Bio-Techne looks forward to welcoming you to this exciting virtual symposium event to discuss the latest topics within the Cell & Gene Therapy community. This event aims to keep everyone connected, communicating and collaborating to advance the cell and gene therapy research and beyond from bench to clinic. We are looking to bring everyone together to discuss the latest developments and technologies as well as share knowledge in this area, which benefits patients across the globe.

For those of you that joined us for the First Cell & Gene Therapy Symposium in London, November 2019, you will know we asked the delegates if the future of gene modification was viral or non-viral? 94% of the delegates opted for Non-viral, so for this first virtual symposium we have decided to focus on just that.

We have created an exciting agenda with 5 keynote speakers and a Q&A session.

Join us to find out from leading scientists how they are pushing the boundaries of Cell & Gene Therapy research.

VIDEO TIME	AGENDA
00:00	Welcome - Kamar Johnson
05:25	B-MoGen - Jeff Liter CEO
18:00	Oxford Biomedica - Andy Lewin
32:24	Avectas - Shirley O'Dea, CSO
47:12	MolMed - Luca Alberici, CBO
1:04:52	Catapult - Tristan Thwaites, PHD
1:23:06	Q/A Session

B-Mogen Biotechnologies a Bio-Techne brand:
Speaker: Jeff Liter, CEO
Title: Why Non-Viral Gene Modification is ready for the clinic 
Abstract: The vast improvement rates in transfection efficiency and toxicity factors for transposon system being utilized for gene transfer as recently developed by B-MoGen will certainly pave the path forward to clinical and commercial use. TcBuster, B-MoGen’s non-viral gene delivery system has enjoyed tremendous progress in the last eighteen months making it ready for prime time use by multiple therapeutic companies.

Speaker: Andy Lewin, Vice President Business Development, Manufacturing

Title: The LentiVector Platform, an integrated solution.

Abstract: Gene therapies, and gene-modified cell therapies require the robust and reliable delivery of genetic payloads to cells either in vivo o ex vivo. Over the past years lentiviral vectors have become established as a leading method of gene delivery. The Lentivector platform has been developed to allow the manufacture of lentiviral vectors for clinical and commercial use, and for a range of applications in vivo and ex vivo. In this presentaiton, the platform will be presented, looking at the curent status and future developments in lentiviral vector manufacturing.

Avectas:
Speaker: Shirley O’Dea, PhD, CSO
Title: Solupore^® Non-Viral Ex Vivo Cell Engineering Platform for Efficient Modification of Immune Cells
Abstract: Next-generation cell therapies will require next-generation delivery technologies that can achieve efficient multiple genetic modifications whilst maintaining high levels of cell functionality. Solupore is a non-viral ex vivo cell engineering platform that enables both development and manufacture of cell therapies. The technology uses reversible permeabilization to achieve rapid intracellular delivery of cargos, a method we have termed ‘soluporation’. The technology is highly reproducible, automated and scalable and has the potential to enable a broad range of cell engineering applications. Here we present our latest studies demonstrating that the Solupore enables multiple modifications of immune cells, including efficient production of CAR T cells with high cell functionality.

MolMed S.p.A: 
Speaker: Luca Alberici, CBO
Title: Viral gene modification: the past, the present and the future
Abstract: Gene therapy is based on the introduction of genetic material into a host cells to fight or prevent diseases. This can be achieved either by the use of a viral vector or through non-viral mediated techniques and reagents. The scope of the talk will be to present past and present achievement of the viral platform and reasons why this will remain a predominant tool in the years to come.

Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult: 
Speaker: Tristan Thwaites, Lead Scientist
Title: Non-viral gene delivery – supporting the next generation of gene edited cell therapies
Abstract: As the cell and gene therapy field evolves, therapeutic developers are aiming for higher levels of complexity in their cell engineered products. A diverse range of cargos (mRNA, proteins, DNA) and cells require increasing levels of sophistication in the choice of gene editing and gene transfer delivery technology. Non-viral delivery is unveiling a new era for cell therapy by enabling targeted genome engineering. Moreover, electroporation-alternatives and improvements in DNA and RNA synthesis are poised to further enhance cell engineering efforts. Looking beyond ex vivo routes, therapy developers will look to leverage advances being made with virally and non-virally delivered gene therapies. Progress here will be essential for truly unlocking the clinical potential of genome editing.

If you have any questions, please contact: [email protected]