The 2026 Cell & Gene Meeting on the Med was delivered in a hybrid format with live programming available over the course of three days at the Rome Cavalieri. Virtual registrants had access to all content via livestream during the program dates. Additionally, all content was made available on-demand within 24 hours of the live program time for all registrants to view.
7:30am | REGISTRATION OPENS
8:00am | PARTNERING OPENS
9:00am | GENERAL SESSION
WELCOME REMARKS
{Salone dei Cavalieri, Section 2&3}
9:00am – 9:30am
Speakers:
Tim Hunt, CEO, Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM)
Bob Smith, Venture Partner, OrbiMed; Chairman, Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM)
09:30am – 10:15am | CONCURRENT TRACKS
MOMENTUM BUILDING? SIGNS OF PROGRESS FOR CELL AND GENE THERAPY COMMERCIALIZATION IN EUROPE
{Salone dei Cavalieri, Section 2&3}
9:30am – 10:15am
Important milestones are emerging across commercial launches, access agreements, financings, and strategic partnerships. This panel brings together leaders with already launched or soon to be launched products to explore what is driving progress, how Europe is evolving as a launch and growth market, and what these advances signal for the next wave of advanced therapies.
Moderator:
Thomas Fellner, Ph.D., Vice President and Global Head of Commercial Development, Specialized Modalities, Lonza
Speakers:
Abhi Gupta, Executive Vice President of Commercial & Business Development, Ocugen
Lynelle Hoch, President, Cell Therapy Organization, Bristol Myers Squibb
Becky Poehnelt, Ph.D., Vice President, Global Commercial Strategy Lymphoma, Leukemia and Cell Therapy, Johnson & Johnson
COMPANY PRESENTATIONS
{Salone dei Cavalieri, Section 1}
| 9:45am – 10:00am | Histone Therapeutics |
| 10:00am – 10:15am | Skylark Bio |
10:15am – 10:45am | MORNING BREAK
Sponsored by Akron Biotech and C3i Center
10:45am – 12:15pm | CONCURRENT TRACKS
KEYNOTE SPEAKER: ILARIA VILLA, CEO, FONDAZIONE TELETHON
{Salone dei Cavalieri, Section 2&3}
10:45am – 11:30am
Moderator:
Richard Wilson, Senior Vice President, Primary Focus Lead, Genetic Regulation, Astellas
Speaker:
Ilaria Villa, CEO, Fondazione Telethon
SAUDI ARABIA’S VISION FOR CGTs AND STRATEGIC INITIATIVES
{Salone dei Cavalieri, Sections 2&3}
11:30am – 12:15pm
Saudi Arabia is rapidly advancing its ambitions in cell and gene therapies (CGTs) through bold national investments, regulatory evolution, and cross-sector partnerships designed to accelerate innovation and patient access. This panel will bring together leaders from investment, regulatory, and innovation sectors to explore the Kingdom’s long-term vision and strategic initiatives.
Moderator:
Ahmed Mousa, M.D., General Manager, Lafana Life Sciences
Speakers:
Maha Al-Mozaini, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor, King Saud University; Senior Consultant, Research, Development and Innovation Authority (RDIA)
Kinnari Patel, Pharm.D., CEO, RTW Institute
Nada Zaidan, Ph.D., KSA Biotech Ecosystem Expert
COMPANY PRESENTATIONS
{Salone dei Cavalieri, Section 1}
| 11:30am – 11:45am | AGC Biologics |
| 11:45am – 12:00pm | Rocket Pharmaceuticals |
| 12:00pm – 12:15pm | Asgard Therapeutics |
12:15pm – 1:30pm | LUNCH
Sponsored by C3i Center
1:30pm – 3:15pm | CONCURRENT TRACKS
FIRESIDE CHAT: PATIENT VOICE
{Salone dei Cavalieri, Section 2&3}
1:30pm – 2:00pm
Moderator:
Jason Foster, CEO, Ori Biotech
Speaker:
Sebastian Honoré, Lowe Syndrome Caregiver; CEO and Founder, Cure Lowe Foundation
COMPANY PRESENTATIONS
{Salone dei Cavalieri, Section 1}
| 1:30pm – 1:45pm | Cellular Origins |
| 1:45pm – 2:00pm | Avista Therapeutics |
INSIDE BIG PHARMA’S ATMP STRATEGY: HOW GLOBAL LEADERS ARE INVESTING IN THE FUTURE
{Salone dei Cavalieri, Section 2&3}
2:00pm – 2:45pm
This panel will feature senior executives from leading global pharmaceutical organizations discussing how Europe’s regulatory and access landscape is shaping deal activity, platform builds, and global expansion strategies. Attendees will gain insight into where Big Pharma is placing its bets—and what this signals for the future of the ATMP market worldwide.
