Former FDA Leader to Explore Agency Frameworks and Moderate Expert Panels at Dubai Summit

A former FDA Associate Commissioner is set to take center stage at one of the Middle East's premier healthcare conferences, delivering keynote addresses and moderating expert panels spanning regulatory frameworks and research funding models. Peter J. Pitts, Executive Chairman of BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics, will present two major talks and lead two panel sessions at the 31st DUPHAT conference in Dubai, scheduled for August 25-27, 2026.

Exploring FDA and NIH Policy Frameworks

Pitts will examine potential policy frameworks in his keynote presentations at the Dubai World Trade Centre. The first keynote will explore establishing an FDA Abraham Accords Office, examining regulatory policy frameworks to harmonize regulatory science, clinical trial collaboration, and therapeutic approvals across the Middle East and global markets. The second keynote will discuss rethinking NIH grant models to drive industry and academic collaboration, exploring how public research funding models might be reengineered to foster direct cooperation between academic institutions, biotechnology developers, and commercial stakeholders.

Beyond the keynote addresses, Pitts will moderate two expert panel sessions prominently featured in the conference program. He will lead a session on Translational Pharmaceutical Innovation, moderating an expert panel on accelerating scientific discoveries from laboratory research to commercial-stage patient care. Additionally, he will moderate a strategic session on The Emerging Roles of Pharmacists, examining the expanding responsibilities of pharmacists in modern healthcare delivery and advanced biopharmaceutical management.

The multiple speaking and moderating engagements position Pitts at the intersection of international health policy and pharmaceutical development. His background as former FDA Associate Commissioner lends authority to discussions of regulatory frameworks and cross-border healthcare initiatives. DUPHAT, now in its third decade, serves as a major gathering point for pharmaceutical and healthcare professionals across the Middle East and North Africa region.

BrainStorm's Neurodegenerative Disease Platform

Pitts serves as Executive Chairman of BrainStorm Cell Therapeutics (OTCQB:BCLI), a company advancing NurOwn®, an autologous MSC-NTF cell therapy platform targeting neurodegenerative diseases. The company's primary focus is amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), with a Phase 3b ENDURANCE trial planned under Special Protocol Assessment with the U.S. FDA.

NurOwn® has received Orphan Drug designation from both the FDA and the European Medicines Agency. The therapy represents a personalized medicine approach, using patients' own mesenchymal stem cells engineered to secrete neurotrophic factors. Beyond its lead program, BrainStorm is developing a proprietary allogeneic exosome platform, recently receiving a Notice of Allowance from the U.S. Patent and Trademark Office for related intellectual property.

Strategic Regional Engagement

In parallel with the three-day conference, BrainStorm leadership will hold executive meetings with regional health regulators, commercial distribution partners, and international investment groups to discuss the strategic positioning of NurOwn® and the planned initiation of the company's Phase 3b ENDURANCE trial.

"Peter's invitations to deliver these keynotes and moderate core sessions highlight his standing as an international expert on regulatory policy and health system innovation," said Chaim Lebovits, President and CEO of BrainStorm. "As BrainStorm advances toward its Phase 3b trial launch and mainboard NASDAQ uplisting, engaging key stakeholders at DUPHAT will allow us to strengthen our global presence and explore strategic partnerships across the region."

The August 2026 conference timing places these policy discussions against the backdrop of ongoing debates about pharmaceutical regulation, international health cooperation, and research funding priorities. For BrainStorm, the conference represents an opportunity to showcase its regenerative medicine platform in a region with growing investment in advanced therapeutics. The company's focus on neurodegenerative diseases addresses conditions with significant unmet medical needs and limited treatment options globally.

The convergence of regulatory expertise, international health diplomacy, and cell therapy development at DUPHAT 2026 underscores the increasingly global nature of pharmaceutical innovation and the regulatory frameworks that govern it.

Sources

1. BrainStorm Executive Leadership to Participate in DUPHAT 2026 — StockTitan.net