May 11, 2022 -- Dr. Jacques Galipeau, associate dean for therapeutics development at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, is set to replace Bruce Levine, PhD, professor of cancer gene therapy at the University of Pennsylvania, as the next president (2022-2024) of the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT).
At the ISCT 2022 annual meeting in San Francisco, Galipeau, who is also director of the University of Wisconsin Advanced Cell Therapy Program, shared with ScienceBoard.net his perspective on the opportunities for cell and gene therapies (CGTs).
When ISCT was founded 30 years ago, Galipeau pointed out that the field was "predicated on a lot of bone marrow transplant technology" but "what has really changed now is the advent of genetically armored or engineered cells, which really converts cells to pharmaceuticals in a way that goes far beyond simple transplantation of cells and tissue."
Galipeau describes the advancement as a "tectonic shift" as exemplified by the recent regulatory approvals of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies and interest from large pharma companies that "are now looking down on these as viable commercial products."
Watch the video below to learn more.