ARM Press Release

The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine Releases Agenda for 2018 Cell & Gene Meeting on the Mesa

The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM), the international advocacy organization representing the cell and gene therapy and broader regenerative medicine sector, today released the agenda for its upcoming Cell & Gene Meeting on the Mesa annual conference, October 3-5, 2018.

Organized by ARM and the UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Clinical Center, the Cell & Gene Meeting on the Mesa is three-day conference featuring three distinct parts: the program’s two-day Partnering Forum, a Public Forum lecture, and a full-day Scientific Symposium.

The event’s Partnering Forum, held this year on October 3-4, features more than 90 speakers presenting on the most pressing sector issues through a variety of expert-led sessions. Featured talks, panels and workshops include:

Plenary Session:

• Charting the Path – Lessons from the Pioneers of Cell and Gene Therapy Commercialization

Featured Talk:

• An Update on RMAT Designation – presented by Peter Marks, Director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research, U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA)

Spotlight Sessions:

• Commercializing Gene Therapies for Hemophilia
• Tissue Engineering and Organ Transplantation

Panels:

• Navigating Acceptance, Uptake and Affordability Across the Lifecycle
• Opportunities and Challenges in Rare Disease
• Large Pharma/Biotech’s Leadership Role – Supporting the Commercial Success of Cell and Gene Therapies
• RMAT Regulatory Convergence: Starting the Conversation
• Next Generation Cell and Gene Therapy in Oncology

Workshops:

• Doing Business in Japan
• Gene-Based Medicine Development
• Successful Strategies in the Design and Delivery of a Cell/Gene Therapy Clinical Development Program
• Patient and Public Attitudes Toward Gene Therapy
• Readiness Strategies for Cell Therapy Commercial Manufacturing
• Evolving the Supply Chain for Advanced Therapies

Throughout the two-day Partnering Forum, event participants can also attend presentations by more than 70 publicly traded and emerging private companies, highlighting clinical and commercial progress in cell therapy, gene and gene-modified cell therapy, tissue engineering, biomaterials and more. In addition to their presentations, representatives from these organizations will also be available for one-on-one partnering opportunities throughout the conference.

The slate of 2018 presenting companies includes: Abeona Therapeutics; Adaptimmune; Adverum Biotechnologies; Aegle Therapeutics; Agilis Biotherapeutics; AGTC; American Gene Technologies; Atara Biotherapeutics; Athersys; AVROBIO; BioTime; bluebird bio; BlueRock Therapeutics; B-MoGen Biotechnologies; Caladrius Biosciences; Capricor Therapeutics; Caribou Biosciences; CARISMA Therapeutics; Celixir; Cellerant Therapeutics; Cell Medica; Cells for Cells; Celularity; Cynata Therapeutics; DiscGenics; Fibrocell; Flexion Therapeutics; Frequency Therapeutics; FUJIFILM Cellular Dynamics; Healios; Histogenics; Homology Medicines; Iovance Biotherapeutics; Krystal Biotech; Longeveron; Lysogene; MaxCyte; MeiraGTx; Mesoblast; MiMedx; Miromatrix; MolMed; Monarch Bio; Mustang Bio; Nightstar Therapeutics; Nohla Therapeutics; Orbsen Therapeutics; Orchard Therapeutics; Organovo; PDC*line Pharma; Precision BioSciences; Regenerative Patch Technologies; Regenerex; ReNeuron; Sangamo Therapeutics; SCM Lifescience; Semma Therapeutics; Sentien Biotechnologies; Sigilon Therapeutics; Solid Biosciences; StemBioSys; Synpromics; Terumo BCT; TxCell; Unicyte; uniQure; Vericel; ViaCyte; and Zelluna Immunotherapy.

Following the close of the Partnering Forum on October 4, there will be a Public Forum presentation and reception held at the Sanford Consortium for Regenerative Medicine. Keynote speaker Helen Blau, Donald E. and Delia B. Baxter Foundation Professor and Director of the Baxter Laboratory for Stem Cell Biology at Stanford University will give a talk on “Rejuvenating Stem Cell Function and Muscle Strength: No Pain, No Gain!”

The Scientific Symposium, held October 5 at the Salk Institute for Biological Studies, will feature numerous talks, panels, and discussions led by prominent international scientists and more than 35 posters featuring the latest scientific discoveries in the world of regenerative medicine and advanced therapies.

Keynote Presentations:

• Self-Organizing Synthetic Human Embryos and Organoids Towards Curing Huntington’s Disease – presented by Ali Brivanlou, Robert and Harriet Heilbrunn Professor, Head of Laboratory of Stem Cell Biology and Molecular Embryology, The Rockefeller University
• Gene Editing in Human Embryo – presented by Kathy Niakan, Group Leader, The Francis Crick Institute

Panels:

• Ex Vivo Gene Therapy: Using Blood Stem Cells to Treat Genetic Disorders
• Advanced Therapies for Skeletal Muscles
• Gene Therapy for Neurodegenerative Diseases
• Using Stem Cells to Study Neuropsychiatric Disorders

For full details on the agenda and further information about the event, please visit www.meetingonthemesa.com.

Registration is complimentary for credentialed investors and members of the media. To learn more and to register, please visit www.meetingonthemesa.com. For members of the media interested in attending, please contact Lyndsey Scull at lscull@alliancerm.org.

About The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine
The Alliance for Regenerative Medicine (ARM) is an international multi-stakeholder advocacy organization that promotes legislative, regulatory and reimbursement initiatives necessary to facilitate access to life-giving advances in regenerative medicine worldwide. ARM also works to increase public understanding of the field and its potential to transform human healthcare, providing business development and investor outreach services to support the growth of its member companies and research organizations. Prior to the formation of ARM in 2009, there was no advocacy organization operating in Washington, D.C. to specifically represent the interests of the companies, research institutions, investors and patient groups that comprise the entire regenerative medicine community. Today, ARM has more than 300 members and is the leading global advocacy organization in this field. To learn more about ARM or to become a member, visit http://www.alliancerm.org.

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