Speaker Profile
Frank P. Barry

Frank P. Barry MSc, PhD

Immunology and Microbiology, Biochemistry and Molecular Genetics
Galway, Connacht, Ireland

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Frank Barry is a Professor of Cellular Therapy at the National University of Ireland Galway and a principal investigator at the Regenerative Medicine Institute (REMEDI). Here he directs a large group of researchers who focus on the development of new repair strategies in stem cell therapy and gene therapy in orthopedics. REMEDI includes a GMP stem cell manufacturing facility for the preparation of stem cells for use in human clinical studies.

Frank Barry has contributed to the fields of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine by developing innovative and successful cellular therapies for the treatment of acute joint injury and arthritic disease. This has included the generation of a large body of new data in groundbreaking preclinical studies and has led to the first phase of clinical testing of mesenchymal stem cells in clinical trials for joint injury. In addition, he has developed new techniques for the isolation, characterization, and commitment of bone marrow stem cells and has described the phenotypic changes seen in these cells in patients with advanced osteoarthritis. These studies indicated that patients have functionally depleted reservoirs of stem cells in the marrow. These data suggest that stem cells may be a component of the disease process and at the least will influence future strategies in cell-based repair for these patients.

Frank Barry in a career that has spanned both industry and academic research, has been a driver in the development of cellular therapy as a biological repair strategy. It is his belief that the application of new technologies in regenerative medicine, including cellular therapy, gene therapy, growth factor augmentation, implantable scaffolds, and nanomaterials, will have a profound impact on Orthopaedics. Frank Barry was the recipient of the 2012 Marshall Urist Award for excellence in tissue regeneration research from the Orthopaedic Research Society. In 2013 he was elected Senior Fellow of the International Cartilage Repair Society.
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