Dr. Julio C. Voltarelli, who made a significant impact in cell transplantation, dies at 63

Distinguished Brazilian professor pioneered bone marrow transplantation

Newswise Tampa, Fla. (May. 9th , 2012) Julio C. Voltarelli, MD, PhD, professor at the Ribeiro Preto School of Medicine at the University of So Paulo, Brazil, died March 21, 2012 at the age of 63. Dr. Voltarelli, who was on the editorial board of the Cell Transplantation journal, published by Cognizant Communication Corporation, and an important factor in the journals success, was a distinguished stem cell researcher and head of the bone marrow transplantation unit at the Ribeiro Preto School of Medicine.

Dr. Voltarelli had a significant impact on Brazilian stem cell transplantation science, said Dr. Maria C. O. Rodrigues, Dr. Voltarellis longtime colleague. He was driven to bring the benefits of the newest cellular therapies to those with ALS, MS and type 1 diabetes. His efforts and dedication will be greatly missed.

Dr. Voltarelli, a graduate of the Ribeiro Preto School of Medicine, served post-doctoral fellowships at the University of California San Francisco, the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, and the Scripps Research Institute in San Diego. He returned to Brazil in 1992 and started a highly ranked bone marrow transplantation program at the Ribeiro Preto School of Medicine. In 2002, Dr. Voltarelli initiated the schools research efforts in stem cell transplantation for autoimmune diseases, later focusing on diabetes, graft-versus-host disease and sickle cell anemia.

At the time of his death, Dr. Voltarelli, in addition to serving as head of the bone marrow transplantation unit, also served as research coordinator for the Center for Cellular Therapy at the So Paulo Research Foundation and the National Institute of Science and Technology in Stem Cells and Cell Therapy. He was recently elected president of the Brazilian Society of Bone Marrow Transplantation.

His publications included the first books on stem cell transplantation and clinical immunology written in Portuguese. He also founded the Brazilian Society of Stem Cell Transplantation.

His colleagues in Brazil called his lifelong contributions priceless and remembered him for his leadership skills, vision, and sense of humor.

# The Coeditor-in-chiefs for CELL TRANSPLANTATION are at the Center for Neuropsychiatry, China Medical University Hospital, TaiChung, Taiwan, and the Diabetes Research Institute, University of Miami Miller School of Medicine. Contact, Shinn-Zong Lin, MD, PhD at shinnzong@yahoo.com.tw or Camillo Ricordi, MD at ricordi@miami.edu or David Eve, PhD at celltransplantation@gmail.com #

News release by Florida Science Communications http://www.sciencescribe.net

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Julio C. Voltarelli, Pioneer in Cell Transplantation, Dies at 63