Moderator:
Matthew Hewitt, Ph.D., Vice President, Chief Technical Officer, Manufacturing Business Division, Charles River
Speakers:
Ralf Altenburger, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Cell and Gene Therapy, F. Hoffmann-La Roche
Anne-Virginie Eggimann, Vice President and Chief Development Officer, Lilly Regenerative Medicine
Giorgio Iotti, Ph.D., Vice President, Pipeline Strategy and Early Development, Chiesi Global Rare Diseases
Johanna Rossell, Senior Vice President, General Manager, Rare Disease, Sumitomo Pharma America
COMPANY PRESENTATIONS
{Salone dei Cavalieri, Section 1}
| 2:00pm – 2:15pm | AviadoBio |
| 2:15pm – 2:30pm | Kiji Therapeutics |
| 2:30pm – 2:45pm | Luminary Therapeutics |
NANOPARTICLE PLATFORMS 2.0: ENABLING SCALABLE, TARGETED DELIVERY FOR THE NEXT WAVE OF GENETIC MEDICINES
{Salone dei Cavalieri, Section 2&3}
2:45pm – 3:15pm
Nanoparticle technologies have moved from enabling mRNA vaccines to powering the next generation of gene editing, RNA therapeutics, and in vivo cell engineering. This session will bring together leaders from leading genetic medicine and delivery platform companies to discuss advances in lipid nanoparticle systems, selective organ targeting, redosing strategies, and the path to scalable manufacturing.
Moderator:
Sharon Anderson, Vice President, Scientific Affairs, Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM)
Speakers:
Ali Alhasan, Ph.D., Founder and CEO, NanoPalm
Matthias Bozza, Ph.D., Head of R&D and Strategic Development, CPTx
Sean Kevlahan, Ph.D., Co-founder and CEO, Nanite
COMPANY PRESENTATIONS
{Salone dei Cavalieri, Section 1}
| 2:45pm – 3:00pm | Forge Biologics |
| 3:00pm – 3:15pm | Evotec |
3:15pm – 3:45pm | AFTERNOON BREAK
Sponsored by Akron Biotech and C3i Center
3:45pm – 6:00pm | CONCURRENT TRACKS
CELL THERAPY IS DEAD – LONG LIVE CELL THERAPY
{Salone dei Cavalieri, Section 2&3}
3:45pm – 4:30pm
With the advent of in vivo therapies, questions around the viability of cell therapies and patient access for larger indications have intensified. This panel will endeavor to delineate this messaging, centered on the difficulty of scaling up CAR-T in particular, versus iPSC-based cell therapies that target tissue replacement and enable larger scale, off-the-shelf approaches. We will discuss with industry leaders that are taking these novel, potentially curative therapies through the clinical stages and are seeing initial promising patient benefits.
Moderator:
Nina Bauer, Ph.D., Executive Vice President, Strategy and Commercial, FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics
Speakers:
Ricardo Baptista, Chief Technology Officer, SmartCella
Seth Ettenberg, Ph.D., CEO, BlueRock Therapeutics
Howard Federoff, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer, Co-Founder, Kenai Therapeutics
Bruno Marques, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, Technical Operations, Morphocell Technologies
COMPANY PRESENTATIONS
{Salone dei Cavalieri, Section 1}
| 3:45pm – 4:00pm | AlphaRose Therapeutics |
| 4:00pm – 4:15pm | Bionova Scientific |
| 4:15pm – 4:30pm | Aspect Biosystems |
ETHICS AND ATMPS: SPOTLIGHT ON PARTNERSHIPS, GUARDRAILS, AND GLOBAL ACCESS
{Salone dei Cavalieri, Section 2&3}
4:30pm – 5:15pm
This panel brings together scientific, ethical, and business leaders to examine the complex questions surrounding the evolving ATMP landscape, from technical realities to societal impact. This panel will explore unique partnerships, needed guardrails on ‘frontier technologies,’ and the vision of greater global access in the years to come.
