After more than 18 years of leading Mater’s cord blood cellular therapies treatments, Phillip Johnson has been appointed to the Board of Directors of the globally recognised Foundation for the Accreditation of Cellular Therapy (FACT).
Mr Johnson, who is Operations and Scientific Director of Queensland Cord Blood Bank at the Mater, leads a team that has enabled more than 6,500 umbilical cords to be banked and 110 patients around the world to be provided with stem cell transplants for life-threatening diseases.
Nominated to the FACT Board by the International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy (ISCT), Mr Johnson will play a key role in maintaining global standards for high quality medical and laboratory practice in cellular therapies.
Mr Johnson’s experience working as a FACT inspector for more than a decade has contributed to the strategic direction of the Queensland Cord Blood Bank at the Mater, helping ensure it is a world-class laboratory.
“Working with FACT has afforded me ongoing exposure to global leaders in cellular therapy,” he said.
“I’m excited I’ll be engaging in this fast-evolving field of healthcare as a FACT board member at a global level.”
The benefits of this cellular therapy work, Mr Johnson said, could not be understated.
“Put simply, parents’ generous donations of their babies’ cord blood help save the lives of people with life-threatening diseases, including children with leukaemia,” he said.
