Co-Hosts & Collaborators

Pontifical Council for Culture

The Pontifical Council for Culture traces its origins to the Second Vatican Council and its openess to contemporary culture. In its Pastoral Constitution, Gaudium et Spes, the Council Fathers expressed the needs of the Church to continually place itself at the forefront of the cultural needs of the world. It was a new period of history where a new humanism was arising and the Church, faithful to its own traditions, was aware of the universality of its mission, entering into communion with the different forms of culture, a communion that would enrich the Church as much as the cultures. The Pontifical Council for Culture is committed to the dialogue with many realities in the relationship between culture and faith.

The Science and Faith Department is the vehicle of the Pontifical Council for Culture’s engagement with contemporary science. This commitment is based on the firm belief that between science and faith not only is there no opposition, but there should also be a beneficial serene dialogue. The Christian faith when properly understood is a creator of culture and an inspiring source of science. For this reason, the Department of Science and Faith seeks further understanding of the phenomena of scientific and technological development and their possible influence on theological and philosophical thought to achieve the following objectives:

1. Elaborate a cultural analysis of the development of natural sciences, enquiring after its impact on theological and philosophical reflection and on the cultural and social dynamics;
2. Promote reciprocal cooperation in the sphere of the dialogue of science and faith with other Dicasteries and bodies of the Holy See, international Catholic organizations, ecclesial and secular institutions, universities and research institutes throughout the world;
3. Encourage a greater commitment for the ideal of dialogue between science and faith and promote critical reflection on the frontier themes of interdisciplinary research for a renewed anthropology and for ethics, theology and philosophy of nature;
4. Offer collaboration as a service to Episcopal Conferences and their bodies on themes relating to science and faith; and
5. Promote initiatives to spread awareness through public conferences, congresses and study days, as well as publish books and educational volumes to support the Church in its pastoral and educational tasks.

For more information on the Pontifical Council for Culture please visit: www.cultura.va

Cura Foundation

The Cura Foundation (“Cura” or the “Foundation”) is leading a major global health movement with the passionate purpose to improve human health. We unite public and private sectors, partnering with doctors, patients, business leaders, politicians, philanthropists and leaders of faith to collaborate and create breakthroughs around the world.

Cura drives change by raising awareness of scientific advancements in genomics, emerging technologies and big data to usher in the future of medicine. We want to encourage people to share their stories and give hope to one another. Stem for Life and Cura coordinate their efforts to accelerate interest and development of cellular therapies, unlocking the body’s natural healing and repair mechanisms to vanquish illness. We want people to not only live longer, but live healthier. At Cura, we #UniteToCure.

The Cura Foundation is a nonsectarian, nonpartisan, public and tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code.

To learn more about Cura please visit: www.thecurafoundation.com

Vatican’s Secretariat of State

Vatican’s Secretariat of State is the dicastery of the Roman Curia which works most closely with the Supreme Pontiff in the exercise of his universal mission (Pastor Bonus, Art. 39). The Secretariat of State is presided over by a Cardinal who assumes the title of Secretary of State. As the Pope’s first collaborator in the governance of the universal Church, the Cardinal Secretary of State is the one primarily responsible for the diplomatic and political activity of the Holy See, in some circumstances representing the person of the Supreme Pontiff himself.

For more information on the Vatican’s Secretariat of State please visit: www.vatican.va

STOQ Foundation

The STOQ Foundation “Science and Faith” is a foundation under Vatican law promoted by the Pontifical Council for Culture. The identity and mission of the foundation have their main Magisterial references in the Pastoral Constitution, Gaudium et Spes, in the talks of St. John Paul II and Benedict XVI on the relations between science and faith, particularly in the Encyclical Fides et Ratio. The Foundation aims to give continuity to the activities of Project STOQ, which emerged from the collaboration between the Pontifical Council for Culture and Pontifical Roman Universities following the Galileo Commission and the Jubilee of Scientists in the year 2000. Among the aims of the foundation are research and study of the themes of dialogue between science, philosophy and theology; realization of conferences and other activities of high cultural and scientific value, even at the popular level; and publication of works of merit on the main arguments of the science–faith dialogue.

