Driving the Future of Innovation in Cell & Gene Therapy, Together

Join the Sartorius CGT Forum — where innovation meets expertise.

Join us in Boston, MA, on October 23 for the Cell & Gene Therapy Forum, where leading voices and subject matter experts from across the CGT landscape will come together to shape the future of this fast-evolving field. This exclusive event will spotlight regulatory perspectives, AI-driven analytics, start-up and investment strategies, and emerging technologies and breakthroughs, all through the lens of industry leaders on the front lines of innovation. 

See what’s ahead — preview the full agenda, meet our expert speakers, and discover what to expect from a day of forward-thinking conversation.

As a pre-event activity, you have the option to sign up for a guided tour of the new Sartorius Center for Bioprocess Innovation in Marlborough, MA, on the afternoon of Oct 22nd.

 

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Key Messages

  • Discover the transformative role of data analytics: From early R&D to scalable manufacturing and patient access, explore how data is setting new standards for efficiency, quality, and impact across the CGT value chain.
  • Accelerate Innovation in CGT: Learn about the newest technologies and novel processes that are transforming the cell, gene, and nucleic acids landscape.
  • Be part of CGT’s next chapter:  Connect with peers and thought leaders to explore emerging trends, technologies, and approaches shaping the future of advanced therapies.

Our Program

Download Agenda

Track Abstracts

Plenary Session

8:30 a.m. - 12:15p.m.

Chair: Priyanka Gupta & Maya Fuerstenau-Sharp

We’re kicking off the 2025 CGT Forum with an engaging and interactive plenary session featuring leaders from across the cell and gene therapy landscape. Join us for timely market insights, a lively panel discussion on the evolving regulatory environment, and a closer look at how investment trends—especially for CGT start-ups—are shaping the future. The session will also explore how data analytics and AI are being used to accelerate ATMP development. Come ready to ask questions, share perspectives, and connect with others driving innovation in this fast-moving field.

Gene Therapy | NA Track

1:15 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.

Chair: Paul Cashen ​

Join leading voices as they share the newest developments in AAV, mRNA, and plasmid DNA, highlighting separate pathways and novel solutions shaping the future of gene therapy. Get an inside look into developing a scalable AAV platform, using data analytics to improve performance, tackling production challenges and enabling process optimization. Explore how real-time PAT and computational controls are driving smarter, more efficient manufacturing. Learn from academic case studies that reveal new directions in both AAV and mRNA research. Discover how modular cleanroom designs are enabling scalable, flexible plasmid DNA manufacturing and see how analytics and model-driven approaches are optimizing viral vector production. Bringing together strategies for optimization and platform innovation, this track presents fresh insights into AAV and nucleic acid development.

 

Cell Therapy Track

1:15 p.m. - 5:15 p.m.

Chair: Shanya Jiang

Dive into the cutting edge of cell therapy innovation with a dynamic series of presentations designed to inspire and inform. Gain insights from the hospital’s perspective on designing truly personalized therapies and explore breakthroughs in iPSC-based 3D bioprinting that are redefining regenerative medicine. Discover how non-viral gene editing using lipid-based transfection is enabling safer, more efficient cell engineering, and learn about the latest advances in stem cell scale-up using stirred tank bioreactors. Whether you're focused on clinical translation or manufacturing optimization, this track offers a front-row seat to the future of cell therapies.

 

Join an exclusive tour of the Sartorius Bioprocess Innovation Center in Marlborough, MA, in the afternoon of October 22nd

Designed to foster collaboration and real-world application, this state-of-the-art facility showcases the latest Sartorius technologies driving cell and gene therapy forward. Experience firsthand our next-gen automated cell therapy platforms, LNP generation tools, and Process Development & Clinical GMP Services. Discover how our experts, workflows, and the innovative technologies developed by Corporate Research are shaping the future of therapeutic development.

Meet Our Speakers

Confirmed Speakers  

Carl Schoellhammer

Partner | DeciBio Consulting

  Carl leads DeciBio’s advanced therapies practice. He brings experience across biopharma, manufacturing / bioprocessing, and supply chain considerations for his clients. He has executed on projects ranging from pipeline prioritization / life cycle management, indication road mapping, growth strategy, and M&A projects across healthcare, life science tools, and pharma (cell and gene therapies). Carl holds a B.S. from the university of California, Berkeley, and a Ph.D. from MIT where he trained with Professor Robert Langer.

