Eric Strati to Join Gift of Life Biologics as Chief Executive Officer

Eric Strati, a seasoned leader in the biopharmaceutical industry, has been hired as CEO of Gift of Life Biologics.

FREMONT, CA: "Eric's strong track record of managing global biopharmaceutical teams and driving development through product innovation and customer relationships will be invaluable to the growth of Gift of Life Biologics," says Stephen B. Siegel, Chairman of the Board of both organizations. Gift of Life Biologics has confirmed that seasoned biopharmaceutical executive Eric Strati, Pharm.D., MBA, has joined the company as CEO.

“This appointment further strengthens our position as a leader providing the building blocks that biopharma firms need to develop next-generation therapeutics,” adds Siegel.

Biopharmaceutical businesses rely on Gift of Life Biologics for the crucial starting materials required to fuel the development of next-generation cell and gene therapies. Initially, the industry utilized patient-derived cells, but scalability proved to be one of several obstacles. This prompted an increasing number of biopharma companies to rely on cells from healthy donors for research and development and, ultimately, commercializing their biological therapeutic concepts. These upcoming over-the-counter medications will make treating many more people more cost-effective and practical.

The Gift of Life Marrow Registry, a non-profit charity that heals blood cancer through cellular treatment, founded the for-profit firm. The organization facilitates bone marrow and stem cell transplants through its registry of approximately 400,000 stem cell donors. 

It launched Gift of Life Biologics in 2021 as a natural extension of its goal to save lives.

Jay Feinberg, who founded and served as interim-CEO of Gift of Life Biologics, will continue to serve as President and CEO of Gift of Life Marrow Registry and on the boards of both organizations.

Strati brings over 20 years of industry expertise to Gift of Life Biologics, most recently as vice president and worldwide GI cell treatment lead at Takeda Pharmaceuticals. His leadership responsibilities at Takeda, Mesoblast, and Novartis have afforded him substantial commercial expertise in cell therapy. In addition to over a decade of expertise in medical affairs, pharmaceutical benefit administration, and investment banking from his work at Bristol-Myers Squibb, Genzyme, CVS Caremark, and HSBC, Eric adds nearly a decade of experience in these areas.

Bachelor of Science in Pharmacy and Master of Business Administration in Health Systems Management from Union University; Doctor of Pharmacy from the University of Kansas.

Strati says, “I greatly look forward to joining the Gift of Life team. Cell and gene therapies are highly innovative modalities that can be transformative for many individuals suffering from some of the most refractory diseases. Gift of Life Biologics is well positioned to partner with cell and gene biopharmaceutical companies on our shared mission of curing cancer and serious illnesses.”