FREEPORT, Grand Bahama (PRWEB) JUNE 06, 2016 – Matthew Feshbach, CEO and co-founder of Okyanos Cell Therapy, will share his vision for establishing cell therapy as a worldwide standard of care for chronic, degenerative diseases at the upcoming Regenera Global Conference, “Regenerative Medicine 2.0: Redefining the Practice,” to be held in Freeport, Grand Bahama on June 23-25, 2016. Feshbach will also address some of the challenges experienced in the development and launch of Okyanos with the hope that peers may use these insights to achieve success in bringing safe, beneficial adult stem cell therapies to chronically ill patients.

It was the 2011 Cell Society meeting which served as a catalyst for Feshbach’s interest in stem and regenerative cell therapy. After speaking to the presenters and key opinion leaders in attendance, he saw cell therapy was the next phase in the evolution of medicine.

“The Cell Society meeting was an initial impetus for the creation of Okyanos. It was a very well-planned meeting with a rich agenda, and I became fascinated with the science and reparative mechanisms of the human body,” says Feshbach (pictured). “However, I could see from the experts’ data that establishing a true standard of care for stem cell therapy wouldn’t be as simple as purchasing a centrifuge and enzymes. I turned to these same experts as we embarked on a plan for building a cell therapy center of excellence.”

Okyanos Cell Therapy was officially founded in August, 2011 and began treating patients in 2014. Although the founders underestimated what it would take to build a world-class facility and make this new standard of care available to patients, co-founder and now CEO Matthew Feshbach says he wouldn’t have done anything differently to speed up the process.

“From the outset, we have dedicated ourselves to becoming leaders in cell therapy, but leadership in a market with the enormous potential of adult stem cell therapy is something that is hard won,” adds Feshbach. “We won’t be a leader by being a better competitor, but by establishing, maintaining and evolving best practices with the unwavering goal of safely improving the quality of life for patients. Had we cut corners and opted to save time or resources in the creation of Okyanos, we would not be seeing the results we have achieved in our patients’ outcomes.”

The vast number of patients who potentially stand to benefit from the reparative mechanisms of autologous (patients’ own) stem cells is contrasted by a variety of challenges in translating and commercializing cell-based therapies—not the least of which is insufficient global regulation and standards for patient safety.

Okyanos’ founders chose The Bahamas as the surgical center’s location for its pristine beauty and close proximity to the United States, but more importantly the country established legislation in 2013 which would tightly regulate stem cell research and therapy.

Dr. Glen Beneby, Chief Medical Officer for the Commonwealth of The Bahamas, leads the National Stem Cell Ethics Committee (NSCEC) and maintains a focus on ethical, safe industry development for stem cell therapy in The Bahamas.

“Public safety is paramount, and Okyanos has been aligned with the NSCEC on this from the beginning,” said Dr. Beneby. “We put forth significant effort early on to appoint highly qualified members of our committee to ensure rigorous oversight and to reject those persons and facilities which could endanger patients or the reputation of our jurisdiction.”

Dr. Beneby will also address the conference as a panelist in the “Advancing Stem Cell Therapy Regulations in the Bahamas” discussion.

The Regenera Global meeting will offer perspectives on some of the most current regenerative medicine knowledge in both research and clinical applications and will feature prominent physicians including the Mayo Clinic’s Thomas A. Gonwa, MD, as well as the Director of Regenerative Medicine Research at Texas Heart Institute, Doris Taylor, PhD.

To learn more about Regenera Global or to register for this conference, please visit regeneraglobal.com.

Those interested in learning more about cell therapy at Okyanos can do so by calling 1-855-659-2667 or by visiting okyanos.com.