Meet the StemXO’s Advisory Team


Dr. James St. John, PhD

Professor James St John, PhD, is Head of the Clem Jones Centre for Neurobiology and Stem Cell Research at Griffith University. His expertise lies in understanding the biology of the olfactory system (sense of smell) and the role of glial cells in the functioning and repair of the nervous system. His research includes both discovery and translational research to develop cell transplantation therapies and drug treatments to repair the injuries and diseases of the nervous system. The three main areas of research are (1) spinal cord injury, (2) peripheral nerve injury, and (3) the role of microbes in neurodegeneration. He has over 24 years’ research experience in neuroscience specialising in developing therapies to repair the nervous system.

Dr. Nagy Habib, MD

Professor Nagy Habib, MD, is the Lead Clinician and Head of the Department of Hepatobilliary Surgery at Imperial College, London. A leading translational researcher on liver cancer and its treatment, he pioneered the first clinical trial in the use of adenovirus and plasmid for the treatment of liver cancer, as well as the use of plasmid gene therapy in hydrodynamic gene delivery. He is the first person in the West to publish a clinical trial on the use of adult bone marrow derived stem cells for the treatment of patients with liver insufficiency. He has published on the evolution of molecular biology of tumors from oncogene, tumor suppressor gene, epigenetic modification, gene therapy, stem cell therapy, RNA (Ribonucleic acid) and saRNA (small activating RNA) and RNA aptamers. He is the inventor of, and was co-author of the first publication about the use for radiofrequency in devices used in liver surgery (Habib 4X), as well as interventional endoscopy (Habib EndoHPB – HPB: Hepatopancreatobiliary) and interventional radiology (Habib Percutaneous HPB, Habib VesCoag, Habib VesOpen). He holds a gold award from the Advisory Committee for Clinical Excellence, which is given in recognition of exceptional contributions from NHS consultants, and he was named as one of Britain’s top surgeons in December 2011 by the Saturday Times Magazine.  In December 2012, he was awarded the TAKREEM AWARD for Science and Technology for scientific work in liver cancer and the technological development of the Habib 4X surgical device.

Dr. Jayakumar Rajadas, Ph.D

Dr. Jayakumar Rajadas, Ph.D. is a Professor of biomedical engineering, Stanford University. He is the director of the Stanford Biomaterials and Advanced Drug Delivery Laboratory.

Dr. Chitra Bhakta, M.D

Dr. Chitra Bhakta, M.D. Family Practitioner, OC Integrative Care. An ILADS and DAN! Autism Physician specializing in autism, PANDAS, CFIDS, Lyme Disease, Fibromyalgia and autoimmune disorders, Dr. Bhakta is also a collaborator in autoimmune research at UC Irvine and has over 25 years of experience as a practicing physician.

Dr. Nitin Shah, M.D

Dr. Nitin Shah, M.D. Chief of surgical ICU, Long Beach Veterans Healthcare. An anesthesiologist, critical care specialist, and professor of anesthesiology at Loma Linda University, Dr. Shah has over 20 years of experience as a practicing physician. He has led numerous clinical trials and participated in surgical missions around the globe.

Dr. Alexander Bystritsky, M.D., Ph.D

Professor Alexander Bystritsky, M.D., Ph.D. is a Professor Emeritus of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences in Jane and Terry Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles where he is Emeritus Director for the Anxiety Disorders Program and Targeted Brain Stimulation Program. Dr. Bystritsky published over 240 peer-reviewed papers, book chapters and short publications and has served as the PI and Co-PI on several NIH, foundations and industry sponsored grants. Over the years, he earned several honors and awards including OCD Foundation Research Award and Brain and Behavior Distinguished Investigator Award. He is also listed in the Best Doctors in America for the last 20 years. For several years, he was a Visiting Professor and a collaborator with Brigham and Women’s Hospital Harvard Medical School in Boston, Massachusetts investigating Focused Ultrasound Pulsation effects on brain using fMRI. He has authored several patents on image-guided neuromodulation of brain neurons using Low Intensity Focused Ultrasound Pulsation (LIFUP). His current area of interest is neuroimaging guided brain stimulation. He the director of collaborative Targeted Brain Stimulation clinical and research program on image-guided DBS, rTMS, LIFUP and other neuromodulation techniques in Anxiety Disorders with the department of Neurosurgery at UCLA. He is Executive Director of Tiny Blue Dot Foundation. He is Founder and CEO Brainsonix Corporation, a start-up company producing LIFUP/MR compatible devices for research.

Dr. Rafael Gonzalez, Ph.D

Dr. Rafael Gonzalez, Ph.D., is the Vice President of Research and Development at TheBioBox, a Florida-based biotechnology company focused on the preclinical and clinical development of stem cell-based therapeutics. He was involved in the research that led to the first human stem cell trials at UC Irvine, and has spent two decades in the stem cell research industry overseeing therapeutic development for a variety of disease indications.

Dr. Bobby Mehta, Ph.D

Dr. Bobby Mehta, Ph.D. Agri & Bio Engg. Former president of the technology division of a large American Diversified Co.& Founder and CEO of Executive Cardiac Care Co.  Dr. Mehta’s background includes the development of ethylene, polyethylene, ethanol, Collagen plants and many diverse technologies including Enhanced External Counter-pulsation for treating coronary artery disease patients. Involved in developing genetics, stem cell and exosomes based therapies.