"Alan has expertly directed two separate cell-based therapies through late-stage clinical trials, and has worked with the leading neuroscience companies in the world including Titan and Elan," said Martin McGlynn, chief executive officer of StemCells, Inc. "For these reasons in particular, Alan will be an invaluable addition to StemCells, Inc. and will no doubt strengthen our scientific management team."

At Titan Pharmaceuticals, Jacobs led Titan's Central Nervous System (CNS) clinical development efforts which included Spheramine(R), a cell-based therapeutic for Parkinson's disease developed in collaboration with Schering AG. He designed and implemented phase II and III clinical studies, managed an ongoing multi-center trial and closely interacted with the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Jacobs previously served as medical director of Layton Biosciences, where he was responsible for clinical and regulatory development of a neural cell line for the indications of stroke and Parkinson's disease. Jacobs has also worked with neuroscience company Elan Pharmaceuticals as assistant director of clinical affairs.

Jacobs brings a strong scientific and medical background in neuroscience. He has co-authored peer-reviewed research and review articles in prestigious journals such as Journal of Neuroscience, Neurosurgery, Experimental Neurology and Brain Research. He has also served as an expert resource for the National Institutes of Health NINDS Stroke Progress Review Group and Health Technology Center's Expert Panel on Stem Cell Technology, both in 2001. He currently is a member of the American Society of Experimental Neurotherapeutics and the American Society of Neurotransplantation and Repair.

Jacobs received a Ph.D from the University of Pennsylvania, David Mahoney Institute of Neuroscience, and an M.D. from the University of Pennsylvania, School of Medicine, in 1995. Following completion of these programs, Jacobs served as a resident neurosurgeon at the University of California, San Francisco Medical Center. He also received an M.S. in Electrical Engineering from Stanford University in 1988.

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