Michael D. West, Ph.D. has served as our Chief Executive Officer since 2007, and has served on the Board of Directors since 2002. Dr. West also serves as a Director of BioTime company Asterias Biotherapeutics (NYSE MKT: AST). From 1998 to 2007, Dr. West served as CEO, President, and Chief Scientific Officer of Advanced Cell Technology, Inc. (now Ocata Therapeutics, Nasdaq: OCAT), a company engaged in developing human stem cell technology for use in regenerative medicine. In 1990 Dr. West founded Geron Corporation (Nasdaq: GERN) of Menlo Park, California, which may have been the first regenerative medicine company. He secured investment in Geron from Kleiner Perkins Caufield Byers, Venrock and other venture capital firms, and for the company’s Scientific and Clinical Advisory Board he recruited Nobel Laureates Drs. Carol Greider and James Watson, as well as Leonord Hayflick and others. He also created the research consortium with Drs. James Thomson and John Gearhart that led to the first isolation of human embryonic stem cells. Dr. West received a B.S. Degree from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute in 1976, an M.S. Degree in Biology from Andrews University in 1982, and a Ph.D. from Baylor College of Medicine in 1989 concentrating on the biology of cellular aging.

 biology of cellular aging.