Erin Kimbrel is Head of Cell and Gene Therapy Research at Astellas. In this role, she is responsible for driving discovery research through early process and analytical development towards IND filing of novel CGT assets.  Dr. Kimbrel has 25+ year experience in scientific research and drug discovery in regenerative medicine and molecular cancer biology.  With previous roles at Astellas Institute for Regenerative Medicine, Ocata Therapeutics, and Advanced Cell Technologies, she has been engaged in drug development across a broad range of therapeutic areas including ophthalmology, immune-related indications, CNS, vascular and liver disease.  Dr. Kimbrel is a former Fulbright Scholar and holds a Ph.D. in Pharmacology and Cancer Biology from Duke University. She completed post-doctoral training at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute/Harvard Medical School and is a co-author on numerous publications and patents.