Basak Clements

Founder and Senior Advisor | Biomatria

  Basak Clements, PhD, is the Founder and Senior Advisor at Biomatria, a scientific consultancy specializing in materials science and management for the biopharmaceutical and advanced therapy industries. Previously, Basak served as Global Head/Senior Director of Cell and Gene Therapy Materials Science at Roche/Genentech, and in various roles at Johnson & Johnson and Amgen.

Pierre Springuel

PhD Candidate | University College London

  Pierre is a final-year Biochemical Engineering PhD researcher at the University College London. His research, conducted in close collaboration with Sartorius, focuses on the development and optimisation of CAR-T therapy manufacturing processes in single-use stirred-tank bioreactors. He specialises in perfusion intensification and bioprocess scale-up, aiming to enhance the efficiency and scalability of CAR-T cell production processes.

Mark A. Skylar-Scott

Assistant Professor |     Stanford Department of Bioengineering 

  Mark Skylar-Scott is an Assistant Professor of Bioengineering at Stanford, a member of the BASE Initiative at the Children’s Heart Center, and a Chan-Zuckerberg Biohub Investigator. He received the NIH Director’s New Innovator Award to accelerate organ engineering by scaling cell production and advancing 3D printing materials and hardware.

Chesney Michels

Director of Innovation and Platform for Cell & Gene Therapy | Elevate Bio

  Dr. Chesney Michels (PhD) serves as Director of ElevateBio’s PD Platform and Emerging Technology team. He is focused on supporting clients with cells from pre-clinical development of NextGen therapeutics, and evaluating new process technologies, instruments and reagents that have the potential to disrupt the CGT space, from early stages through to commercialization.

Julie Porter

Vice President, Cellular Therapies Operations | Dana Farber  

Julie Porter has served as an administrative leader in academic medicine cancer centers across the country for more than 15 years in a variety of roles, including quality, operations, and strategy.  She is based in Boston, Massachusetts. 

Sara Nikiforow

Technical Director, DFCI Immune Effector Cell Therapy Program | Dana Farber  

With clinical training in medical hematology/oncology and a PhD in Immunobiology, Dr. Nikiforow leads cell therapy program initiatives at Dana-Farber Cancer Institute as a stem cell transplant clinician, Technical Director of the Immune Effector Cell Program and Medical Director of CMCF, one of the nation’s largest academic cell manufacturing facilities.

Philip Vanek

Founder & CEO Redline Bioadvisors, Chief Commercialization Officer ISCT | Redline Bioadvisors

  An entrepreneurial and strategic international business leader, Phil serves as a strategic advisor to investors, life sciences startups, and advanced therapies organizations through his Redline Bioadvisors entity.  Prior to founding Redline, Phil was CTO and Partner at Gamma Biosciences, a KKR life sciences tools investment, where he was responsible for technical diligence, as well as guiding operational, R&D and strategic initiatives carried out at portfolio companies.  Phil received his Ph.D. in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Georgetown University Medical Center, with research focused in molecular oncology.  

Sanjay Srivastava

Managing Director, Cell & Gene Therapy CoE Lead | Accenture  

Sanjay Srivastava leads strategic healthcare transformations at Accenture, drawing on over a decade in consulting, including his role as Senior Manager at Deloitte. He focuses on innovation, change management, and patient-centered solutions. As an HBR Advisory Council member and Vitalant board member, he champions open innovation and improved access to advanced therapies.

Tony Ting

Chief Scientific Officer | Kiji Therapeutics  

Dr. Ting is the CSO for Kiji Therapeutics, with over 20 years of industry experience. Prior to joining Kiji Therapeutics, he served as Program Leader in Oncology Cell Therapy Innovation at Takeda. He was also the CSO for Bone Therapeutics and the Vice President of Regenerative Medicine at Athersys.

Edita Botonjic-Sehic

Head of Process Analytics and Data Science | ReciBio  

Dr. Edita Botonjic-Sehic is a Head of process analytics and data science at ReciBioPharm where she provides technical insight, strategic conceptualization and implementation of PAT, data engineering and data science; she has 20+ years of experience in advanced PAT and data science techniques improving manufacturing concepts in pharmaceutical/therapeutics development.

