Personal profile: Interview with Alexandra Stolzing, Ph.D.

The interview series in Rejuvenation Research is a unique and, I believe, highly valuable feature of the journal, giving readers insights into the thinking and motivation of some of the most influential movers and shakers in the many disciplines-not only scientific(1-5) but also political,(6) sociological,(7,8) ethical,(9,10) and more-that impinge on the crusade to defeat aging. This issue's interview features one of the world's most respected and admired researchers in the biology of aging as a result of her incisive evaluations of the work of others as well as the quality of her own research. Her clarity of thought and expression, to the general public as well as to colleagues, has contributed immensely to the process of communication between the field of biomedical gerontology and the many constituencies that will be affected by progress against aging-a dialogue that, as I(11-19) and others(20-26) have noted recently, is essential if we are to develop effective interventions against aging with all possible speed. Alexandra Stolzing is group leader at the University of Leipzig (Translational Centre of Regenerative Medicine) and the Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology. She received a Ph.D. in Biology from the Humboldt University in Berlin. Her research has focused on microglia function, stem cell aging, induced pluripotent stem cell production and differentiation towards microglia, cryopreservation of stem cells, and the development of cell based therapies. Dr. Stolzing is a member of the scientific advisory board of the Society for Regenerative Biology. She is an evaluator for the European Commission, the BBSRC, Canadian Institute of Health Research, Furlong Research Charitable Foundation, among others. She has filed three patents in the field of stem cells and skin tissue automation