PISCATAWAY, N.J., Nov. 21, 2025 /PRNewswire/ -- GenScript Biotech Corporation, a global leader in life sciences R&D and manufacturing services, successfully hosted the GenScript Biotech Global Forum London 2025 in the UK. This marks the Forum's second edition in Europe and the eighth consecutive Global Industry Forum organized by GenScript since its debut at the 2020 J.P. Morgan Healthcare Conference in San Francisco—highlighting the Forum's continued role in supporting industry exchange and advancing the development of the Cell & Gene Therapy (CGT) sector.

Under the theme "THE NEXT ERA OF CGT IS HERE," attracted nearly 400 participants from around the world, including global scientists, business leaders, and investors such as Nobel Laureate Dr. Craig Mello, who engaged in in-depth discussions on cutting-edge CGT topics, including the transition from ex vivo to in vivo therapies, strategies to overcome CMC challenges in manufacturing, and capital and collaboration trends.

Global Leaders Converge on the Next Era of CGT

The forum was moderated by Dr. Shawn Wu, President of the European Division at GenScript.

Sherry Shao, Rotating CEO of GenScript, delivered the opening remarks, stating:

"Through the combined strength of GenScript Life Science and our subsidiary ProBio, we now offer end-to-end CGT solutions — from discovery to commercialization. And we are profoundly inspired by milestones like CARVYKTI — developed by our associate Legend Biotech — which has now treated over 9,000 patients globally, bringing hope to thousands of families. It stands as a testament to what's possible when science, scale, and spirit align."

Ms. Shao emphasized that the Forum aims to connect global expertise and foster collaboration among academia, industry, regulators, investors, and ecosystem partners such as CROs and CDMOs, addressing critical challenges and advancing CGT therapies for patients worldwide.

Keynote Insights from Nobel Laureate and Industry Pioneers

This year's forum featured keynote speeches by Nobel Laureate Dr. Craig Mello, Dr. Carl June, Director of the University of Pennsylvania Center for Cellular Immunotherapy, and Dr. Miguel Forte, President and Board of Directors Chair of the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT). They shared the latest advancements and practical insights in CGT from scientific, industrial, and clinical perspectives, offering strategic guidance for the future of the field.

Dr. Craig Mello, who received the 2006 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine for discovering RNA interference (RNAi), highlighted RNAi's high programmability and therapeutic potential. New oligonucleotides can be quickly generated at low cost and precisely target mature mRNAs, making almost any disease target potentially druggable. He illustrated this with a siRNA therapy for preeclampsia, which stabilized maternal blood pressure with a single subcutaneous injection.

Dr. Mello also noted that RNAi can complement cell therapies by modulating key genes to enhance safety and efficacy. Looking ahead, he predicted that RNAi will become a major therapeutic approach, standing alongside CGT in tackling a wide range of diseases.

Dr. Carl June, the "Father of CAR-T," gave a comprehensive review of the CAR-T therapy's applications in blood cancers and ongoing research in treating solid tumors.

He noted that second-generation CAR-T therapies have demonstrated durable responses in blood cancers, and new insights into their persistence are helping guide next-generation product design.

Professor June also highlighted his team's progress on armored CAR-T programs—such as IL-18 and IL-9 constructs—which are showing encouraging activity in refractory lymphoma and in a pancreatic cancer mouse model. He noted that improving CAR-T infiltration and durability in solid tumors remains a core challenge, while combination strategies with oncolytic viruses are beginning to show promising signals.

Dr. Miguel Forte, a versatile leader whose influence spans academia, industry, and regulatory domains, underscored that delivering real benefits to patients requires not only scientific innovation, but also an adequate business model, clinical convenience, and accurate product launch.

Dr. Forte pointed out that every therapy must be managed with scientific rigor to appropriately address safety risks. He called on the industry to stay grounded in reality and strike the right balance between enthusiasm and rationality, so that CGT can move from being merely "possible" to genuinely "accessible."

In-Depth Roundtable Discussions Address Industry Pain Points and Future Trends

Four deep-dive roundtable sessions were hosted, covering topics on both technological innovation and commercial strategy.

Traditional ex vivo CAR-T therapies have shown remarkable success in hematologic cancers, but long manufacturing cycles, high complexity, and high costs remain significant barriers. In response, the industry is actively exploring new solutions—most notably in vivo CAR-T, which engineers T cells directly inside the patient, potentially simplifying production and improving accessibility.

During the "Navigating the Future of Cell Therapy: Evaluating Varied Pathways in Cell Therapy Innovation for Comprehensive Sector Insights" roundtable, Mr. Stephen Hansen, Biopharma Intelligence Director at BioCentury, moderated a vibrant discussion featuring industry leaders: Dr. Ying Huang, CEO of Legend Biotech, Dr. Paul Stoffels, Former CSO at Johnson & Johnson and Co-founder/Former CEO-Chair of Galapagos NV, Dr. Paula Río, Head of the Bone Marrow Aplasia Unit at CIEMAT/CIBERER/IIS-FJD, Dr. Marcello Maresca, Senior Director of the Genome Engineering Department at AstraZeneca, and Dr. Jonathan Esensten, Senior Advisor at Multiply Labs, Director of Advanced Biotherapy Center at Sheba Medical Center.