Stem For Life Foundation

The Stem for Life Foundation (“SFLF” or the “Foundation”) is a nonsectarian, nonpartisan, tax-exempt organization under Section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code focused on creating a movement to accelerate development of cell therapies. SFLF believes that cell therapy holds the promise to cure many of the world’s most debilitating illnesses as opposed to merely treating their symptoms. It represents a fundamental shift away from traditional drug treatment in favor of looking inside ourselves to understand and then amplify our bodies’ natural repair mechanisms. SFLF is firmly committed to advancing cell therapy research and development and its applications to improve the everyday lives of everyday people. To further this end, SFLF raises awareness and supports research and development efforts. SFLF was established in 2007. Expanding the foundation’s original focus on adult stem cell therapy alone, the foundation’s board of trustees and staff are deeply committed to the considerable promise to improve human health, increase quality of life, and enhance patient care offered by the broader field of cell therapy.

To learn more about SFLF please visit: www.stemforlife.org

Vatican’s Secretariat for Communication 

Vatican’s Secretariat for Communication is the dicastery of the Roman Curia established by His Holiness Pope Francis on 27 June 2015 in his Apostolic Letter issued Motu Proprio on the current context of communications. This Dicastery of the Roman Curia has the task of the overall restructuring, reorganization and consolidation of “all of the realities which, in various ways up to the present have dealt with communications” in order to “respond ever better to the needs of the mission of the Church.” In this light the Holy See’s communications system is being reevaluated.

For more information on the Vatican’s Secretariat for Communication please visit: www.comunicazione.va

Pontifical Academy for Life 

The Pontifical Academy for Life, having its principal office in Vatican City State, was established by Pope Saint John Paul II with the Motu Proprio Vitae Mysterium of 11 February 1994. The objective of the Pontifical Academy for Life is the defence and promotion of the value of human life and of the dignity of the person.

The specific responsibility of the Academy is:

• to study, from an interdisciplinary perspective, the problems connected with the promotion and defence of human life;
• to form persons in a culture of life – in the areas of its proper competence – through appropriate initiatives, and always with full respect for the Magisterium of the Church;
• to inform, in a clear and timely manner, Church leaders, the various biomedical science institutions and societal health care organizations, the media, and civil society in general, about the most significant results of its own study and research (Cf. Vitae Mysterium, 4).

The Academy has a primarily scientific role, for the promotion and defence of human life (Cf. Vitae Mysterium, 4). In particular, it studies various matters dealing with care for the dignity of the human person at different stages of life, mutual respect between the sexes and generations; the defence of the dignity of each individual human being; and the promotion of a quality of human life that integrates material and spiritual values. It does so in the context of a genuine “human ecology” that seeks to recover the original balance in creation between the human person and the whole universe (cf. Chirograph of 15 August 2016).

In carrying out the activity envisioned by these Statutes, the Pontifical Academy for Life cooperates with the Dicasteries of the Roman Curia, above all with the Secretariat of State and the Dicastery for the Laity, the Family and Life, with due regard for their respective areas of competence and in a collaborative spirit.

In its efforts to promote and spread the culture of life, the Academy maintains close contacts with institutes of higher education, scientific societies and research centres that deal with various life-related issues.

For more information on the Pontifical Academy for Life please visit www.academyforlife.va.