Moderator:
Tim Hunt, CEO, Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM)
Speakers:
Lisa Deschamps, CEO, AviadoBio
Kevin FitzGerald, S.J., Ph.D., Ph.D., Chair, Department of Medical Humanities, Associate Professor, Creighton University
Sadik Kassim, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer and Chief Technology Officer, Danaher Genomic Medicines
James Wilson, M.D., Ph.D., President and CEO, GEMMABio; Professor of Medicine and Pediatrics, University of Pennsylvania Perelman School of Medicine
COMPANY PRESENTATIONS
{Salone dei Cavalieri, Section 1}
| 4:30pm – 4:45pm | Ocugen |
| 4:45pm – 5:00pm | CGT Catapult |
| 5:00pm – 5:15pm | Nanite |
AI-DRIVEN ACCELERATION IN CELL AND GENE THERAPY: FROM DISCOVERY TO DELIVERY
{Salone dei Cavalieri, Section 2&3}
5:15pm – 6:00pm
AI is rapidly emerging as a transformative tool across the CGT value chain, from discovery to manufacturing optimization and clinical development. This panel will explore the current state of AI adoption in CGT, highlighting tangible progress, real-world use cases, and lessons learned from early implementations.
Moderator:
Frederic Cedrone, Ph.D., Vice President of Corporate Innovation, Catalent
Speakers:
Hilary Eaton, Ph.D., Chief Business Officer, Profluent
Michael May, Ph.D., President and CEO, CCRM
Tamer Mohamed, Founder and CEO, Aspect Biosystems
Dan Strange, Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer, Cellular Origins
COMPANY PRESENTATIONS
{Salone dei Cavalieri, Section 1}
| 5:15pm – 5:30pm | StemSight |
| 5:30pm – 5:45pm | BlueWhale Bio |
6:00pm | PROGRAM AND PARTNERING CLOSES
6:00pm – 8:00pm | NETWORKING BASH
Sponsored by Dark Horse Consulting
7:30am | REGISTRATION OPENS
8:00am | PARTNERING OPENS
9:00am – 10:15am | CONCURRENT TRACKS
PATIENT KEYNOTE: CHRIS KESSLER, PARENT OF A CHILD WITH A RARE DISEASE, SMA TYPE 1
{Salone dei Cavalieri, Section 2&3}
9:00am – 9:30am
Chris Kessler is the father to a nearly 2 year old son, Charlie, who received a diagnosis of Spinal Muscular Atrophy Type 1 (SMA) in October of 2024. In December of the same year, Charlie received a gene therapy called Zolgensma at Evelina Children’s Hospital in London. While still facing many challenges, Charlie continues to progress well, achieve new milestones, and remain his happy self. Chris is passionate to share his family’s story in hopes that it can bring about wider awareness of SMA, inspire hope, and drive greater access to advanced therapies.
Moderator:
Bob Smith, Venture Partner, OrbiMed; Chairman, Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM)
Speaker:
Chris Kessler, Father of a Child with a Rare Disease, SMA Type 1
THE EVOLVING INVESTMENT THESIS FOR CGT: WHAT’S DRIVING THE NEXT GROWTH CYCLE?
{Salone dei Cavalieri, Section 2&3}
9:30am – 10:15am
This session will explore investors’ views on the top trends driving interest in the CGT sector, including indications and modalities and companies’ efforts to learn from the challenges of the post-pandemic funding environment.
Moderator:
Luca Issi, Ph.D., Senior Biotechnology Analyst, RBC Capital Markets
Speakers:
Daniela Begolo, Ph.D., Managing Director, EQT Life Sciences
Jonathan Hay, Ph.D., Partner, Delin Ventures
Antoine de Lachaux, Head of Life Science Unit, European Investment Bank
Tay Salimullah, Venture Partner, 4BIO Capital
COMPANY PRESENTATIONS
{Salone dei Cavalieri, Section 1}
| 9:30am – 9:45am | Tozaro |
| 9:45am – 10:00am | SCT Cell Manufacturing |
| 10:00am – 10:15am | VERIGRAFT |
10:15am – 10:45am | MORNING BREAK
Sponsored by Akron Biotech and C3i Center
10:45am – 12:15pm | CONCURRENT TRACKS
FIRESIDE CHAT: EMA & MHRA
{Salone dei Cavalieri, Section 2&3}
10:45am – 11:30am
Moderator:
Miguel Forte, M.D., Ph.D., CEO, Kiji Therapeutics
Speakers:
Lawrence Tallon, Chief Executive, UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
Steffen Thirstrup, M.D., Ph.D., Chief Medical Officer, European Medicines Agency (EMA)
COMPANY PRESENTATIONS
{Salone dei Cavalieri, Section 1}
| 10:45am – 11:00am | RTW Institute |
| 11:00am – 11:15am | Arbor Biotechnologies |
| 11:15am – 11:30am | SmartCella |
FROM PHASE 1 TO BLA: EARLY DECISIONS THAT IMPACT GLOBAL EXPANSION
{Salone dei Cavalieri, Section 2&3}
11:30am – 12:15pm
Europe’s next cell therapy programs will be shaped not only by science, but by early development decisions that enable global expansion. Leaders from clinical and commercial programs will share US and EU lessons on building durable processes and analytical data packages that minimize rework and regional friction as programs scale.
