Speakers

Karin Abitorabi is an internationally recognized expert in cell therapy development with more than 30 years of experience spanning discovery research, process development, and GMP manufacturing. She began her career after completing her CTA apprenticeship and biology studies at the University of...

Elsa Abranches is currently the Chief Scientific Officer of  ViSync Technologies S.A., Portugal, where she leads the scientific, research, and technological operations, guidingthe development of new platforms in the field of viral and cell ATMPs (Advanced Therapy Medicinal products) formulation and ...

Currently, the majority of launched gene therapies have been in the rare disease space with small patient populations and relatively low doses. These processes have largely relied on transient production of the viral vectors at volumes below 2000L. Whilst this approach has enabled companies to get...

Dr Kate Barclay MBE CEng FIChemE - Kate is an experienced Biochemical Engineer who has worked in Global Medicines Manufacturing for over 30 years across large pharma and small biotech organisations on a wide range of medicinal products and device technologies. As a leader in life sciences she...

Cornelia Baumgartner is a dedicated and results-driven Clinical Operations Manager with a proven track record of successfully managing complex clinical trials in the field of advanced therapies. With a background in life sciences and extensive experience in the pharmaceutical industry, Cornelia...

Elena Beltrami is an accomplished Investment Manager at Indaco Bio Fud with a strong background in the biotechnology and life sciences industry. With a proven track record of identifying and investing in cutting-edge advanced therapies, Elena brings a blend of scientific expertise and financial...

Stefano Benvenuti is Head of Public Affairs and Market Access at Fondazione Telethon (Italy) since 2021. He is chair of the funders constituent committee of the International Rare Diseases Research Consortium (IRDiRC) and he is member of the Italian National Committee on Rare Disease. Within his...

Anne Black works for the NHS Specialist Pharmacy Service. Her role is Regional Quality Assurance Specialist Pharmacist . She developed an interest and expertise in clinical trials and advanced therapy medicinal products as a Qualified Person for investigational medicinal products. She has since...

I am a pediatric hematologist/oncologist and have served as the Chief of the Pediatric Stem Cell Transplantation and Cellular Therapies Service at Memorial Sloan Kettering (MSK) since 2018. Previously, I spent a decade developing a cord blood transplant program in the Netherlands which is now...

Lutz Bonacker is a seasoned executive with over 30 years of experience in the biotechnology and pharmaceutical industries. As the Chief Commercial Officer at Microbio, he leads the company's commercial strategy and its implementation. Microbio is an Australian biotech leader which is working to ...

Stefan Braam is an entrepreneurial scientist, recognized for his work in stem cell research, drug discovery and regenerative medicine. Stefan Braam was born in the Netherlands, where he developed an early interest in science and technology. He pursued higher education at the University of...

Jonathan Bracey, JB has worked in pharma for the last 25 years.  This has included 'big pharma', generics and pharma services.  In 2023 his son was diagnosed with a rare childhood cancer and an ultra-rare condition called Mosaic Variegated Aneuploidy (MVA) syndrome.  In Nov 2024 the MVA...

Dr. John Bridgeman is a highly accomplished immunotherapy expert with a 20 year history converting scientific ideas into tangible therapies. With a PhD from the University of Manchester and further training at Cardiff University, John has a deep understanding of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR)...

Adam Brown is a Professor of Biopharmaceutical Engineering in the Department of Chemical and Biological Engineering at the University of Sheffield. His lab is focussed on development of technologies that can be applied to improve the manufacture and performance of...

Lara is SVP, Head of Research and Translational Science at Resolution Therapeutics, a spin-out of the University of Edinburgh. In her role, she sets the Research strategy at RTx and oversees its execution to promote the progression of Resolution’s lead asset RTX001 through the preclinical and...

Cherith Campbell-Bell is currently serving as the Director of Clinical Development at Rinri Therapeutics. Throughout her career, Cherith has focused on advancing innovative treatments through the critical stages of clinical development, with particular expertise in guiding programs from early-phase ...

I am an Associate Professor at UCL Institute of Ophthalmology. My research focuses on using human pluripotent stem cells to understand and treat macular disease. Our group aims to develop new cell therapies and uncover the molecular causes of inherited and degenerative eye diseases, advancing...