Bosarge Family Foundation 

The Bosarge Family Foundation was created in 2010 and directs philanthropic support for a number of medical, educational and environmental organizations, as well as artistic, cultural and historical institutions. The Foundation supports charities and organizations dedicated to the search for treatments based on regenerative medicine for cancer, diabetes, neurodegeneration, osteoarthritis, and other conditions related to aging. In cancer research, the Foundation focuses on accelerating the development of breakthrough immunotherapies with the potential to cure more cancers. In regenerative medicine and adult stem cell therapy, the Foundation is proud to be one of the inaugural and ongoing supporters of the International Vatican Conferences and Stem for Life (a Cura Foundation) to advance novel therapeutics and provide a greater understanding of the benefits of stem cell therapy around the world.

Sanford Health

Sanford Health is one of the largest health care systems in the United States, with 44 hospitals and nearly 300 clinics in nine states and operations in nine countries. Headquartered in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, and serving the Upper Midwest, with nearly 1,400 physicians, Sanford Health is dedicated to several initiatives, including global children’s clinics, genomic medicine and specialized centers researching cures for type 1 diabetes, breast cancer and other diseases. Sanford Health announced its plan to honor the medical innovators of today through the Sanford Lorraine Cross Award, a $1 million prize awarded every other year.  Through nearly $1 billion in gifts from philanthropist Denny Sanford, Sanford Health is transforming medicine and health care in their goal to improve the human condition.

For more information, visit sanfordhealth.org.

Hackensack Meridian Health

Hackensack Meridian Health is a leading not-for-profit health care organization that is the largest, most comprehensive and truly integrated health care network in New Jersey, offering a complete range of medical services, innovative research and life-enhancing care. Hackensack Meridian Health comprises 16 hospitals, including two academic medical centers, two children’s hospitals, nine community hospitals, and two rehabilitation hospitals, physician practices, 170 ambulatory care centers, surgery centers, home health services, long-term care and assisted living communities, ambulance services, lifesaving air medical transportation, fitness and wellness centers, rehabilitation centers, and urgent care facilities. Hackensack Meridian Health and Seton Hall University recently received approval to establish the Seton Hall-Hackensack Meridian Health School of Medicine to open in September 2018. Hackensack Meridian Health has 33,000 team members, more than 6,500 physicians and is a distinguished leader in health care philanthropy, committed to the health and well-being of the communities it serves.

For additional information, please visit www.HackensackMeridianHealth.org.

Celularity

Celularity is a biotechnology company that harnesses the power of placenta-derived cells and tissue to create regenerative health solutions. These therapies have the potential to rid the body of life threatening disease and ultimately extend the human lifespan. Celularity’s intellectual property and research portfolio consists of 800 patents as well as pre-clinical and clinical assets, including CAR constructs for allogeneic CAR-T/NK products, licenses to 100+ immunotherapy assets, and commercial stage biosourcing and functional regeneration businesses.

For additional information, please visit: www.celularity.com

Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc.

Sorrento Therapeutics, Inc., is a clinical stage, antibody-centric, biopharmaceutical company developing new therapies to turn malignant cancers into manageable and possibly curable diseases. Sorrento’s multimodal, multipronged approach to fighting cancer is made possible by its extensive immuno-oncology platforms, including key assets such as fully human antibodies (G-MAB^TM library), clinical stage immuno-cellular therapies (CAR-T), intracellular targeting antibodies (iTabs), antibody-drug conjugates (ADC) and clinical stage oncolytic virus (Sephrevir^®).

Sorrento’s commitment to life-enhancing therapies for cancer patients is also demonstrated by our effort to advance a first-in-class (TrpB1 agonist) non-opioid pain management small molecule in Resinferatoxin (RTX) and ZTido. RTX is completing a phase IB trial in terminal cancer patients. ZTido was approved by U.S. FDA on February 28, 2018.

For additional information, please visit: www.sorrentotherapeutics.com

Helmsley Charitable Trust

The Leona M. and Harry B. Helmsley Charitable Trust aspires to improve lives by supporting exceptional efforts in the U.S. and around the world in health and select place-based initiatives. Since beginning active grantmaking in 2008, Helmsley has committed more than $2 billion for a wide range of charitable purposes.

For additional information, please visit www.helmsleytrust.org.