Moderator:
Rebecca McQualter, Ph.D., CEO, Chimeric Therapeutics
Speakers:
Ali Soleymannezhad, Chief Commercial Officer, Cellares
Matthias Will, M.D., Chief Development Officer, Autolus
Sarah Yuan, Ph.D., Chief Technology Officer, Cabaletta Bio
COMPANY PRESENTATIONS
{Salone dei Cavalieri, Section 1}
| 11:30am – 11:45am | Laverock Therapeutics |
| 11:45am – 12:00pm | Precigen |
| 12:00pm – 12:15pm | CUTISS |
12:15pm – 1:30pm | LUNCH
Sponsored by OXB
1:30pm – 3:00pm | CONCURRENT TRACKS
REMOVING BARRIERS IN CELL AND GENE THERAPY: AN INTEGRATED DEVELOPMENT APPROACH
{Salone dei Cavalieri, Section 2&3}
1:30pm – 2:15pm
Cell and gene therapy development is often constrained not by innovation itself, but by fragmented strategies across CMC, clinical, and regulatory domains. This roundtable will explore how integrated, forward-looking development approaches, built on strong scientific strategy, cross-functional collaboration, and smarter clinical design, can unlock more efficient and impactful pathways. The discussion will also highlight how complementary tools, including model-informed approaches, can further enhance decision-making and enable more innovative, regulator-ready programs.
Moderator:
Monica Rodriguez, Ph.D., Managing Director, Global Laboratory, Pharmacometrics and Site Services, CTI Clinical Trial and Consulting Services
Speakers:
Gustavo Pesquin, CEO, AskBio
Anne-Virginie Eggimann, Vice President and Chief Development Officer, Lilly Regenerative Medicine
Gaurav Shah, M.D., CEO and President, Rocket Pharmaceuticals
FROM PLATFORM TO PATIENT: ALTERNATIVE ROUTES TO ACCESS FOR BESPOKE GENE THERAPIES
{Salone dei Cavalieri, Section 2&3}
2:15pm – 3:00pm
This session will examine how platform technologies and alternative, non-commercial models can help deliver bespoke gene therapies to rare disease patients where conventional commercial markets are unable to do so.
Moderator:
Vanessa Almendro Navarro, Ph.D., Senior Vice President and Chief Commercialization Officer, City of Hope
Speakers:
Julian Beach, Interim Executive Director, Healthcare Quality and Access, UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
Stefano Benvenuti, Head of Public Affairs and Market Access, Fondazione Telethon
Sebastian Honoré, Lowe Syndrome Caregiver; CEO and Founder, Cure Lowe Foundation
Paschalia Koufokotsiou, Public Health Policy Officer, European Commission
Caroline Pothet, Pharm.D., Head of Advanced Therapies and Haemato-oncology, European Medicines Agency (EMA)
3:00pm – 3:30pm | AFTERNOON BREAK
Sponsored by Akron Biotech and C3i Center
3:30pm – 5:00pm | CONCURRENT TRACKS
SPOTLIGHT SESSION: BUILDING NEW BUSINESS MODELS FOR RARE DISEASE THERAPIES
{Salone dei Cavalieri, Section 2&3}
3:30pm – 4:00pm
Moderator:
Lawrence Tallon, Chief Executive, UK Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA)
Speakers:
Casey McPherson, CEO and Founder, AlphaRose Therapeutics
Julia Vitarello, Founder and CEO, Mila’s Miracle Foundation
COMPANY PRESENTATIONS
{Salone dei Cavalieri, Section 1}
| 3:30pm – 3:45pm | ElevateBio |
| 3:45pm – 4:00pm | GENETHON |
WHEN RCTS ARE NOT AN OPTION: CLINICAL TRIAL STRATEGIES FOR ATMPS
{Salone dei Cavalieri, Section 2&3}
4:00pm – 5:00pm
When randomized controlled trials are not feasible, advanced therapy developers must rely on innovative clinical and evidentiary approaches to demonstrate safety, efficacy, and value. This panel will explore alternative trial designs, real-world evidence, and payer and regulatory perspectives shaping how ATMPs reach patients in the absence of traditional RCT data.
