GATE PARTNERING EVENT 2025

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 industry delegates, policy makers and startups active in the field of life sciences to join our event and partner with us.

A half day afternoon program (from 12 to 6 pm) presenting a selection of collaborative and translational science programs on hot topics in the ATMP field, including:

• mRNA Vaccines & Therapeutics: Focus on next-generation development and nanodelivery strategies
• Novel Cell-based Strategies in Immunotherapy
• Tissue Engineering: Breakthroughs in bringing technologies from lab to patient

The on-site format provides plenty of opportunities to learn, connect and network with scientists, clinicians, industry innovators and policy makers in the exciting field of ATMP.

Registration & Lunch

12:00 - 12:45 Lunch

Welcome

12:45 - 13:00 | Phillip Blondeel, chair of GATE (UZ Gent)

Keynote 1 - 13:00 - 13:30

Beyond Healing: Elevating Personalized Medicine with Cell Therapy and Regenerative Tissue Treatments (Katleen Verleysen, CEO miDiagnostics)

Session 1: Nanodelivery strategies for Vaccines & mRNA Therapeutics

13:30 - 13:45 | Nanodelivery for lung therapies (Prof. Koen Raemdonck, UGent)

13:45 - 14:00 | Nanodelivery for ocular therapies (Prof. Katrien Remaut, UGent)

14:00 - 14:20 | Baxerna 2.0 and strategic frameworks for mRNA vaccine development at VIB, Ghent University and Ghent University Hospital (Prof. Francis Impens and Dr. Ine Lentacker, VIB & UGent)

Session 2: Novel Cell-based Strategies in Immunotherapy

14:20 - 14:35 | Ferroptosis-armed dendritic cell vaccines for glioma immunotherapy (Prof. Krysko, UGent)

14:35 - 14:50 | GlycoCAR: glycosylation engineering to enhance CAR T therapy (Dr. Elien De Bousser, VIB)

14:50 - 15:05 | Carvykti: CAR-T therapy in relapsed/refractory multiple myeloma (Ils Somers, J&J)

Coffee and Networking Break - 15:05 - 16:00

Keynote 2 16:00 - 16:30

Smart bioprocessing enabling patient access to advanced therapies and tissue engineering (Jan Schrooten, CEO Antleron)

Session 3. Tissue engineering

Technologies

16:30 - 16:45 | Gelatine-coated beads for cell cultures (Rousselot)

16:45 - 17:00 | Bioinks as the key to the future of regenerative medicine? (Jasper Van Hoorick, CEO BioINX)

Keynote 3 17:00 - 17:30

Advanced Materials and Biological Molecules for Recruiting and Retaining Progenitors in Intravascular Implants (Prof. Diego Mantovani, Laval University, Canada)

Clinical Translation

17:30 – 17:45 | RegMedXB Spotlight: Eye Moonshot (Prof. Sorcha Ni Dhubhghaill, UZ Brussel)

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
• +/- 150 participants with equal representation form industry – academia

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.