Conference kicks off discussions on the National Strategy for Gene and Cell Therapies

In Langen, a few kilometres south of Frankfurt Airport, representatives from academia, industry and regulatory authorities gathered on 27 and 28 April for a conference entitled “The next frontiers in ATMP development”, hosted by the German Society for Gene Therapy and the Paul-Ehrlich-Institut (PEI), Federal Institute for Vaccines and Biomedicines. The event also served as a kick-off for putting together the National Strategy for Gene and Cell Therapies, which was initiated by the German research ministry and is being developed under the leadership of the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité (BIH) in consultation with all relevant stakeholders. During the in-person discussions, BIO Deutschland emphasised the crucial role that start-ups and biotech SMEs play in the value chain of gene and cell therapy development. Working groups will now draw up catalogues of measures containing concrete proposals for the various action areas. The aim is to publish the strategy in spring 2024.