2nd GATE PARTNERING EVENT

Following the success of its kick-off event in October 2021, GATE is pleased to announce its 2 nd Academic - Industrial partnering event Cell & Gene Therapies and Tissue engineering, on 17 March 2023, in Ghent.

Researchers from UGent, UZ Gent, imec and VIB will present break-through research on topics of gene and cell therapy, and regenerative medicine. Next to scientific and technological innovation, the event will highlight succesful academic-industry partnerships to advance gene and cell therapy programs towards the clinic. Stakeholders will be invited to give newest insights in the rapidly evolving ATMP landscape in Ghent, Belgium and beyond.

We welcome principal investigators, clinicians and senior postdocs from academia as well as company delegates active in the field of life sciences to join our event and partner with us.

Registration & Lunch

12:00 - 12:45 Lunch

Welcome

12:45 - 13:00 Welcome addresses

Session 1. RNA vaccine development in the Ghent region

13:00 - 13:45 

• RNA design - Niek Sanders and Richard Hoogenboom (UGent)
• GMP facilities - support vaccine development towards clinical trials - Bart Vandekerckhove (UZGent)
• Ziphius: A biotech perspective - Leonie Wyffels (Ziphius)
• eTheRNA: A biotech perspective - Stefaan De Koker (eTheRNA))

Session 2. Gene Therapy: Optogenetic therapy in epilepsy

13:45 - 14:45 

• Optogenetic neuromodulation in epilepsy: a clinical perspective - Paul Boon (4Brain, UZGent)
• Organic electronics for neural interfaces - Georgios Spyropoulos (UGent)
• Soft probes for optical stimulation in biomedical applications - Jeroen Missinne (imec-UGent)
• Photo-responsive polymers serving biomedical applications - Sandra Van Vlierberghe (UGent)
• Optogenetic suppression of seizures in animal models for epilepsy - Robrecht Raedt (4Brain, UGent)

Coffee and Networking Break

Session 3: Innovation in CAR-T cell production, evaluation and manufacturing

15:30 – 16:30

Novistem: an allogeneic CAR T-cell platform

• Maturation of T-cells - Tom Taghon (UGent)
• Nanodelivery photoporation - Kevin Braeckmans (UGent)
• TRINCE: high throughput single cell transfection machinery - Philip Mathuis, CEO

Cartagena: a CAR-T cell evaluation platform

A high-throughput lab-on-chip for CAR-T single cell screening and selection - Johan Devenyns

Legend: an industrial CAR-T manufacturing hub in Ghent

Industrial CAR-T manufacturing -  Birk Vanderweeën

Session 4: Clinical trials of cell and gene therapy

16:30 – 17:15

• Biobanking, Tissue bank UZ Gent - Bruno Verhasselt (UZGent)
• Innovation support for clinical research in ATMP’s: FAMHP perspective - Christophe Lahorte (FAMPH)
• Antisense oligonucleotide therapeutics in clinical trials for the treatment of inherited retinal disorders - Caroline Van Cauwenbergh (UZGent)

The future of ATMP

17:15 – 17:45

ATMP in Belgium: challenges and opportunities - Sylvie Ponchaut, (BioWin)

Reception

Registration fees

As a sponsor you will have the chance to:

• Create visibility for your company through onsite and pre-event advertisement
• Network and discuss with some of the leading experts in the field
• Showcase your products
• Get introduced to the scientific community of Ghent active within the field of organ-on-chip, gene & cell therapies, and regenerative medicine

A number of sponsor packages are available. If our offerings do not provide a perfect match for your needs, we will try to costumize a package for you.

Contact This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for further questions or to discuss your sponsorship package.

For more information about the event, contact GATE coordinator Gudrun Antoons.

For more information about sponsorship opportunities, contact GATE coordinator Gudrun Antoons.