8 Gene Therapy conferences you should attend in 2022

With the first AAV-based gene therapies approved, and new gene editing strategies emerging, it’s important to stay on top of the latest topics in this therapeutic area.

Here are 8 gene therapy conferences in 2022 that will help you stay up to date. You can choose larger conferences with a broad variety of topics and many attendees, or smaller ones dedicated to your specific focus. Some are in the USA, others in the UK, and one is virtual.

1. Gene Therapy for Rare Disorders

March 7-10, Boston, USA

If you are passionate about curing rare diseases, this is reputed to be the industry leading event for companies that are developing gene therapies in this space.

Here, you’ll understand how the industry is tackling the challenges of developing quality products in every step, from manufacturing through clinical applications and commercialization, to regulatory issues.

If you’re looking to up your skill set, there will be workshops on how to develop gene therapies for ultra-rare diseases, the latest vector innovations, and how to build a target product profile (TPP).

And last but not least, consider joining the Start-up Focus evening, to learn more on talent acquisition — a major challenge for companies establishing themselves in the gene therapy space.

2. ISBioTech 11th Spring Meeting

March 14-16, Norfolk, USA

If you are someone who has day-to-day responsibilities managing processes and assays to ensure quality, then you will find this conference helpful.

Whether you are working in the production of viral vectors and vaccines, cellular therapies, or baculovirus expression technologies, you’ll learn what the most challenging applications are and how to overcome them. All talks are delivered by ‘boots on the ground’ scientists, sharing real life experiences from support labs, process development, and production facilities.

3. Gene Therapy Summit

April 11-13, Boston, USA and Virtual

If you want to learn more about optimizing vectors for targeted delivery, you should consider blocking three days to attend this meeting.

On the first day, learn about characterization of viral capsids and genome integrity assessment, potency and expression assays, and stability and risk assessment.

On the second day, deep dive into vector engineering, covering aspects from capsid engineering, vector optimization, and CMC strategies.

On the final day, learn about advancing gene therapy to the clinic, from immunogenicity assessments and biomarkers towards clinical case studies.

4. International Society of Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT)

May 4-7, San Francisco, USA

Yes, scientific discovery is challenging…but so is bringing advances from the lab to the clinic. That’s exactly what this conference is about: bridging the gap between bench science and the clinic.

On its 30th anniversary, this event will take an integrative approach to address key topics spanning translational research and preclinical development through clinical trials, regulatory approvals, commercialization, and ultimately patient access.

5. American Society of Gene and Cell Therapy- 25th Annual Meeting

May 16-19, Washington, DC, USA

Join thousands of other professionals at this huge annual conference. This will be a great opportunity both to learn and build connections.

Guest speakers will include the NIH director Dr. Francis Collins and Dr. Drew Weissman, whose mRNA-lipid platform was used in the first two approved COVID-19 vaccines by Pfizer/BioNTech and Moderna.

If you’re a PhD or a postdoc and need training in a specific area, check out the available workshops on topics like viral vector development, AAV integration, and gene editing strategies.

And if you’re hiring or looking for a job, don’t forget to register for the Mentor Meet-Up and Career Fair.

6. Gene Therapy Analytical Development Europe

May 30-June 1, London, UK

If analytical method development is your field, you’re in luck. That’s the sole focus of this event.

Whether you’re working with AAV or lentiviral vectors, this event will help you understand the critical quality attributes (CQAs) you need to assess your gene therapy. And you will gain a better understanding of the biochemical and biophysical assays you can use to measure them.

Two topics to also keep an eye on: 1) how you can benefit from automation to overcome the current limitations in analytics; 2) what you need to provide regulatory bodies to get your gene therapy product approved.

7. Cell and Gene Therapy USA

September 20-21, Virtual

This conference is said to be “one giant commercial leap for cell and gene therapies”.

Whether you’re launching your cell and gene therapy products for the first time or you’re already on your second shot, this meeting will provide you the tools you need to formulate, scale, and standardize a launch strategy to market fast and effectively.

You will hear from those who have already achieved lift-off and succeeded commercially, like experts from the C-suite, commercial strategy, manufacturing and supply, pricing and access, representing companies like Pfizer, Novartis, CSL Behring, Moderna, the FDA and more.

8. 29th Congress of the European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy

October 11-14, Edinburgh, Scotland

If you want a bit of everything, this conference features more than 100 presentations and a mix of academic research, clinical trials, and manufacturing. Registration is free for member students whose abstracts are accepted for oral or poster presentations.

This year’s event will host a collaborative congress together with the British Society for Gene & Cell Therapy to highlight the latest research and techniques.