C&G Editor in Chief, Erin Harris

1. Inside Carisma Therapeutics’ CAR-M Study 3/26/2020

   Erin Harris talks to Michael Klichinsky, Ph.D. co-founder and VP of discovery and research at Carisma Therapeutics for more information about Carisma Therapeutics' groundbreaking CAR-M study.

2. Cell & Gene And COVID-19 3/24/2020

   As the world rushes to combat the novel coronavirus behind the COVID-19 pandemic outbreak, the cell and gene sector has been impacted.

3. Cell & Gene’s 2020 Outlook: Supply Chain, Drug Pricing, Outsourcing, And More 2/18/2020

   In the final segment of Cell & Gene’s 2020 Outlook series, you’ll hear from Natalie Holles, President & Chief Executive Officer of Audentes; Ryan Bartock, Head of Supply Chain and Network Strategy at Spark Therapeutics; Janet Lambert, CEO of Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM); and Sophia Ononye-Onyia, PhD MPH MBA, Founder and CEO at The Sophia Consulting Firm. These industry luminaries and Cell & Gene Editorial Advisory Board members provide their insightful outlooks as it pertains to their role in the sector

4. Cell & Gene’s 2020 Outlook: Adaptimmune And Passage Bio 2/13/2020

   Michael Blackton, Vice President QA CMC at Adaptimmune details what’s new for 2020 in cell and gene therapy, and Jiwen Zhang, VP, Regulatory Affairs at Passage Bio discusses cell and gene in 2020 through the regulatory lens.

5. The Center For Breakthrough Medicines, The Sector’s CDMO Promised Land 1/24/2020

   By now, you’ve probably read the news that The Discovery Labs and Deerfield Management Company have formed The Center for Breakthrough Medicines — the CDMO they’ve referred to as the world’s largest in the cell and gene therapy sector. It will be located in the Greater Philadelphia Area — King of Prussia, PA to be exact. The CDMO will occupy more than 40% of The Discovery Labs’ 1.6 million square foot biotech, healthcare, and life sciences campus.

6. More On SPEAR T-Cell Platform, Initial Responses In Four Solid Tumor Indications 1/13/2020

   At JPM Healthcare Conference, Adaptimmune reported two confirmed Partial Responses (PRs) — one in a patient with liver cancer and one in a patient with melanoma. The company also reported two unconfirmed PRs — one in a patient with gastro‑esophageal junction cancer and one in a patient with head and neck cancer. These data further confirm the potential of Adaptimmune’s SPEAR T-cell platform for patients with multiple solid tumors. Data were previously reported showing compelling efficacy with ADP-A2M4 in synovial sarcoma.

7. The State Of Genomic Testing In Blood Cancers 1/2/2020

   The Leukemia & Lymphoma Society’s Beat AML Master Trial found that patients treated with precision medicine had lower early death rates and improved overall survival compared to the standard of care. In this study, Foundation Medicine’s FoundationOne Heme test enabled the precision medicine approach that led to significantly longer overall survival rates in Beat AML-treated patients compared to those who elected standard therapy. I caught up with Jeffrey Venstrom, MD, SVP, Clinical Development at Foundation Medicine, to learn more about the current status of genomic testing in blood cancers. Here’s what he had to say. 

8. First-In-U.S. Trial Of CRISPR-Edited Immune Cells 12/10/2019

   According to last month’s announcement, the first-in-U.S. trial of CRISPR-edited immune cells for cancer patients suggest safety of approach. Genetically editing a cancer patient’s immune cells using CRISPR/Cas9 technology, then infusing those cells back into the patient appears safe and feasible based on early data from the first-ever clinical trial to test the approach in humans in the United States.

9. Challenges, Short-Term Outlook Facing the Cell and Gene Sector’s Regulatory Landscape 12/9/2019

   Here are the critical action items cell and gene therapy professionals should heed to keep pace with the sector’s ever-evolving regulations.

10. Takeaways from LSPA’s CRO & CMO Summit 11/27/2019

    Last week I attended Life Sciences Pennsylvania’s (LSPA) CRO & CMO Summit, which was held at West Pharmaceutical Services. For those of you unfamiliar with it, LSPA is the trade association for the Commonwealth’s life sciences community. LSPA represents biotechnology, medical device, diagnostic, pharmaceutical, research, and investment entities, along with many service providers that support the industry.