Our Mission

Foregen’s mission is to heal the physical and psychological damage inherent to circumcision through tissue engineering techniques, which offer outstanding potential to regrow human tissue, especially dermal tissue, lost in trauma.

Because regenerative medicine techniques have not yet been applied to circumcised men, Foregen was formed to initiate novel research and clinical trials. Dedicated Foregen scientists are transferring well-known, tested, and state-of-the-art techniques to the mission to re-establish normal penile sensitivity with a fully functioning foreskin.
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A unique organization, Foregen’s mission contributes to the growing applications of regenerative medicine and has implications for over one billion people - circumcised men and their partners! Foregen has received countless testimonials and expressions of hope for the potential of regenerative medicine in resolving the damage of circumcision.

Foregen is not an activist organization and has no legislative or political agenda. Rather, Foregen is a pioneering research organization dedicated to creating options and hope for circumcised men.

Our Foundation

Foregen is a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization founded to research and implement regenerative medical therapies for circumcised men. Thanks to an initial cohort of contributing donors, Foregen was created in 2010 with the goal of finding existing institutions to conduct research. In time, we found that the only way to accomplish our goals would be to establish our own scientific team and conduct the necessary research ourselves. After searching carefully for the right people, our scientific team was created and initial research started in 2014. Foregen now operates in both the United States and the European Union. Its head office is in Rome, Italy, where it is a registered charity (Reg. No. 6482, Serie 1T, 2010) and maintains domicile in the United States under section 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It is headed by a board of directors with volunteers and donors from over 80 countries across 6 continents.

Our People

Foregen’s Board of Directors leads the mission with the help of dedicated officers, staff, scientists, and advisers. Founder, Vincenzo Aiello, heads the Board of Directors and is assisted by a vice president and advisory board.

President

Vincenzo Aiello

World-renowned for restoring ancient Roman mosaics and creating new ones, contemporary artist Vincenzo Aiello founded Foregen in 2010. He is the pioneer in promoting regenerative medicine for injuries related to neonatal circumcision, advocating with his civil commitment to this cause, which he considers a violation of children's human rights. Foregen's expansion of reach to the United States with 501(c)(3) status reflects his global outlook. Taking inspiration from the sculpture

techniques, he works in close contact with his team of surgeons and scientists, creating with them a perfect symbiosis between creativity and artistic ingenuity on the one hand and scientific rigour and innovation on the other, thus placing himself at the forefront of merging art and science to catalyze innovation in human body parts regeneration. The creation of the Hyperrealist sculpture "Hufo, the Missing Piece" in 2015 further highlights his meticulous artistry and dedication to addressing complex issues through his work.

Vice President

Carlo Alberto Cirioni

A philosopher and anthropologist, Carlo Alberto Cirioni is a religious scholar and interpreter of ancient Biblical texts. Carlo is a longtime friend of Enzo's and as the vice president, he helps lead the creative direction of Foregen and is a visionary in his own right. Carlo also acts as Foregen’s Chief Financial Officer.

Executive Adviser

Adam Lavine

Adam Lavine is a lifelong entrepreneur and innovator who loves to build companies, high-performing teams and projects. He launched his first company Specular International out of college which built and sold digital creation software worldwide. Specular grew to become a top 10 Apple developer with clients including ABC, Industrial Light and Magic with celebrity fans ranging from Herbie Hancock to JJ Abrams. Specular merged with a public company MetaCreations where Adam ran innovation and integrated operations. Adam subsequently launched a mobile technology startup FunMobility in Japan through NTT DoCoMo ventures.

FunMobility built worldwide carrier distribution for over 100 applications with partners including Verizon, Sprint and T-Mobile distributing content from studios such as Universal, Marvel, Sanrio generating over $250 million in retail revenue. Adam then worked with Chiquita and Universal to digital items onto 100 million banana stickers to support the release of Universal’s summer tentpole “Minions” which reached over 10 million consumers. Adam then worked with Shingo to support Ethos.io as COO and served as Voyager’s Chief Strategy Officer. He is a venture partner with Emerald Ocean Ventures and also advises and invests in startups and social programs.

