BUILDING A STRONG CANADIAN NETWORK

THE SECOND EDITION OF THE STRATEGIC FORUM WOWS THE CROWD

From March 13 to 15 in Toronto, CellCAN held the second edition of its biennial Strategic Forum: Cell & Gene Therapy Revolution – Time to gown up. Following the success of the 2017 edition, CellCAN brought together more than 180 attendees from the sectors of basic science, manufacturing, government, regulatory agencies, pharmaceuticals, biotechs and logistics support companies.

The 3-day event allowed for multiple networking sessions, fascinating knowledge sharing and interactions between all the key players of the blooming field of cell and gene therapies. 

 Day 1 was a full day of preconference presented by C3i and focused on the importance of biomarkers in the development of therapies.

Day 2 and 3 allowed participants to dive into 4 strategic themes for making the cell and gene therapy revolution happen in Canada: Innovation in allogeneic cellular therapies, the next generation of clinical trials, regulatory reform and reimbursement  and optimizing cell and gene therapy manufacturing.

What attendees said:

•  98% said they would recommend this event to their network
•  100% said the meeting had the expected added value
• 100% of sponsors said they were able to connect with their key audience and expected follow-up meetings 

Stay tuned – a full report from the conference will be made available in the following weeks. 

Thanks to the attendees of the Strategic Forum, the #CellGeneRev conversation reached new heights - more than 50 000 people were reached on Twitter! The attendees also allowed for 2128 meals to be served to families in need, thanks to the Say Goodnight To Hunger program of the Omni King Edward Hotel.

CellCAN also wishes to thank once again the speakers, attendees and patients who accepted our invitation to join this strategic event. Your contribution will have an impact in making the cell and gene therapy field in Canada bloom. A special mention for our moderator, Michel Rochon, who was able to bring the discussions to the next level and ensure the presentations reached their full potential.

Special thanks to CCRM and C3i for partnering with us and making this event possible.

MONTREAL EDITION OF THE CHC IN PARTNERSHIP WITH CELLCAN

On April 12, 2019, C.A.R.E. held its annual Canadian Hematology Conference in Montreal, hosted in partnership with CellCAN. The conference brought together health care practitioners primarily from the Montreal region to discuss and learn about the latest innovations, discoveries and development in hematology. A report from this conference chaired by Drs. Denis Claude Roy and Luigina Mollica will be made available by C.A.R.E.

PASSIONATE ABOUT BIOTHERAPEUTICS? SAVE THE DATE! 

On September 27, 2019, the CTEG will be presenting its third workshop: Current trends in Biotherapeutics. HQP, trainees and PIs are welcomed to join this workshop that will be held in Toronto. Stay tuned for more information, as the program will soon be shared!

ADVANCING REGULATORY STANDARDS

WORKING WITH VIRAL VECTORS IN CELL & GENE THERAPY? THIS CONCERNS YOU. 

In March 2018, CellCAN and BIOTECanada co-organized a collaborative workshop with decision makers from cell, gene & viral therapy stakeholders, Health Canada and Environment and Climate Change Canada (ECCC) representatives to discuss amendments to the New Substances Notification Regulations for Organisms (NSNR(O)) under the Canadian Environmental Protection Act. Immediate, short-term and long-term solutions were presented for the NSNR(O) to streamline with Canadian clinical trial applications and new drug submissions, reduce redundancies and minimize delays for environmental assessments of novel technologies.

This spring, a workshop report from Tania Bubela, Ron Boch and Sowmya Viswanathan was published in Frontiers in Medicine presenting 4 recommendations issued from the NSNR(O) workshop. A follow-up workshop is in development for 2019 and we want your input. 

We are dedicated to serving the cell and gene therapy community and to bring your concerns to the forefront. We would like to get your feedback on your experience with the NSNR(O) as this is of critical importance for the development of novel therapies in Canada. Please visit our NSNR(O) webpage and fill out the short form at the bottom of it. Your input will help us in our efforts to advocate for a better adapted regulatory framework. 

WANT DIRECT ACCESS TO HEALTH CANADA? REACH OUT TO THE HEALTH CANADA CELL THERAPY STAKEHOLDER GROUP!

Have a regulatory question for Health Canada regarding cell or gene therapies? The Cell Therapy Stakeholder Group (CTSG) welcomes and encourages all the members of the RMCT community to submit their questions via the CTSG portal: they might get on a future meeting's agenda!

Make sure to get up to date by visiting the CTSG portal on our website where you'll find the minutes of the previous meetings. 

EVENTS

2019 TILL & McCULLOCH MEETINGS

The 2019 Till & McCulloch Meetings will take place November 4-6 in Montreal. Full details of the distinguished speakers and packed agenda can be found on the TMM website. Registration is open, and abstract submissions, Cells I See art contest entries, and nominations for the 2019 Till & McCulloch Award are welcomed.

OTHER NEWS

JOB OPPORTUNITY

A senior postdoctoral fellow position for Cell Therapy Manufacturing and Process Optimization is open at the Institute of Biomaterials and Biomedical Engineering, University of Toronto, Krembil Research Institute, Toronto Western Hospital. This position is to be supervised by Drs. Sowmya Viswanathan and Julie Audet. The full listing is available on our website.

ABSTRACT DEADLINES
The Canadian Donation and Transplantation Research Program (CDTRP) invites members of the community to submit abstracts for the Canadian Transplant Summit. The deadline is June 3 and you should be submitting all your transplant and donations projects to this important annual Canadian meeting here.