Plenary Sessions
Check back regularly for program updates.
Accelerating CGT Adoption: Proof of Concept to Standard of Care
With the goal of Accelerating CGT Adoption – Proof of Concept to Standard of Care, the ISCT 2020 Scientific Plenary Sessions will each feature 3 diverse presentations addressing the latest advancements in translational research, pre-clinical studies, and clinical trials for a variety of therapeutic applications.
Translational Research
Clinical Translation
Regulatory & Quality Operations
Commercialization
Presidential Plenary - Mastering Pluripotent Cells With Therapeutic Intent
Chair: John Rasko, AO, BSc(Med), MBBS(Hons), PhD
University of Sydney, AUS
Mario R. Capecchi, PhD, 2007 Nobel Laureate (Physiology or Medicine)
University of Utah, USA
Keynote speaker sponsored by Cytotherapy, The official journal of the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy
Marc Peschanski, MD, PhD
I-Stem, FRA
Rudolf Jaenisch, MD
Whitehead Institute and Massachusetts Institute of Technology, USA
Plenary Session 2 – Mesenchymal Stromal Cells- Full Circle from Basic Research Insights to Clinical Trial Updates
This session will bring together speakers who will provide a full spectrum overview of latest developments in the field of mesenchymal stromal cell research. This includes insights into newly hypothesized mechanisms of action and single cell characterization of mesenchymal stromal cells, clinical translation challenges using pooled bone marrow-derived mesenchymal stromal cells for treatment of refractory Graft-vs. Host Disease, and updates from a pioneering European trial on the use of mesenchymal stromal cells to treat refractory Sclerodoma.
Chair: Sowmya Viswanathan, PhD
University Health Network Cell Therapy, CAN
Jacques Galipeau, MD
University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
Halvard Bönig, MD, PhD
Johann-Wolfgang-Goethe University, GER
Dominique Farge-Bancel, MD
Paris Diderot University and Hôpital Saint-Louis, FRA
Plenary Session 3 – Advances and Emerging Technologies in Immune-Mediated Cancer Treatments
CAR-T Cells represent the first example of a cellular therapy that has moved from immunological concepts developed in research laboratories to worldwide and large-scale industry-manufacturing of potent therapeutic agents. The bumpy road* for these developments exemplify the many scientific challenges that await developers of this class of therapeutics. While scientific developments continue to occur at a high pace for CAR-T and CAR NK therapies, the race to solve the logistical, medical, financial and societal issues is engaged, with the goal to bring this class of therapeutics to all patients in need of them. CAR-T and CAR NK Cells will likely pave the way for other forms of immune cellular therapies, but also for regenerative medicines.
Co-Chairs:
Bruce Levine, PhD
University of Pennsylvania, USA
Christian Chabannon, MD, PhD
Institut Paoli Calmettes, FRA
Marcela Maus, MD, PhD
Massachusetts General Hospital and Harvard Medical School, USA
Michael Hudecek, MD
University of Würzburg, GER
Katy Rezvani, MD, PhD
MD Anderson Cancer Center, USA
Plenary Session 4 – Is Big Pharma ready for industrial scale Cell and Gene Therapy?
Recent successes in the market authorization of cell and gene therapy products has generated tremendous excitement. However, to be successful, the industry now needs to move into a phase of industrialization, where like the car industry it needs the “eureka” moment of standardization that allows the efficient flow from product to patient. To realize this, we need to overcome the barriers between all the silos in the system (e.g. hospital, manufacture, testing, etc.) so that patients are efficiently treated.
Chair: Anthony Ting, PhD
Athersys, USAEmanuele Ostuni, PhD
Novartis Oncology, CHE
Angela Krackhardt, MD
Technical University of Munich, GER
Alberto Santagostino, MBA
Lonza, CHE
Plenary Session 5 – Gene Engineering: The Past, Present and the Future
Gene-engineering is currently ‘in-vogue’ as a potential treatment for multiple monogenetic and rare diseases. This session will highlight the progress in the field of gene-insertion, vector biology and gene-editing for both the ex-vivo and in-vivo approaches of gene manipulation. The current challenges and safety issues will be discussed, with the spotlight on ongoing clinical trials as examples of potential curative therapies.
Chair: Sandeep Soni, MD
Standford University, USA
Donald Kohn, MD
University of California Los Angeles, USA
Paula Rio, PhD
Centro de Investigaciones Energéticas, Medioambientales y Tecnológicas (CIEMAT), SPA
Carlos Fonck, PhD
DABT, BioMarin Pharmaceuticals Inc., USA
Plenary Session 6 - Basics and translational potential of extracellular vesicles including exosomes
Most cells release Extracellular Vesicles (EVs) into their environment. In particular, small EVs of 50-200 nm that include exosomes, have been shown to mediate intercellular communication in many physiological and pathophysiological processes. Small EVs from some cell sources, e.g. mesenchymal stromal cells (MSCs), can alleviate pathological processes and are considered as novel therapeutic agents. Within the session basic aspects of EV biology and their therapeutic potential will be discussed.
Chair: Bernd Giebel, PhD
niversity Hospital Essen, Institute for Transfusion, GER
Clotilde Théry, PhD
Institut Curie, INSERM, FRA
Sai-Kiang Lim, PhD
Institute of Medical Biology, A*STAR, SGP
Rebecca Lim, PhD
Monash University, AUS