Executive Adviser

Shingo Lavine

Shingo Lavine is a successful entrepreneur, business leader and technologist. Shingo started his first company, Ethos.io, at age 19 while studying Computer Science at Brown University. Ethos was a blockchain company building a Universal Wallet that supported over 100 digital assets on top of a proprietary, high-performance blockchain abstraction architecture which today is used to power nearly $500 million in transactions and assets.

The Universal Wallet grew to over 100,000 users, and Shingo subsequently merged Ethos with a Voyager Digital (CSE: VYGR), a Canadian public company with over $70 million in AUM and over 1000% revenue growth where Shingo currently serves as as Chief Innovation Officer and Board member. Shingo is also a venture partner in Emerald Ocean Ventures, a family office that advises and invests in startups and social innovation.

Business Management Advisor

Nino Hope

Nino Hope earned a Masters in Chemical Engineering and has decades of experience providing consulting services in business operations management to Microsoft. She specializes in financial portfolio management, operational efficiencies, process improvements, and business planning. Nino has joined the Board to help Foregen succeed in their mission.

Financial Planner

Aiko Nomura Lavine

Aiko Nomura Lavine is the Chief Financial Officer of Emerald Ocean Isle Ventures, a family office investment firm. Aiko is also on the Board of Directors of Ethos Corporation, a leading decentralized financial services company. Aiko is a Certified Financial Planner and is licensed for personal and corporate financial planning, tax management, and portfolio management. Aiko is an expert in organizational structure and compliance with experience in finance, compliance and governance.

As a financial advisor, Aiko addresses the financial health of organizations holistically from different aspects to promote the health and growth of the company. She has a Master of Arts Degree from Smith College and a Bachelor of Music from the University of Massachusetts, Amherst. Aiko is a longtime volunteer at different Hospices and Hospitals in California and Nevada as a Harp Therapist. She is an accomplished pianist who supports many music organizations.

Chief Operations Officer

Ryan Jones

Ryan is a Returned Peace Corps Volunteer and has been a passionate advocate for human rights and genital integrity since 2014, when he first learned about this subject through both his international travels in Germany, Georgia, and Southeast Asia, and while conducting research for his Masters degree at the University of Arizona.

He has written a number of informative articles, and is currently completing his first investigative book about non-consensual neonatal circumcision in America. Inspired by over six years of research into this subject, his work seeks to inform the public with a comprehensive and balanced approach to considering each aspect of the genital cutting conundrum.

Chief Science Officer

William Musa, M.S.

William Graduated from Thomas Jefferson University with his MS in Biotechnology. He has experience in a variety of scientific applications, including the use of animal husbandry for laboratory settings as well as experience with human tissue. He completed his thesis in a regenerative medicine lab investigating protein pathways related to tissue growth after non-thermal plasma treatments.

William continued to work with medical diagnostics after graduating, working with tissue histology and PCR based diagnostics. William has an active interest in advancing the ethics and human rights for those effected by circumcision.

Digital Development & IT

Mason Michalec

Mason graduated from the University of Debrecen in 2020 with a BS.c in Computer Science, balancing full time work with dedicated volunteerism on Foregen’s frontline since. Mason has been involved with Foregen since 2019, managing various tasks like social media, the website, and organizational operations. Today he primarily manages the website, SEO, communications, and operations as an assistant to COO Ryan Jones. He hopes to refine and sustain Foregen’s edge in digital spaces, and to utilize best available technologies to advance Foregen’s goals.

Mason has studied at Stephen F. Austin State University in Texas, the University of Tartu in Estonia, and finally at the University of Debrecen in Hungary. In the future, he aims to further his education with a Master’s.

Clinical Project Manager

Beatrix Szebeni-Varga

Beatrix is a Clinical Project Manager at Foregen, bringing extensive experience in managing global clinical trials across multiple phases and therapeutic areas. Her expertise encompasses all clinical operational aspects, from planning and start-up to the management and completion of Phase I to Phase III trials.