Jean-Philippe is a senior pharma and biotech executive with over 30 years of experience in drug development, orphan strategy, and innovation. He is currently Chairman, Co-Founder & CEO of Vivet Therapeutics. Previously, as COO of GenSight Biologics, he was instrumental in raising over...

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Lindsay Davies completed her PhD in biochemistry in 2006 at Cardiff University, UK. Focussing on cell therapy for cartilage repair, her thesis work introduced her to cell and gene therapy, springboarding her into a career within the field, starting with a postdoc and two fellowship positions in...

Maike completed her veterinary degree in Germany. Instead of working as a practicing veterinarian and fascinated by immunology, she decided to spend some time at the NIH, Frederick, USA, to train with Dr. S. K. Durum. She then moved to Cambridge, UK, to carry out her PhD work with Prof. D.T. Fearon ...

Director of the Analytical Sciences at SparingVision, Fabien holds a PhD in virology and worked as a postdoctoral researcher in the gene therapy field. Before joining SparingVision in 2022, Fabien was Head of R&D viral safety at Texcell (France) and Head of the CMC Analytical Department at...

Dr Beatriz Duran Jimenez is a the Head of Pharmacy Clinical Trials Service and Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs) at Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust and working as the lead sponsor pharmacist at The University of Manchester. She leads the strategic and operational delivery of...

Boris Engels, Ph.D., is an immunologist and currently Senior Scientific Director for Gene-Engineered T cell Therapies in the R&D Immunotherapies Department at Miltenyi Biotec in Bergisch Gladbach, Germany. Throughout his career, he has focused on adoptive T cell therapies, exploring viral...

Tim Farries is a freelance consultant as a specialist expert and leader in CMC regulatory and development aspects of cell and gene therapies, notably including viral vectors, genome editing, stem cell, RNA-based and CAR-T products. This experience comes from over 10 years in consulting, including...

Dr Katherine Forsey leads CMTA’s Strategy To Accelerate Research (CMTA-STAR), driving a global agenda to develop treatments for CMT. She oversees more than 50 active research projects, coordinates the CMTA-STAR Advisory Board, and serves as a key contact for biotech, pharma, and academic...

President and Board of Directors chair of the International Society of Cell and Gene Therapy (ISCT) from June 2024. Previously Chief Commercialization Officer and Chair of the ISCT Commercialization Committee (2014-2020) leading the expansion of the industrial community, strengthening the Committee ...

Biotech executive with several years of experience advancing stem cell-based therapies from early discovery to clinical translation. Currently Chief Scientific Officer at CellProthera, a French clinical stage biotechnology company developing stem cell-based therapies for ischemic...

Bobby is a world-renowned scientist and physician and accomplished strategic and organizational leader with more than 25 years of experience in medicine and biotechnology. He is co-founder and chief executive officer of Orchard Therapeutics, a global gene therapy leader recently acquired by Kyowa...

Paul Gissen is a Clinical Professor of Paediatric Metabolic Medicine at UCL Great Ormond Street Institute of Child Health, and Honorary Consultant Paediatric Metabolic Diseases at Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children NHS Foundation Trust. He is a NIHR Senior Investigator and leads the...

William (Liam) Gray is Professor of Functional Neurosurgery at Cardiff University and Honorary Consultant Neurosurgeon at the University Hospital of Wales. He is Director of the Advanced NeuroTherapies Centre (ANTC), a Health & Care Research Wales funded research centre for the development and ...

Dr. Diana Hernandez is a stem cell biologist with more than 30 years’ experience in medical research and at least 12 years in the cell therapy field both in academia and industry. After several years in basic academic research at Imperial College and UCL, she has led several collaborative projects...

Sima Hirani, PhD, is a Field Scientist for Cell and Gene Therapy at Catalent Pharma Solutions, supporting technical and scientific initiatives across Europe and the UK. Sima provides subject matter expertise in technology transfer, scale-up, and training for cell and gene therapy...

In my AZ role, I deliver payer strategic input to shape development of the AZ early respiratory and immunology portfolios, including CAR-T therapy in immunology indications. It includes championing the payer needs into investment decisions and clinical trial design to establish a clear line of...

