Our panelists will be Robert Hutchens (BBA 1984), CEO of StemBioSys, Inc., and Todd Herron, PhD, Director of the Frankel Cardiovascular Regeneration Core Laboratory at U-M. Their presentation will follow the interesting path by which a Texas biotech company joined forces with a U-M research scientist to help solve a long-standing problem in the testing of new cardiovascular drugs. Their discovery has piqued interest at the FDA, and the outcome of their collaboration may well change the way numerous other drugs are screened for safety prior to human clinical trials.
The presentation will also be of interest to business investors, because the third member of our panel will be Greg Witbeck (AB 1995), Senior Director-Business Development and Director-Corporate and Foundation Relations at Michigan Medicine (which encompasses the U-M Medical School and Health System). Greg was instrumental in connecting this biotech executive and U-M researcher using an approach unique to U-M, and his office may be a resource for businesses/investors interested in collaborating with U-M faculty members.
Links for some background information:
StemBioSys, Inc., a biotechnology company based in San Antonio, Texas: https://www.stembiosys.com/
Laboratory of Todd Herron, PhD, Director of the Frankel Cardiovascular Regeneration Core Laboratory, The University of Michigan Medical School: https://medicine.umich.edu/dept/prechter-program/news/archive/201912/spotlight-herron-lab-u-m-frankel-cardiovascular-center
Corporate and Foundation Relations at Michigan Medicine: https://umhs-foundations.infoready4.com/
Hosted by the U-M Club of Houston