She has worked on clinical studies in oncology, rare diseases, cardiology, respiratory conditions, diabetes, neonatology, dermatology, IBD and infectious diseases. Her roles include overseeing clinical trial operations, managing external service providers and CROs, and ensuring compliance with ICH/GCP standards.

She excels at facilitating collaboration among cross-functional teams and is adept at developing comprehensive clinical study documents.

Beatrix's dedication to quality led her to complete an Auditor Course at the European Centre for Clinical Research Training in Brussels, equipping her with the essential competencies for GCP QA.

Her diverse experience and multilingual capabilities make her a valuable asset to Foregen's clinical research team.

Lead Veterinary Scientist

Angela Palumbo Piccionello, Ph.D., D.V.M.

Dr. Palumbo Piccionello is Foregen’s veterinary scientist and supervisor of Foregen’s Phase II Animal Trials. She is a Professor of Surgery and Anesthesiology at the University of Camerino’s School of Biosciences and Veterinary Medicine. From 2011 to 2017 she served as President of the Italian Society of Veterinary Traumatology and Orthopedics, and she holds both a Doctor of Veterinary Medicine degree as well as a Ph.D. in Animal Orthopedics.

Foregen’s scientific research relies heavily on mechanical analysis of tissue; Dr. Palumbo Piccionello’s specialization in orthopedics offers a high level of biomechanical expertise which bodes extremely well for Foregen’s needs.

Lead Neuroscientist

José A. Vega, Ph.D.

Dr. José A. Vega is working with Foregen on our human clinical trials, focusing on the peripheral nervous system. He hails from a remarkable academic background, having earned his Doctor of Medicine from the University of Oviedo. Further honing his skills and knowledge, Dr. Vega underwent postdoctoral training at a diverse range of prestigious institutions, including the Universities of Brno and Prague, “La Sapienza” and “Tor Vergata” of Rome, and Harvard University. He currently heads the Sensory Organs and Peripheral Nervous System (SINPOS) research team at the University of Oviedo.

Additionally, he is an esteemed Associate Researcher at the Autonomous University of Chile, reinforcing his already significant contributions to academia. Dr. Vega's wealth of teaching experience, accumulated from globally recognized universities such as the Universities of Messina, “Federico II” of Naples, Rome “La Sapienza” and Rome “Tor Vergata,” Sassari, Barí, Buenos Aires, and CEU-San Pablo in Madrid, further underscores his impressive position within the scientific community.Dr. Vega's prolific work, including over 350 articles and 50 book chapters primarily focused on the peripheral nervous system, remains an invaluable asset. His wide-reaching expertise and scholarly insights are integral to Foregen's pursuit of fully regenerating the human foreskin.

Research Adviser

Ken Drabik, M.S.

Mr. Drabik is a Senior Research Technologist at the University of Chicago. He has campaigned for human rights around the world and his expertise led him to assist in the making of the movie Cut, which discusses the issue of male circumcision.

Medical Adviser

Robert Van Howe, M.D.

Dr. Robert Van Howe is a pediatrician who is currently serving as medical director for the public health departments serving nine counties in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. He completed his B.A. in Chemistry and Philosophy at Saint Olaf College in Minnesota, earned his Doctor of Medicine degree from Loyola University Stritch School of Medicine in Maywood, Illinois, and completed his pediatrics residency at the Children's Hospital of Wisconsin in Milwaukee. Dr. Van Howe also holds an M.S. in Clinical Research Design and Statistical Analysis from the University of Michigan School of Public Health.

He was a clinical professor in the Department of Pediatrics and Human Development at the Michigan State University College of Human Medicine before becoming a professor and founding Chief of Pediatrics at the Central Michigan University College of Medicine. For over 20 years he has published several works on the topic of genital integrity and circumcision.

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Our Mission

Our Foundation

Our People