Stem Cells and COVID-19

Dr. Chandra P. Sharma is a former Adjunct Professor, Department of Pharmaceutical Biotechnology, Manipal College of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Manipal University, and Hon. Emeritus Professor, College of Biomedical Engineering and Applied Sciences, Purbanchal University, Kathmandu, Nepal. Dr. Sharma is a Solid-State Physicist from IIT Delhi and received his training in biomaterials area in the University of Utah with Prof. D.J. Lyman as a graduate student and in the University of Liverpool, England, with Prof. D.F. Williams as a Post-Doctoral Research Associate. Dr. Sharma has been awarded FBSE (Fellow Biomaterials Science and Engineering) by the International Union of Societies for Biomaterials Science and Engineering (IUS-BSE) in 2008 and FBAO (Fellow Biomaterials and Artificial Organs) by the Society for Biomaterials and Artificial Organs (India) (SBAOI) in 2011 and [17020_LE1] shares Whitaker and National Science Foundation Award—International Society for Artificial Organs (ISAO) USA, invited member ACS (2015–2018). [17020_LE1]Please check the phrase “and shares Whitaker and National... for clarity and amend if necessary.

Dr. Devendra K. Agrawal moved to Canada and earned PhD (Medical Sciences) in 1984 from McMaster University, Canada followed by a Postdoctoral Fellowship at the University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada. In 1985, he was recruited as an Asst Professor at Creighton University School of Medicine, Omaha, Nebraska where he rose to the rank of Full Professor in 1997. Dr. Agrawal also earned MBA in 2004 and MS in 2005 from Creighton University. In 2009, Dr. Agrawal founded the Center for Clinical & Translational Research at Creighton University, which later developed into an independent Department. Dr. Agrawal was the Founding Chairman of this Department. Dr. Agrawal also served as the Senior Associate Dean of Clinical & Translational Sciences at Creighton. In July 2019, he moved to California as Senior Vice President for Research and Professor of Translational Research at the Western University of Health Sciences, Pomona, CA.

Dr. Finosh Thankam is an assistant professor and researcher in Tissue Engineering and Regenerative Medicine, in the Department of Translational Research, at the Western University of Health Sciences, in Pomona, CA. His undergraduate studies were in Biochemistry, before completing his post-graduate degree in Medical Biochemistry from Mahatma Gandhi University, in India. As a research fellow he was exposed to the new world of tissue engineering and regenerative medicine and published many original articles on various aspects of cardiac tissue engineering. His current research interests include investigating the pathogenesis of various musculoskeletal disorders, and cardiovascular diseases, and applying the knowledge and principles of tissue engineering to develop artificial tissue constructs to improve the care for the sufferers.