Top 10 Cell and Gene Therapy Conferences That Deserve Your Consideration
As the number of cell and gene therapies both in development and approved continue to increase, so too do the number of conferences held and events pertaining to them. Whether you are a researcher, clinician, doctor, or student, cell therapy conferences are a fantastic way to learn more about the industry, understand the latest research, or even present your own. As some of them require travel and extended stays across the country (or world), it might be difficult to choose which is the best fit for you. The top cell therapy conferences offer a wide variety of topic tracks, notable speakers from the industry, plentiful poster presentations, and industry exhibitors. Some offer opportunities to network with decision-makers or C-level executives for partnership and business development opportunities. Whatever your reason, we have you covered. Listed below and available as a convenient download are our picks for the top ten conferences (in no particular order) based on research, feedback from our partners and clients, as well as our own experiences, that you should consider attending.
01. Advanced Therapies Week (Phacilitate)
With a mission to “help advance the next pillar of medicine,” Phacilitate organizes Advanced Therapies events around the world at different times of the year. It is designed to connect biotechs and facilitate partnerships. Past Advanced Therapies Weeks in the US have offered 5 content tracks and are heavily focused on tech and tools that help commercialize advanced therapies. Its European show has the added benefit of offering insight on how to tackle entering the European market. Expect to join 1,000 other attendees (though we expect this show to grow) and have the opportunity to listen to around 200 different speakers.
Organization website: Phacilitate – The Advanced Therapies Network (phacilitate.com)
02. World Oncology Cell Therapy Congress, formerly known as CAR-T Congress / Onco-Cell Therapy Summit (OCTS) EU
The World Oncology Cell Therapy Congress will be a great networking opportunity with industry experts from big pharma and biotech, cell therapy academics and clinicians, process standardization (technology/services), logistics companies (cell storage/transport), and service providers (CRO’s, consultants, and government). From its website, it claims that it is, “the only industry-led meeting covering the full range of autologous and allogeneic cell product advancements.” 45% of its attendees are biotechs, which is no surprise as it focuses on delivering effective cell therapy products that are safe and scalable. Though just in its sixth year, the show is already attracting around 500 attendees. It also holds a European show, OCTS EU.
Organization website: Onco Cell Therapy Summit USA (kisacoresearch.com)
03. American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (ASGCT)
From the website, its target audience includes, “basic science and translational researchers, clinical investigators, physicians, postdoctoral fellows, graduate students, employees of federal government and regulatory agencies, patient advocates, and other healthcare professionals with an interest in the latest advancements in the fields of gene and cell therapy.” It is another robust show that attracted over 7,500 people in 2022, and 34% of its attendees were decision-makers for organizations, with 38% at the director level or above. It celebrated its 25th year in 2022, and continues to host some of the most impressive names in the industry as plenary speakers. See ESGCT for its European show.
Organization website: American Society of Gene & Cell Therapy (asgtc.org)
04. International Society for Cell and Gene Therapy (ISCT)
ISCT is the global steward fostering cell and gene therapy translation to the clinic. The event’s wide breadth of speakers and attendees, “blends together experts in stem cell and progenitor cell biology, with engineers, clinicians, regulatory experts, measurement scientists, clinical trial experts, product developers, entrepreneurs, and ethicists.” Held in different locations all over the world usually in late spring, its most recent events have seen a surge in manufacturing attendees, while also touting strong attendance from academia, government, and non-profit organizations. Its show in 2022 boasted over 2,000 attendees labeled as cell and gene therapy experts.
Organization website: International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (isctglobal.org)
05. International Society for Stem Cell Research (ISSCR)
Celebrating its 20th anniversary in 2022, ISSCR is a pillar of the stem cell community. A whopping 75% of attendees of this stem cell research focused show have purchasing power. It aims to, “[bring] together everyone from senior scientists to trainees to discover, share, and network with leading innovators in the stem cell community.” Hosted at the beginning of summer, this event attracts around 4,000 attendees and has been hosted all over the world including the US, Melbourne, and Yokohama. If you are interested in the most current research, regulations, and applications of stem cells, this might be the best conference to attend.
Organization website: International Society for Stem Cell Research (isscr.org)
06. Allogenic Cell Therapies Summit
A relatively new annual event, the summit is dedicated to enlightening attendees on the, “translation, manufacturing, and commercialization of allogenic cell therapies to improve patient care.” Though it is still relatively small in size (less than 500 attendees), its influential attendees consist of majority (90%) biotech and pharmaceutical professionals from which 57% are director level or above. It also still features over 85 expert speakers from pharma, biotech, and academia that cover 4 tracks of content, as well as nearly 100 exhibitors and 6 workshops.
Organization website: Allogeneic Cell Therapies Summit (allogeneic-cell-therapies.com)
07. Bioprocessing Summit
For the last decade, The Bioprocessing Summit has been an important place for industry leaders to learn about cell and gene therapy upstream and downstream processing. It includes numerous content streams and hosts over 1,000 attendees including a large Executive or Director level presence. Luckily, it hosts an additional European show for international professionals that is the fastest growing bioprocessing meeting in the region. Both have a mission to, “advance the manufacture, quality and control of biological and genetic therapies.”
Organization website: The Bioprocessing Summit (bioprocessingsummit.com)
08. CAR-TCR Summit
This conference offers a laser focus on CAR-T & TCR cell therapies. Its 8 tracks throughout its 3 main conference days are a higher number than most other shows, which means more specialization and a higher likelihood for content that is relevant to your program. Across every topic, CAR-TCR also heavily emphasizes safety in developing therapies- which is certainly a prime consideration for everyone in the industry, but the focus here is notable. The show, held in the fall, attracts 1,000+ attendees and hosts 15 workshops, a bootcamp, and over 200 speakers. It also features an investor roundtable, where venture capitalists, business angels, and corporate venture funds discuss what excites them and how to secure capital.
Organization website: CAR-TCR Summit (car-tcr-summit.com)
09. BioProcess International
As its name suggests, the agenda each year for BioProcess (BPI) includes hundreds of the world’s top scientists to present on, “how to improve efficiencies across all phases of biopharmaceutical development and production.” Attracting over 1,800 attendees, 41% of which are at the Manager or Director level, this could be a great networking opportunity for all stakeholders in the development of vaccine, cell, and gene therapy products. While BPI is an international event held in the US, it also has a west coast show BPI West and international events held in both Europe and Asia. If you are unable to attend, BPI is now offering a “Digital Experience Pass” that gives you access to all the networking opportunities in a digital format.
Organization website: BioProcess International (informaconnect.com)
10. Cell & Gene Meeting on the Mesa
Given the focus on bioproduction and business, this conference is great for those in the biotechnology space looking to expand their network and learn about how to overcome the commercialization obstacles facing the cell and gene therapy industry. Organized by the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine, Cell & Gene on Meeting on the Mesa attracts over 1,700 attendees – over 20% of which are C-level executives – and enables key partnerships through more than 3,000 one-on-one meetings while highlighting the significant clinical and commercial progress in the field. Meeting on the Mesa is held in the US, but ARM also organizes Meeting on the Med, which is hosted in Europe (Mediterranean) and is growing with 650 attendees in past shows.
Organization website: Cell & Gene Meeting on the Mesa (meetingonthemesa.com)
The best cell therapy conference is…
…dependent of your goals and desired outcome. Most of the fantastic conferences provide ample opportunity to learn about our impactful industry and network with those who can help you achieve your development goals. We encourage you to browse each one via the provided links and explore their agendas as they are updated.
