About Us

Universal Cells is a Seattle-based company that is producing engineered stem cell lines that can avoid rejection and be used in allogeneic cell therapy treatments for the people who need them. One Cell, Many Therapies.

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Leadership Team

President

Taku Yoshida, Ph.D

President
Vice President, Executive Scientific Officer

Noboru Yamaji,
Ph.D

Vice President, Executive Scientific Officer
Executive Director, Clinical Gene Editing & Strategy

Kim Clary,
Ph.D

Executive Director, Clinical Gene Editing & Strategy
Director of Research

Ryan Davis,
Ph.D

Director of Research
Director, Facilities & Operations

Gary Dossantos

Director, Facilities & Operations
Director, Clinical Gene Editing and Process Development

Akina Hoshino,
Ph.D

Director, Clinical Gene Editing and Process Development
Senior Director, Research, Immunology

Steve Kattman

Senior Director, Research, Immunology
Senior Director, Cell Therapy Program Management

Kyle Knobloch

Senior Director, Cell Therapy Program Management
Senior Director, NK Biology & Pharmacology

Mark Orr, Ph.D.

Senior Director, NK Biology & Pharmacology
Head of Technical Operations

Lisa Petek

Head of Technical Operations
Executive Director, Head of Research & Development

Mary Prieve,
Ph.D

Executive Director, Head of Research & Development

Our History

Universal Cells was established to commercialize gene-editing, stem cell engineering and immune rejection technologies for the treatment of human diseases.


The technologies were developed by Dr. David Russell, Founder of Universal Cells and a Professor Emeritus of Medicine at the University of Washington. He received his BS from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology, an MD from Cornell University, and a PhD from Rockefeller University.


Dr. Russell has made major contributions in the fields of gene therapy, viral vectors, vector integration, gene editing, insertional mutagenesis, and the genetic manipulation of human stem cells. He published the original report of AAV-mediated gene editing in 1998, which was the first example of gene editing in normal human cells, for which he received a Presidential Early Career Award from the White House. Dr. Russell has been recognized for his contributions by election to the American Society of Clinical Investigation and the Association of American Physicians, and he served as President of the American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy. Over the last decade, he has focused on the creation of gene-edited universal donor stem cells that escape allogeneic rejection. He founded Universal Cells to develop and commercialize universal donor stem cells for the treatment of human diseases.

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Astellas - Our Parent Company

Astellas Pharma Inc purchased Universal Cells in February 2018 and we are now a wholly owned subsidiary. Astellas is committed to bringing value to their patients by becoming a leader in Cell Therapy, with a particular emphasis on allogeneic, pluripotent stem cell-derived products. Our relationship with Astellas provides us with unparalleled support for our programs, allowing us to focus entirely on the development of safe and effective cell therapy products.

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