Page 6 - Gates-AnnualReport-2018

Looking ahead to 2019 and beyond, another role we hope to continue to play at the Gates Center is to provide objective and reliable scientific information to the public about stem cells. Claims about the current medical applications of stem cells are proliferating, frequently based on unproven theories and untested premises. The FDA has begun to crack down on some domestic clinics making wildly unsupported medical claims, but “stem cell tourism” continues to draw customers to overseas clinics with even fewer restrictions on advertising. As Advisory Board member and Anschutz Bioethics Professor Marilyn Coors, Ph.D., noted in a presentation to our board this year, “We are all more convinced than ever of the promise of stem cells, and would hate to see public enthusiasm for further research diminished by exaggeration and perceived failure.”
All of these efforts and projects would not be possible without the dedication and generous support of our donors, members, friends, staff and on- and off-campus leadership, for whom we are most grateful. Special thanks go to members of our Gates Center Advisory Board (pictured on page 7), who literally and
figuratively challenge us to raise our sights and jump so high, and to Dori Biester, whose service on the board over the past five years has been over and above the call of duty.
Last summer we enjoyed getting together at our annual Charlie’s Picnic to celebrate our collective accomplishments and to honor our 2018 Charlie’s Angel and board member, Will Hiatt, M.D. We look forward to our picnic in August 2019 to do much the same—with thanks for past and future investments in knowledge delivering the promise of regenerative medicine to benefit patients.
With great appreciation,
Dennis R. Roop, Ph.D.
Director, Gates Center for Regenerative Medicine
Charles C. Gates Endowed Chair in Regenerative Medicine and Stem Cell Biology
6 Gates Center for Regenerative Medicine