PCT announces that Robert A. Preti, Ph.D., the Company’s Chief Technology Officer, President of PCT, has been named Chairman of the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM), the international advocacy organization representing the gene and cell therapies and broader regenerative medicine sector. Dr. Preti has served as Vice Chairman of ARM since January 2015 and succeeds Edward Lanphier as Chairman.
“ARM’s dedication to advancing regenerative medicine and cell therapies and to bringing its stakeholders together is unprecedented, and aligns with PCT’s own vision of contributing to a world in which transformative cell-based therapeutics are accessible to all patients in need.”
“It has been a rewarding experience working with ARM both since its founding and in an executive capacity in recent years, and I’m excited to continue that relationship by serving as Chairman,” said Dr. Preti. “ARM’s dedication to advancing regenerative medicine and cell therapies and to bringing its stakeholders together is unprecedented, and aligns with PCT’s own vision of contributing to a world in which transformative cell-based therapeutics are accessible to all patients in need.”
“With this transition, we welcome Bob’s expanded leadership role at ARM as our new chairman,” said Morrie Ruffin, managing director, ARM. “He brings deep knowledge of the organization, unparalleled experience as a leader in the cell and gene therapy sectors and a keen understanding of the clinical and commercial requirements for success.”
Dr. Preti is co-founder of PCT and the visionary behind its successful growth and development over much of the last two decades. Dr. Preti founded PCT to meet a recognized need for high quality manufacturing and development services in an emerging industry. His leadership has been instrumental in creating PCT’s client-focused model that helps bridge the gap between discovery and patient care through efficient transfer of cell-based therapies from laboratory to clinical practice to commercialization.
Before founding PCT, Dr. Preti held a number of positions within the cellular therapy and blood banking fields. In addition, Dr. Preti has served on the Stem Cell Banking Committee and Cord Blood Subcommittee of the New York State Department of Health and on the New Jersey State Department of Health’s Blood Bank Advisory Committee, chairing the Hematopoietic Progenitor Cell Processing Subcommittee. He has served in a leadership capacity for many professional organizations, including Treasurer and founding member of the International Society of Hematotherapy and Graft Engineering, now called ISCT (International Society for Cellular Therapy). He has published and presented extensively on a variety of topics relating to cellular therapies. He recently completed a five-year term as a director for AABB (formerly the American Association of Blood Banks).