The panelists were generally optimistic about the development prospects of in vivo CAR-T therapies. Dr. Ying Huang shared insights into the latest industry trends, highlighting that while many companies worldwide are actively advancing in vivo CAR-T, the therapy still faces challenges such as patient-to-patient variability, immune system reconstitution, and strict GMP regulations and quality control, which remain key hurdles for commercialization.

Dr. Jonathan Esensten guided the discussion toward the promising applications of in vivo CAR-T, particularly in cases of rapid immune cell depletion for non-cancer indications, and suggested that pairing it with decentralized manufacturing could make treatments faster and more accessible in regions with limited medical resources.

Evolving patient needs are driving new drug development paradigms. For complex genetic diseases, traditional therapies often fall short. Gene therapies and nucleic acid medicines offer a way to repair defective genes or intervene at the RNA level to control diseases at their source.

Moderated by Dr. Julen Oyarzabal, CSO of Syngoi Technologies SL, the session "Gene Therapy and mRNA Therapeutics" brought together experts from both academia and industry: Dr. Sergio Linares Fernández, Unit Head of RNA Science Automation at Sanofi, Dr. Luigi Calzolai, Scientific Officer at the European Commission Joint Research Centre (JRC), Dr. Anna Cereseto, Head of Lab for Advanced Genome Editing Technologies at the University of Trento, Co-Founder of Alia Therapeutics, Dr. Robin Shattock, Chair in Mucosal Infection and Immunity at Imperial College London, and Mr. Miroslav Gasparek, CEO and Co-Founder of Sensible Biotechnologies.

Experts agreed that future efforts to improve mRNA therapies should focus on optimizing expression, reducing immunogenicity, extending duration, controlling costs, and improving global accessibility. Mr. Miroslav highlighted that cell-based production of naturally modified RNA can enhance consistency, lower immunogenicity, streamline supply chains, and support large-scale clinical use.

Despite significant therapeutic breakthroughs, CGT still faces substantial obstacles on its path from laboratory concept to broadly accessible clinical product—complex processes, high development difficulty, technical barriers, and stringent regulatory requirements continue to restrict growth and adoption.

Moderated by Peter Jones, Director at Pengwin Consultancy, the roundtable "From Lab to Patient: Overcoming CMC Barriers in Cell and Gene Therapy Manufacturing" featured Dr. Jin Yin, CTO of the CGT Technology Center at ProBio, Dr. John Maher, Scientific Founder and CSO at Leucid Bio, Dr. Marten Hansen, Head of the Laboratory for Cell Therapy at the Sanquin Blood Supply Foundation, CEO of the Amsterdam Cell Therapy Center, and Dr. Dima Al-hadithi, Partner-CMC, RareGenix/Minaret Consulting Limited.

Cell and gene therapies face major challenges, including high costs, complex processes, and scattered batch records. To address these issues, Dr. John Maher and Dr. Marten Hansen highlighted that process optimization and digitalization—including workflow streamlining, platform standardization, and improved batch record management—can reduce costs and enhance quality across R&D, manufacturing, and clinical operations.

Other panelists also agreed that the key to CGT CMC breakthroughs is early planning: defining target selection, quality-by-design, comparability, and supply chain strategies upfront can prevent costly, hard-to-change bottlenecks later.

Amid a global downturn in capital markets, understanding how to identify opportunities in CGT, optimize resource allocation, and achieve meaningful returns remains a top priority.

Moderated by Michael Brinkman, Managing Director and Co-Head of U.S. Biopharma Investment Banking at Jefferies, the session "Innovation and Investment for CGT" gathered: Dr. Laura Stoppel, Partner on the Investment Team at RA Capital Management, Dr. Hongbo Lu, Founder and Managing Partner of NextBio Capital, Dr. Daniela Couto, General Partner at BioGeneration Ventures, Dr. Michiel Broker, Managing Director and Global Head of Pharma at UBS, and Mr. Matthieu Coutet, Partner of Sofinnova Biovelocita Strategy.

Despite macroeconomic uncertainties, panelists agreed that the scientific breakthroughs and clinical value of CGT continue to provide a strong foundation for long-term investment. Forward-looking strategies—focusing on high-value targets, platforms with strong clinical and manufacturing capabilities, and AI-driven optimization—will enhance capital efficiency and maximize returns.

Looking Ahead

With insights shared by global experts and leaders, the GenScript Biotech Global Forum London 2025 concluded successfully. The event brought together key stakeholders from across the biopharmaceutical ecosystem and facilitated in-depth discussions on the latest developments in CGT. GenScript Biotech will continue to advance open collaboration and help accelerate the translation of scientific breakthroughs into practical applications, with a continued focus on improving patient outcomes. The next GenScript Biotech Global Forum is scheduled to take place during the 2026 JPM Healthcare Conference week, promising another opportunity for knowledge exchange and collaboration.

About GenScript Biotech Corporation

Founded in 2002 in New Jersey, GenScript Biotech Corporation accelerates innovation in biotech and healthcare by providing researchers and companies with the building blocks needed to develop groundbreaking treatments and products. Guided by its mission to Make People and Nature Healthier Through Biotechnology, and its role as a trusted global leader, GenScript has a team of over 5,700 employees and has served more than 200,000 customers across over 100 countries and regions.

Learn more here: https://www.genscript.com

 

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