Moderator:
Nicholas Gertler, Co-founder, Galen/Atlantica
Speakers:
Antonella Cardone, CEO, Cancer Patients Europe (CPE)
Hans Georg Eichler, M.D., Consulting Physician, Association of Austrian Social Insurance Institutions
Robert Nistico, M.D., President, Italian Medicines Agency (AIFA)
Dilip Patel, Senior Vice President, Pricing and Market Access Strategy, Autolus
COMPANY PRESENTATIONS
{Salone dei Cavalieri, Section 1}
| 4:00pm – 4:15pm | Sano Genetics |
| 4:15pm – 4:30pm | StimulusBio |
| 4:30pm – 4:45pm | SynGenSys Limited |
5:00pm | PROGRAM AND PARTNERING CLOSES
5:00pm – 6:00pm | COCKTAIL RECEPTION
7:30am | REGISTRATION OPENS
8:00am | PARTNERING OPENS
9:00am | GENERAL SESSION
CONCLUDING REMARKS AND CONFERENCE SUMMARY
{Salone dei Cavalieri, Section 2&3}
9:00am – 9:15am
Speaker:
Paolo Morgese, Vice President, Public Affairs, Europe, Middle East and Africa, Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM)
EUROPE IS BETTING ON ATMP HUBS: HOW DO WE TURN POLICY AND CAPITAL INTO SCALE?
{Salone dei Cavalieri, Section 2&3}
9:15am – 10:15am
Across Europe, governments and investors are backing ATMP hubs to concentrate expertise, infrastructure, and capital — but turning ambition into sustainable scale remains a challenge. This panel will explore how policy, public funding, and private investment can better align to build globally competitive manufacturing, talent, and commercialization ecosystems for advanced therapies.
Moderator:
Matthew Durdy, Chief Executive, Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult
Speakers:
Thomas Carlsen, Ph.D., CEO, Novo Nordisk Foundation Cellerator
Marion Hitchcock, Ph.D., Managing Director, Gene and Cell Therapies Incubator Berlin and R&D Strategy and Portfolio Manager, Bayer
Anna-Pia Papageorgiou, Ph.D., Policy Officer, Health Innovations and Ecosystems, European Commission
Paola Pozzi, Partner, Sofinnova Telethon Fund, Sofinnova Partners
Fredrik Wessberg, CEO, CCRM Nordic
FIRESIDE CHAT: KHALID FAKHRO, PH.D., CHIEF RESEARCH OFFICER, SIDRA MEDICINE
{Salone dei Cavalieri, Section 2&3}
10:15am – 11:00am
This discussion will spotlight the growing cell and gene therapy landscape in Qatar and the broader Middle East. Dr. Fakhro will share insights from his leadership in research, and how these efforts are helping to build the scientific and clinical foundation for next-generation CGT development and implementation across the region.
Moderator:
Devyn Smith, Ph.D., CEO, Arbor Biotechnologies
Speaker:
Khalid Fakhro, Ph.D., Chief Research Officer, Sidra Medicine
ENGINEERING CELLS AS MEDICINES: THE NEXT GENERATION OF CGT PLATFORMS
{Salone dei Cavalieri, Section 2&3}
11:00am – 12:00pm
This panel will explore how advances in cell engineering—from delivery systems to gene circuits—are transforming cell therapies into scalable, programmable medicines and reshaping global manufacturing strategies.
Moderator:
Luca Alberici, Ph.D., Executive Vice President, Global Cell and Gene Technologies and General Manager, Milan Facility, AGC Biologics
Speakers:
Ali Mohamed, Ph.D., Senior Vice President CMC, Immatics Biotechnologies
Cristiana Pires, Ph.D., CEO, Asgard Therapeutics
Vlad Seitan, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer, Laverock Therapeutics
12:00pm | PROGRAM AND PARTNERING CLOSES
