Paul Sanberg, Ph.D. Director, Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair College of Medicine, University of South Florida Chairman and CEO, Saneron C Cell Therapeutics

"Stem Cells for Brain Repair"

Graham Center 140 Auditorium ~ University Park
Florida International University
Wednesday, November 3, 2004, 2:00 PM

As with the music that he plays as an avocation, guitarist Paul Sanberg also puts deep commitment into his true vocation: leading a team of researchers in finding ways to repair the brain and spinal cord. Sanberg is chief executive of a developmental Tampa company, Saneron C Cell Therapeutics, which operates out of the University of South Florida, and a distinguished professor of neuroscience there.

Sanberg was born in Coral Gables, Florida. His family moved to California when he was five and stayed there through his high school years. He enjoyed his biology class above all others, going on to study biology at York University in Toronto and subsequently the University of British Columbia to study medical sciences. After that, he was off to Australian National University to get his doctorate in neurological science. He was the only college graduate in his family.

After a fellowship at Johns Hopkins Medical School in Baltimore, he moved to Ohio to serve as a professor of neuroscience at the University of Cincinnati. Sanberg then became vice president and scientific director for a small startup company in Providence, Rhode Island, Cytotherapeutics Inc., a cellular therapy company spun out of Brown University’s incubator, which uses animal cells for therapy. He came to USF some twelve years ago to become the research director of neurosurgery and director of the Center of Excellence for Aging and Brain Repair. Now one of the country’s leading experts on stem cell research, he is also recognized internationally for his work on Tourette's syndrome and other neurological problems.

Founded in October 1999, Saneron Therapeutics began as an incubator company based on university research at USF. In 2001, it merged with CCell Biotherapies Inc. of Clearwater. Fueled by research at USF, Saneron continues its close relationship with USF. Sanberg serves as chairman and acting CEO. When he is not playing guitar or flying his own plane, he devotes most of his time to doing research at the university. “I want to develop therapies for chronic degenerative disorders which we have no treatments for,” he said.

A portion of this text is paraphrased from a Powerezine.com article.
Photo by Dave Szymanski