Patrick Hopkinson is a Global Market Access/ HEOR expert with over 25 years experience. He is an independent consultant, founder and managing director of PHTA Consulting.  He is a senior leader in the life sciences industry with extensive expertise gained from working across multiple functions in...

Alexander Huber is a seasoned executive with a proven track record of 12 years in the advanced therapies sector, having worked for Novartis and Lonza. At Novartis, he was part of the cell and gene therapy unit, working on early and late phase projects with increasing levels of responsibilities. As ...

Dr. Melita Irving is a Group Leader at the Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research at the University of Lausanne, where she leads a research program focused on T-cell engineering for cancer immunotherapy. Her work aims to optimize both viral and non-viral gene engineering methods and develop...

Michelle Janas has more than thirteen years’ experience in biologics, API, medical device and pharmaceuticals. Prior to joining MasterControl as a Regional Account Executive, she held a variety of roles across quality and manufacturing including serving as Grünenthal Group’s Global GxP &...

I have overall responsibility for Newcastle Advanced Therapies and the development of advanced therapies within Newcastle Hospitals and Newcastle University. We are recognised nationally and internationally for the implementation and delivery of advanced therapies. We improve access to innovative...

Margareth Jorvid – MSc Pharm, MSc MTRA, MBA, FTOPRA Methra Uppsala AB CEO, Regulatory Affairs & Quality Assurance Margareth Jorvid has over 30 years of experience in Regulatory Affairs and has worked at the Swedish Medical Products Agency (MPA) as well as large and small pharmaceutical and...

Head of Immunology department at Hospital Clínic de Barcelona. Responsible of Joint platform for Immunotherapy of HSJD-HCB.

Dr. Tom Kamperman is an entrepreneurial biomedical engineer and the CEO & Founder of IamFluidics. He is the co-inventor of the patented IN-AIR MICROFLUIDICS™ technology, a breakthrough platform used to rapidly fabricate uniform microparticles and 3D cellular capsules. With a PhD from the...

Kerstin is the Engineering Biology Innovation and Partnerships Manager at the University of Bristol, where she works with academics to identify opportunities for translation and partnering presented by their research in synthetic and engineering biology. She also oversees a wide programme of...

Sandeep Kumar is a seasoned leader in the field of advanced therapy production, currently serving as the Head of Advanced Therapy Production at Guy's and St Thomas' NHS Foundation Trust. With a strong background in bioprocessing and cell therapy manufacturing, Sandeep brings over many years ...

Dr. Dinesh Kundu is the CEO & Co-founder of East Ocyon Bio, India’s first allogeneic cell therapy company developing CAR-NK and CAR-Gamma Delta T cell therapies for solid tumors, autoimmune diseases, and rare disorders. A physician by training and former Army doctor, he brings over 15 years of...

Jon A Kyte has combined expertise as clinical oncologist and immunotherapy researcher and is Head of the Department for Clinical Cancer Research, Oslo University Hospital (OUS), and Professor at Faculty of Medicine University of Oslo (UiO). Kyte is also Research Group Leader at Department Cancer...

With a first degree in Biochemistry and Pharmacology, and a PhD focusing on drug metabolism and pharmacokinetics, Graeme has worked in the areas of Drug Safety and Medical Services for over 35 years. Having worked as Head of Global Pharmacovigilance for a multinational innovator company, and as EU ...

Biochemical engineer and regenerative medicine researcher pursuing an industrial PhD at UCL with Orchard Therapeutics, focused on non-viral ex vivo gene therapy process development for hematopoietic stem cells. Holds an MSc in Stem Cell and Gene Therapy Manufacturing and a BEng in Biochemical...

Dr. John T. Lee is Global Head of Cell and Gene Therapy at SK pharmteco, where he leads the Cell and Gene Therapy business unit and oversees internal research and development, technology strategy, and GMP manufacturing across global operations. He brings more than 25 years of experience spanning...

Weiwei Li is a dedicated Highly Specialist Clinical Trials Pharmacist specialising in haematology, oncology, and advanced therapies at Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. With a strong background in pharmacy and clinical research, Weiwei plays a pivotal role in the design and delivery of...

With a background in synthetic organic chemistry, I have spent nearly two decades working in the biotechnology sector. I joined TCS Biosciences last year to support the launch of a new portfolio of animal-free cell culture reagents, including recombinant proteins, extracellular matrix...

