People

Dr. Armand Keating, MD, FRCP(C)

Director, Cell Therapy Program and Philip S. Orsino Facility for Cell Therapy, Princess Margaret Hospital/Ontario Cancer Institute;
Professor of Medicine,
Professor, Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering,
Director, Division of Hematology
Epstein Chair in Cell Therapy and Transplantation,
University of Toronto

Dr. Armand Keating obtained his MD degree from the University of Ottawa, completed internal medicine and hematology training at the University of Toronto and a research fellowship at the University of Washington and the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center in Seattle, Washington. He was a Cancer Research Scientist of the National Cancer Institute of Canada for 10 years upon his return to Toronto. In 1986, he established the University of Toronto Autologous Blood and Marrow Transplant Program and led it to become the largest stem cell transplant program in Canada. For a decade until 2006, he was Chief of Medical Services and Head of the Department of Medical Oncology and Hematology at Princess Margaret Hospital/Ontario Cancer Institute as well as Director of Hematology-Oncology at Mt. Sinai Hospital.

Dr. Keating has served in numerous capacities in learned societies and research institutes. He has served and chaired research review panels, including for the US National Cancer Institute, the National Cancer Institute of Canada and the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society. He is the Secretary and an Officer of the American Society of Hematology and was previously a Councilor. He is a past president of the American Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. He is Vice Chair of the Board of Directors of the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society responsible for Medical and Scientific Affairs. He is also Chair of the Steering Committee for Cell-Based Therapy of the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute, US National Institutes of Health. He is on the editorial boards of numerous scholarly journals, and is a co-editor of Bone Marrow Transplantation, an Associate Editor of Biology of Blood and Marrow Transplantation and guest editor of Cancer. He was recently listed in Best Doctors in Canada.

Dr. Keating's clinical and research interests focus on anti-cancer cell therapy, blood and marrow transplantation, leukemia, lymphoma and regenerative medicine. He has conducted laboratory and translational research in cell therapy, normal and malignant hematopoiesis, and on the biology and clinical application of marrow mesenchymal stromal cells. He is the author of over 300 publications on these subjects.

Wanda Oprea, MASc

Manager, Cell Therapy Program

Wanda Oprea obtained her Biomedical Engineering degree from the University of Toronto, followed by a Masters of Applied Science from the same institution under the supervision of Dr. John E. Davies.

Wanda has been with the Cell Therapy Program since its inception in 2004. She has been involved in all aspects of developing the program, from the initiation and regulatory approval of cell therapy clinical studies, to renovation of new laboratories and offices, and fundraising efforts for the program.

Xing Hua Wang, MD

Manager, Cell Therapy Translational Research Laboratory

Dr. Xing Hua Wang obtained his medical degree from the renowned Shanghai University, with a specialization in Pediatrics and Hematology. He practiced as a pediatric general surgeon and taught in the hospital before pursuing a research fellowship in Hematology at the Hospital for Sick Children in Toronto, Canada under the supervision of Dr. Zipursky. Following a second research fellowship in Hematology at Princess Margaret Hospital with Dr. Hans Messner, he joined Dr. Armand Keating's research group.

Dr. Wang has led the basic and translational research lab for many years, and during this time has undertaken research spanning both the mesenchymal and hematopoietic fields. He has been involved in a wide range of projects, from basic research to correlative studies for clinical cell therapy trials.