Aaron Cowley

Chief Scientific Officer | ReciBio  

Aaron B. Cowley, PhD, MBA, is the Chief Scientific Officer at ReciBioPharm (formerly Arranta Bio), the biologics division of ReciPharm. He leads the vision and execution of the company’s continuous manufacturing platform for xRNA and is a founding member of the MIT Center for Continuous mRNA Manufacturing.

Hai-Quan Mao

Director, Institute for NanoBioTechnology; Professor, Materials Sci & Eng, and Biomed Eng |  Johns Hopkins University  

Dr. Hai-Quan Mao’s research focuses on nanofiber-hydrogel  composites for tissue repair, machine-learning-guided lipid nanoparticles for gene delivery, and immuno-engineering matrices. He is a Fellow of the National Academy of Inventors and the American Institute for Medical and Biological Engineering, and an associate editor of Biomaterials.

 

Dennis Powers

Senior Vice President of Product & Strateg | G-CON  

Dennis Powers is the Senior Vice President of Product & Strategy for G-CON Manufacturing and has 30 years experience working in the biopharmaceutical industry in various technical and commercial leadership positions including engineering, operations, portfolio management, sales and marketing.  Dennis has a B.S. in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Delaware and his M.S. in Management from NYU Polytechnic Institute.

Sandra Klausing

Head of Product Development Cell Line, Media and Testing Solutions (CMTS) | Sartorius  

Sandra holds a PhD in Biotechnology and more than 12 years of experience in the biotech industry. After leading R&D teams focusing on cell culture and media development as part of the Xell management team, she supported the acquisition by Sartorius in 2021. Her current global role in Sartorius is Head of Product Development Cell Line, Media and Testing Solutions, developing products for protein- as well as viral-based therapies, including AAV and LV vectors.

Sarah Gilpin

Principal Scientist, PD and Clinical Production Service for Advanced Therapies | Sartorius

  Sarah Gilpin joined Sartorius in 2024, with a background in stem cell and developmental biology, cell biomanufacturing, tissue engineering, and regenerative medicine.  She obtained her PhD at the University of Toronto, focused on stem cell biomarkers in organ transplantation, and completed post-doctoral training at Harvard Medical School in whole organ engineering, before holding scientific positions at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering, United Therapeutics Corporation, and Astellas Pharma, leading teams in microphysiological models, stem cell production, and translational stem cell therapies.

Doli Patel

Head of Quality and Regulatory Affairs, Sartorius BPS | Sartorius

  Dr. Doli Patel is the Head of Quality and RA at Sartorius BPS. Her blend of experience of > 25 years in ATMPs and medical devices, as quality executive, COO and CMC Director, covers global regulatory landscape. Her focus brings smart solutions to accelerate approvals, addressing Cost of Compliance.

Miriam Monge

Head of Customer & Industry Advocacy Strategy BPS

  Miriam Monge has over 25 years biopharmaceutical industry experience starting her career as Head of Marketing for Stedim Biosystems. Since joining Sartorius Miriam has had a strong focus on single-use technologies and process integration, playing multiple process and modality focused roles. She is heavily involved in industry advocacy topics chairing committees guiding Sartorius engagement within industry associations such as BioPhorum, ISPE where she founded & chaired the SU community of practice, PDA, and NIMBL. Miriam has authored 50+ publications on single-use technologies and is a long-term editorial advisor for Bioprocess International.

Why This Is An Event You Don’t Want To Miss

Stay Competitive

Access the latest market trends and innovations essential for maintaining a competitive edge.
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Engage With Thought Leaders

Gain insights from innovators and foster meaning connections supporting future growth.
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Comprehensive Learning

Gain a holistic understanding of recent advancements in cell and gene therapy.
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Nurture Collaborations

Build long-term relationships that can accelerate your pipeline, de-risk development, and expand your impact. 
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Strategic Advantage

Learn strategies to enhance patient safety, reduce time to market, and lower cost per dose.
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Optional Guided Tours

Exclusive tours of the Sartorius Innovation Center in Marlborough, MA.
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Insights, Networking & Innovation

Be the first to know

Gain exclusive access to the latest advancements and strategies in CGT before they become mainstream.

Networking with experts

Connect with industry leaders and peers to share insights, collaborate on ideas, and build lasting professional relationships. 

Food and evening entertainment 

Take advantage of our networking reception while enjoying catered food and evening entertainment.

Impressions of Previous Events: CGT Day Singapore

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Venue

MassBio

700 Technology Square

Cambridge, MA 02139

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