University of Georgia Regenerative Bioscience Center Director Steven Stice has been elected to the 2025 class of the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering (AIMBE) College of Fellows.
Stice, Georgia Research Alliance Eminent Scholar and D.W. Brooks Professor in the College of Agricultural and Environmental Sciences, was elected to the AIMBE by his peers in recognition of his pioneering contributions in translational human stem cell research and leadership in regenerative biology, education, and advocacy.
The AIMBE, headquartered in Washington, D.C., includes fellows from over 30 countries, highlighting the global impact of medical and biological engineering. Election to AIMBE is a prestigious honor, placing Stice among the top 2% of medical and biological engineers worldwide.
“I’m truly honored to be elected to AIMBE and to be recognized alongside so many incredible leaders in medical and biological engineering,” Stice said. “This isn’t just about me—it’s a reflection of the amazing teams I’ve had the privilege to work with and the collaborative spirit that drives innovation in this field. I’m grateful for the support of my colleagues, students, staff, and institutional leadership, and I’m excited to keep pushing the boundaries of regenerative bioscience together.”
Few have had a greater impact on the field of human pluripotent and neural stem cells than Stice. His first startup earned distinction as one of only 10 laboratories worldwide to receive funding from the National Institutes of Health (NIH) for therapeutic applications using human pluripotent stem cell technology. His UGA-based academic lab later became one of just five NIH-sponsored training sites in the U.S. for the distribution and use of human pluripotent stem cells.
Now, with his fifth UGA startup, Aruna Bio, Stice is advancing groundbreaking treatments for neurological disorders. The company has demonstrated promising preclinical results in the development and commercialization of AB126, a novel exosome-based therapy for stroke patients. Patented with support from UGA’s Innovation Gateway, AB126 has the potential to become the first targeted therapy to reduce brain damage and has already received Investigational New Drug (IND) clearance from the FDA.
AIMBE Fellows are among the most distinguished medical and biological engineers, including four Nobel Prize laureates and 27 Presidential Medal of Science and/or Technology and Innovation awardees. Additionally, 233 Fellows have been inducted to the National Academy of Engineering, 120 inducted to the National Academy of Medicine, and 51 inducted to the National Academy of Sciences.
Stice was inducted along with 171 colleagues in this year’s class.
