Prof. Akihiro Shimosaka, PhD

Chairperson, Asian Cellular Therapy Organization
Prof. Akihiro Shimosaka is Chairperson of the Asian Cellular Therapy Organization and Director of the Research and Development Division at the Research Foundation for Community Medicine in Japan. He has extensive international experience in biotechnology research, product development and regulatory affairs, with particular interests in cellular immunotherapy, regenerative medicine, gene therapy and extracellular vesicles. Through ACTO, he has played an important role in strengthening scientific and regulatory collaboration in cellular therapy across Asia.

Prof. Amin Soebandrio W. Kusumo, MD, PhD, SpMK(K)

President, ACTO–ASPI Annual Meeting Jakarta 2026
Prof. Amin Soebandrio is Professor of Clinical Microbiology at the Faculty of Medicine, Universitas Indonesia, and a leading Indonesian specialist in infectious diseases, molecular biology and stem-cell policy. He has served as Chair of the Indonesian Ministry of Health Committee for Stem Cell Development and previously led the Eijkman Institute for Molecular Biology. His scientific and public-health work has encompassed emerging infectious diseases, antimicrobial resistance, biosecurity and the responsible development of stem-cell technologies in Indonesia

H.E. Budi Gunadi Sadikin

Minister of Health, Republic of Indonesia

Budi Gunadi Sadikin is the Minister of Health of the Republic of Indonesia. Appointed in December 2020, he has led Indonesia’s national health transformation agenda, encompassing primary and referral care, health-system resilience, financing, healthcare human resources, and health technology. Before entering the health ministry, he served as Indonesia’s Deputy Minister of State-Owned Enterprises and held senior leadership positions in the banking and state-owned enterprise sectors, including President Director of Bank Mandiri and PT Indonesia Asahan Aluminium. His ministerial leadership has emphasized preventive healthcare, digital health integration, expanded immunization, and the development of a more accessible and resilient national healthcare system.

Prof. Dr. Arif Satria, S.P., M.Si.

Head of National Research & Innovation Agency (BRIN) Indonesia

Prof. Dr. Arif Satria, S.P., M.Si., is Head of Indonesia’s National Research and Innovation Agency (BRIN). Previously Rector of IPB University, he has extensive experience in academic leadership, research governance and national innovation policy. He earned his doctorate in marine policy from Kagoshima University, Japan. His expertise encompasses marine and fisheries policy, rural sociology and sustainable development. At BRIN, he leads efforts to align research and innovation with Indonesia’s strategic development priorities.

Prof. Masayo Takahashi, MD, PhD

President and CEO, Vision Care Inc. and VC Cell Therapy Inc.

Prof. Masayo Takahashi is an ophthalmologist and internationally recognized pioneer of retinal regenerative medicine. She is President and CEO of Vision Care Inc. and VC Cell Therapy Inc., a RARA Fellow at Ritsumeikan University and Senior Adviser at the Research Center of Kobe City Eye Hospital. After training at Kyoto University and the Salk Institute, she led retinal-regeneration research at RIKEN and conducted the landmark first clinical research using iPS cell-derived retinal cells in 2014.

Prof. Koji Eto, MD, PhD

Director of Center for iPS Cell Research and Application, Kyoto University

Prof. Koji Eto, MD, PhD, is Director and Professor at the Center for iPS Cell Research and Application (CiRA), Kyoto University. A physician-scientist specializing in hematology and regenerative medicine, he leads research translating human induced pluripotent stem cells into next-generation blood products. His team conducted the world’s first clinical study of autologous iPSC-derived platelet transfusion in a patient with platelet-transfusion refractoriness. His current work focuses on scalable production of iPSC-derived platelets and erythrocytes and their safe clinical application.

Prof. Masato Sato, MD, PhD
Professor, Department of Orthopaedic Surgery, Tokai University School of Medicine
Director, Center for Musculoskeletal Innovative Research and Advancement, Tokai University

Prof. Masato Sato, MD, PhD, is Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at Tokai University School of Medicine and Director of the Center for Musculoskeletal Innovative Research and Advancement. He is a leading expert in musculoskeletal regenerative medicine, with a focus on cartilage repair, tissue engineering, and cell-sheet technology for knee osteoarthritis. His pioneering work on autologous chondrocyte cell-sheet transplantation has contributed significantly to the clinical development of joint-preserving regenerative therapies in Japan.

Prof. Keiya Ozawa, MD, PhD

Professor Emeritus and Visiting Professor, Jichi Medical University, Japan

Prof. Keiya Ozawa, MD, PhD, is Professor Emeritus and Visiting Professor at Jichi Medical University, Japan, and an Honorary Member of the Japan Society of Gene and Cell Therapy. He is a pioneering physician-scientist in gene therapy, with extensive expertise in adeno-associated virus vectors, hematopoietic stem-cell gene therapy and genetically engineered immune-cell therapies. His research has contributed to the development of CD19-directed CAR-T-cell therapy and innovative regulatory gene systems designed to improve the safety and controllability of therapeutic cells.

Dr. Maria Cristina Galli, PhD

Former European Medicines Agency (EMA) regulatory expert

Dr. Maria Cristina Galli is a regulatory-science specialist with extensive experience in advanced therapy medicinal products, including gene therapies, cell therapies and tissue-engineered products. She holds qualifications in biological sciences and molecular medicine and previously served as a senior researcher at the Istituto Superiore di Sanità in Rome. She was formerly a member of the European Medicines Agency’s Committee for Advanced Therapies and Chair of the EMA Gene Therapy Working Party. She currently works as an independent consultant in gene- and cell-therapy development and manufacturing.

Dr. Yoshiaki Maruyama, PhD

Director, Office of Cellular and Tissue-based Products, Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency (PMDA), Japan

Dr. Yoshiaki Maruyama is Director of the Office of Cellular and Tissue-based Products at Japan’s Pharmaceuticals and Medical Devices Agency. Since joining PMDA in 2008, he has worked in pharmaceutical standards, product evaluation and regulatory science. His responsibilities encompass the review and post-marketing oversight of cell and gene therapies, tissue-based products and biological products, giving him extensive experience in Japan’s regulatory pathways for regenerative medical products.

Prof. Taruna Ikrar, MD, M.Biomed, PhD

Head of the Indonesian Food and Drug Authority (BPOM)

Prof. Taruna Ikrar is Head of Indonesia’s National Agency of Drug and Food Control, BPOM, a position he has held since August 2024. He is a physician and biomedical scientist whose work integrates pharmacology, cardiovascular science and neuroscience. He earned his medical degree from Universitas Hasanuddin, a master’s degree from Universitas Indonesia and a PhD from Niigata University, followed by postdoctoral research at the University of California, Irvine. His research experience includes functional imaging and cell- and gene-based approaches for rare diseases.

Mr. Yueh-Tung Tsai, BPharm, MHWP

Technical Specialist, Division of Medicinal Products, Taiwan Food and Drug Administration (TFDA)

Mr. Yueh-Tung Tsai is a Technical Specialist in the Division of Medicinal Products at the Taiwan Food and Drug Administration. He graduated in pharmacy from Taipei Medical University and received a master’s degree in health and welfare policy from National Yang Ming Chiao Tung University. Since joining TFDA in 2013, he has contributed to medicinal-product evaluation and regulatory activities, including the regulation and review of regenerative-medicine products in Taiwan.