Medistem Laboratories Inc. (fka MEDS)

[PG]

MEDS---The good doctors & Mr. Salvador have been very busy so my "interview" has not moved as swiftly as anticipated. Mr. Salvador & I have agreed to conduct this in segments and are hoping to complete the Q&A next week. I will incorporate all in the final segment. But in the interim, the first three:


(John Salvador, J.D., COO, Medistem, Inc. Q&A with PG)

Q: With such a diverse corporate background what inspired you to join the Medistem Team?

I first learned about Medistem from the work of Thomas Ichim, Ph.D., who was the co-inventor of the Aethlon Medical’s exosome technology. Medistem represents to me a unique opportunity to leverage my investor relations and legal experience as well as an opportunity to continue working with a small cap company. Perhaps the pivotal event that convinced me of the potential in Medistem was the appointment of Alan Lewis, Ph.D. as its CEO. Dr. Lewis has previously headed several successful companies including Signal Pharmaceuticals, a company he grew from 9 employes and was bought by Celgene for $300 million. Dr. Lewis also sits on the board of BioMarin, a company with a $9 billion dollar market cap. Given Dr. Lewis’ success and that he believes in our technology and its clinical potential, to me signified that this was a once in a life time opportunity.

Q: What has been your greatest challenge thus far in assuming your role?

Balancing the intense work life with my young family. The schedule of running a public company, which is actively involved in clinical trials, and at the same time taking care of my family, makes it a challenge sometimes. However the rewards are well worth it.

Q: What are your thoughts on how the US FDA is adapting to the overwhelming strides made by some such as Medistem as well as the ever-increasing doctor patient interest in stem cell treatments?

The FDA division responsible for stem cells, CBER, has been very supportive of the industry and has been extremely open in our communications. In fact without their cooperation we would not have been able to get the IND approved so expediently. Most in the scientific community realize that stem cells and regenerative medicine hold great potential, however, there are risks associated with any new technology. We believe that the FDA has worked hard to strike the balance between protecting patient safety while at the same time allowing medical innovation.

TBC...