies, engineered from the postpartum human placenta, in cancer immuno-therapy and functional regeneration, which recently got initial clearance from the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) to begin early-stage clinical trials on a potential treatment for Covid-19.
Dr. Hariri is also Co-Founder and Vice Chairman, of Human Longevity, Inc., a company merging extensive amounts of human genotype and phenotype data with machine learning, so that it can help develop new ways to fight diseases associated with aging.
Dr. Hariri served as Chairman, Founder, Chief Scientific Officer, and Chief Executive Officer of Celgene Cellular Therapeutics (acquired by Bristol Myers Squibb), one of the world’s largest human cellular therapeutics companies, where he pioneered the use of stem cells to treat a range of life threatening diseases and has made transformative contributions in the field of tissue engineering.
Recognition, Awards and Accolades
Dr. Hariri is a graduate of Columbia College and Columbia University School of Engineering and Applied Sciences and earned his MD and PhD degrees from Cornell University Medical College. He trained in surgery at the New York Hospital-Cornell Medical Center, where he also directed the Aitken Neurosurgery Laboratory and the Center for Trauma Research.
Dr. Hariri has over 90 issued and pending patents, has authored over 100 published chapters, articles and abstracts, and is most recognized for his discovery of pluripotent stem cells from placenta, and as a member of the team which discovered the physiological activities of tumor necrosis factor (TNF).
Dr. Hariri was recipient of the Thomas Alva Edison Award in 2007 and 2011, The Fred J. Epstein Lifetime Achievement Award and has received numerous other honors for his many contributions to bio-medicine and aviation.
Dr. Hariri also serves on numerous Boards of Directors. Dr. Hariri is an Adjunct Associate Professor of Pathology at the Mount Sinai School of Medicine, a member of the Board of Visitors of the Columbia University School of Engineering & Applied Sciences, and the Science & Technology Council of the College of Physicians and Surgeons, and is a member of the scientific advisory board for the Archon X PRIZE for Genomics, which is awarded by the X PRIZE Foundation.
Dr. Hariri is also a Trustee of the Liberty Science Center and has been appointed Commissioner of Cancer Research by NJ Governor Christie. Dr. Hariri is also a member of the Board of Trustees of the J. Craig Venter Institute.
A jet-rated commercial pilot with thousands of hours of flight time in over 60 different military and civilian aircraft, Dr. Hariri has also produced several feature films as well as documentaries on global societal issues.
On this ideaXme episode we will hear from Dr. Hariri about:
His background, how he developed an interest in medicine, in surgery, and in the field of stem cells and aging. About the intuition early on in his career that placenta was one of those overlooked and untapped biological resources – not just in terms of stem cells but in the unique cocktails of secreted factors that were capable of immunomodulation and controlling cancer metastasis.
About Celularity’s initial clearance from the Food and Drug Administration to begin early-stage clinical trials on a potential treatment for Covid-19 using “Natural Killer” (NK) cell therapies to boost the immune system’s disease-fighting response.
About his interests in the “Myokinome” – the fact that skeletal muscle is an endocrine organ capable of secreting proteins termed ‘myokines’, which participate in tissue cross-talk, providing a critical link in the exercise–health paradigm.
About his work at Human Longevity Inc. About his work with the XPRIZE Foundation and views on early stage biotechnology funding in 2020. About his work in the aerospace field with groups including the asteroid mining company, Planetary Resources and the Rocket Racing League.
This interview is in American English
Credits: Ira Pastor interview video, text, and audio.
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If you liked this interview, be sure to interview with Prof. Collin Ewald!
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