Mark Lowdell is the co-founder and CSO of INmuneBio Inc & Professor of Cell & Tissue Therapy at University College London. With over 35 years’ experience in cell and gene therapy, his experience includes a variety of adoptive NK cell and T cell therapies, CAR-T cells, dendritic cell...

Founder of the We-Met platform and a specialist in protein biochemistry. He manages the facility and is responsible for various training courses anddevelopments in HERV detection. He started in 2005 at Inserm (Paris) in cardiac signaling and then joined the I2MC in 2010. He then founded the...

Dr John Maher is the scientific founder and chief scientific officer of Leucid Bio. He is also a clinical immunologist who leads the "CAR Mechanics" research group within King's College London. He played a key role in the early development of second generation (CD28) CAR technology...

Harris is Professor Of Manufacturing Systems andDeputy Head of Department (Research( in the Department of Engineering at King’s College London. He is also the founder of Centillion Technology Limited, a UK based biotech specialising in the rapid scaling and manufacture of RNA-based therapeutics and ...

Based in Edinburgh, UK, Director of Customer Engagement at World Courier, Stephanie leadsthe Global Customer Success Projects team, leading and supporting the onboarding and implementation of many advanced therapies projects worldwide, in addition to providing strategic level oversight across...

Dr Salah Mansour is a senior immunologist at the University of Southampton, specialising in unconventional T cell biology and its application to advanced immunotherapies. His research focuses on invariant natural killer T (iNKT) cells, CD1-restricted T cells, and their therapeutic potential in...

Pirjo Merilahti is a dynamic and accomplished Technology Manager at 3PBIOVIAN, a leading contract development and manufacturing organization specializing in advanced therapies. With a strong background in virology, biotechnology and a passion for innovation, Pirjo brings a wealth of expertise to...

Sophie is a Programme Manager in the Translation Team at the Medical Research Council, where she supports funding schemes and strategic activities for clinical and translational medical research. Her portfolio covers advanced treatments in cancer, including cancer vaccines, gene therapy, nucleic...

Alexander Natz is the Secretary General of the European Confederation of Pharmaceutical Entrepreneurs (EUCOPE) in Brussels and advises innovative pharmaceutical and biotech companies, including start-ups, in regulatory and pricing & reimbursement matters from the EU law and German law...

Dan O'Connor is medically (Leicester) and PhD (Imperial) qualified and currently the Director Regulatory and Early Access Policy at The Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI). He joined the ABPI from the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency in 2023. At the MHRA ...

Visionary and charismatic biotech executive with over 27 years of experience spanning commercial strategy, drug development, and product lifecycle management. He has held key global and regional leadership roles at top-tier pharmaceutical companies including Novartis Oncology, Celgene, and Bristol...

Tia works across industry and academia in the field of advanced therapeutics, with particular expertise in embedding high-quality patient and public involvement (PPI) in early-phase clinical development and regulatory strategy. In her industry role, she is responsible for integrating PPI across the ...

Margot Pont, PhD is VP Translational Development at Integra Therapeutics, a biotech company that is creating next-generation gene writing tools for cell and gene therapy. Prior to that she was Head of Translational Science at Galapagos for its CAR-T and TCR-T cell therapy programs in both solid...

I am a Senior Research Fellow in the Genetic Therapy Accelerator Centre (GTAC) at the UCL Queen Square Institute of Neurology, where I closely collaborate with the GTAC AAV research team and the Dubowitz Neuromuscular Centre (DNC), at the Great Ormond Street UCL Institute of Child Health...

Benjamin Purchase, Principal Adviser, NICE Advice Ben a health economist with extensive experience in HTA. At NICE, Ben works across all ‘front end’ advice services for industry, from advising on clinical and real-world evidence trial design, to economic modelling and international HTA...

Dr. Monica Raimo the Director of Product and Process Development at Glycostem Therapeutics, which she joined in 2018. She is strongly focused on advancing cell therapy innovation in the development of clinically compliant non-engineered and engineered allogeneic NK cells. She has a PhD in Molecular ...

Mark Roache , VP of Cell and Gene Therapies for Quality Executive Partners, Inc., is a senior quality executive and consultant specializing in advanced therapies including cell & gene therapy, drug conjugates, and other ATMP modalities. With a career spanning more than three decades, he has led ...

