Advances in Stem Cell Research

Dr. Hossein Baharvand
Born in 1972, Dr. Hossein Baharvand obtained his PhD degree in 2004 in the field of Developmental Biology.  Dr. Baharvand is currently an Associate Professor and Head of both the Department of Stem Cells and Developmental Biology at Royan Institute (2002-now) and Department of Developmental Biology at the University of Science and Culture (2006-now). In 2003, he established the first mouse and human embryonic stem cells in Iran. Later, his team generated several mouse and human embryonic, and induced pluripotent stem cells (2008), which has enabled them to pursue many avenues of research, such as translational research, and venture into the field of regenerative medicine. Dr. Baharvand has authored 130 international and 98 national peer-reviewed papers, 3 chapters in international books, and 6 books in Persian. Additionally, he has translated 5 English text books into Persian. He is the editor of Trends in Stem Cell Biology and Technology, a book published in 2009 by Humana Press (Springer, USA). He is currently an editorial board member of eight international journals. He has been an invited speaker in several meetings and  won 18 international and national awards, such as the 10^th (2004), 12^th (2006), and 17^th (2012) annual Razi Research Festival on Medical Sciences Award; the 27^th annual Book of the Year Award of the Islamic Republic of Iran (2010); the Academy of Medical Sciences of Iran Award (Dr. Hadavi's Award, 2010); and in 2010 he won the Science and Technology Prize of the Islamic Educational, Scientific, and Cultural Organization (ISESCO) in the field of Biology.

Dr. Nasser Aghdami
Born in the 1971, Iran, Nasser Aghdami was awarded a MD from Urumieh Medical University in 1998 and PhD in Immunology in 2007 from Tarbiat Modares University, Iran. He joined to the Hematology, Oncology and BMT research center in 2000 as a principal investigator and Royan Institute for Stem Cell Biology and Technology from 2006. Dr. Aghdami's research focuses on development of cardiovascular and its translational research and the role of stem cells in tissue regeneration.  Clinical trial design and doing is one of him responsibilities in Royan Cell therapy Center. Since 2008 he is head of the Department of Regenerative Medicine and Royan Cell Therapy Center. He has been awarded a research scholarship by ministry of health and medical education in 2006. He has served on numerous national grant review committees, advisory panels and editorial boards on stem cells, clinical trials, and cell therapy. He has published 21 international and 10 national peer-reviewed papers, as well as 3 chapters in international books, 2 books in Persian, and translated 1 book into Persian.