Ali Roghanian is an Associate Professor in Cancer Immunotherapy at the University of Southampton. With a strong background in immunology and cancer research, Ali's research focuses on developing innovative immunotherapies to target cancer cells.Ali is a respected expert in the field, with...

António Roldão graduated in Chemical Engineering at the Faculdade de Ciências e Tecnologia da Universidade Nova de Lisboa (FCT-UNL) in Portugal, and holds a PhD in Engineering and Technology Sciences, Systems Biology from Instituto de Tecnologia Química e Biológica António Xavier (ITQB NOVA) in...

Dr. Lior Shaltiel is an awarded executive and scientist with a wealth of multidisciplinary international experience, specializing in innovative drug delivery systems. Since 2021, serving as the CEO and Director at NurExone Biologic Inc., an Canadian-Israeli biopharmaceutical company (TSXV:NRX)...

Alex holds a PhD in Molecular Biology and has extensive expertise in cell and gene therapy, with a focus on vector bioprocessing and characterization. With a background in developing novel viral vector purification and analytical tools, Alex specializes in bringing innovative bioprocessing...

Lydia Shotton is responsible for European policy and public affairs at the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM), where she leads engagement with EU institutions and stakeholders on regulatory, market access, and industrial policy issues affecting cell and gene therapies. Her work focuses on...

John Black Professor of Bionanoscience - Department of Physiology, Anatomy and Genetics and Institute of Biomedical Engineering Professor Stevens’ multidisciplinary research balances the investigation of fundamental science with the development of technologies and designer biomaterials to address...

Dr. Panteli Theocharous, PhD, FRCPath, is a globally recognised biotech executive and translational scientist with more than 35-years of leadership across haematology/oncology, cell and gene therapy, and advanced therapeutics. Trained as a clinical immunologist at the Royal Free Hospital and...

Stefanos, CEO of OneChain Immunotherapeutics, the leading CAR-T company in Spain, brings over 20 years of broad experience in the cell and gene therapy space, BD, program management, manufacturing, and basic research. Prior to that he was Venture Partner at Albion VC and Deep Science Ventures, in...

Andreas Traube is Head of the Business Field Healthcare Industry and Head of the Life Sciences and Healthcare Business Unit at the Fraunhofer Institute for Manufacturing Engineering and Automation IPA, with industrial budget responsibility of approximately €13 million per year. He leads the...

Sandy Tretbar is a dedicated Group Leader at the prestigious Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology (IZI). With a strong background in cell therapy and RNA biochemistry, Sandy is at the forefront of cutting-edge research and innovation in the field of advanced therapies. Sandy's...

David Uguen serves as senior vice president and head of regulatory affairs of Orchard Therapeutics where he is responsible for steering the global regulatory strategy across all stages of the company’s pipeline of approved and investigational hematopoietic stem cell (HSC) gene therapies—spanning...

Hiro Usuda is Scouting & Transaction Lead, Business Development at Astellas. He moved to Cambridge, UK, in 2021 when Astellas launched a BD office there. He is responsible for introducing European technologies and assets to global Astellas, communicating with external partners, and creating new ...

Chief Operating Officer & Chief Manufacturing Officer | Driving Cell Therapy Innovation & Global Manufacturing Strategy.- PhD in Biochemical Engineering from UCL;- MBA in Businesses Management & Leadership;- Senior Manager at GMP manufacturing facility.

Darius Widera is a Professor of Stem Cell Biology and Regenerative Medicine and Research Division Lead at the University of Reading. His lab is mainly interested in adult stem cells and their secretome, inflammatory signalling cascades in health and disease, and novel methods for clinical-grade 3D...

›20 years in science, biopharma and investments ›At LanceBio screened >3,000 opportunities; built the portfolio ›At IBC Generium performed scouting and DD of new opportunities, R&D project management. ›Served at Algodign LLC, a IT-based drug design company, founded by Nobel prize...

Huiyi Zhu is the Head of U.S. Project Management and Global Line Manager for Viral Vector Business at ProBio Inc., bringing over 13 years of extensive experience in the development and GMP manufacturing of advanced therapy medicinal products, including plasmids and viral vectors. He has led...