Cell & Gene: The Podcast

Dr. Zachary Roberts, EVP of R&D and CMO at Allogene Therapeutics, dives into the complexities of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL) and critiques existing CAR T therapies. He emphasizes why allogeneic approaches may offer a scalable and effective solution. The conversation highlights the advantages of allogeneic cell therapies, their impact on treatment accessibility, and the promising Phase Two Alpha-3 trial. Furthermore, Dr. Roberts discusses novel advancements in CAR T therapies and their potential applications in treating both cancer and autoimmune diseases.

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message.Applications (BLAs) of recent approvals and complete responses for novel products or rare diseases as well as BLAs currently under review. Benton shares information about FDA Draft Gudiances, including Platform Technology Designation Program for Drug Development: Guidance for Industry. She also provides a regulatory outlook for CGT developers.Subscribe to the podcast!Apple | Spotify | YouTube

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message.Debra Miller, CEO and Founder and Dr. Michael Kelly, Chief Scientific Officer at CureDuchenne talk to Host Erin Harris about the FDA approval for the expansion to the label indication for ELEVIDYS from Sarepta Therapeutics as well as how CureDuchenne works with various biotechs developing gene therapies for Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD). Miller and Kelly also share their advice and recommendations for companies developing drugs for DMD - while much progress has been made, more innovation is needed.Subscribe to the podcast!Apple | Spotify | YouTube

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message.Lucas Harrington, Co-Founder and Chief Scientific Officer of Mammoth Biosciences, joins Erin Harris to shed light on the biotech's proprietary ultracompact CRISPR systems to develop potential long-term curative therapies for patients with life-threatening and debilitating diseases. They discuss why in vivo delivery continues to be a bottleneck against the clinical advancement of gene-editing-based medicines and what ultracompact CRISPR systems are designed to do.Subscribe to the podcast!Apple | Spotify | YouTube

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message.KSQ Therapeutics' CSO, Micah Benson, Ph.D., joins Erin Harris to discuss how Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TILs) as a treatment modality have the potential to treat a variety of solid tumor types. Benson explains KSQ's Phase 1/2 clinical study, KSQ-001EX, which consists of TILs in which the SOCS1 gene is inactivated by CRISPR/Cas9 gene editing. In addition to solid tumors, Benson also addresses the therapeutic potential for autoimmune disease.Subscribe to the podcast!Apple | Spotify | YouTube

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message.Strand Therapeutics' CEO and Co-Founder Jake Becraft joins Erin Harris to discuss genetic regulation and how the company's programmable mRNA constructs combine genes for self-replication derived from RNA viruses with genetically programmed logic circuits that control the location, timing, and intensity of expression of therapeutic proteins within the patient’s body, enabling precise and controlled delivery. They also cover the role synthetic biology plays to genetically program mRNA to deliver therapies.Subscribe to the podcast!Apple | Spotify | YouTube

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message.Elixirgen Therapeutics' Aki Ko joins Erin Harris to detail the company's Bobcat mRNA therapeutic and how it differs from traditional exon-skipping drugs and AAV-microdystrophin in treating DMD. Regarding delivery, Ko explains the advantage of the mRNA approach over the AAV approach.Subscribe to the podcast!Apple | Spotify | YouTube

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message.Dr. Bambi Grilley is Professor of Pediatrics and the Director of Clinical Research and Early Product Development for the Center of Cell and Gene Therapy (CAGT) at Baylor College of Medicine AND she is Chief Regulatory Officer at ISCT. Dr. Grilley talks to us about her role as CRO at ISCT and the global regulatory landscape for cell and gene therapies. She takes a deep dive into the pediatric patient journey, and she shares her expectations for ISCT 2024 Vancouver.Subscribe to the podcast!Apple | Spotify | YouTube

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message.In anticipation of ISCT 2024 in Vancouver, Canada, Dr. Bruce Levine is back on Cell & Gene: The Podcast to share information about the event as well as his expertise on the future of CAR-T therapy for solid tumors, autoimmune disease, and more. He talks about his time and learnings as President Elect, President, and Immediate Past President of ISCT. He covers Cellicon Valley and Philadelphia's success as on-going CGT hub, and much more.Subscribe to the podcast!Apple | Spotify | YouTube

We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message.Dr. Marcus Conant is CMO at Addimmune, a biotech startup developing a cell therapy for HIV that spun out of cell and gene therapy biotech American Gene Technologies (AGT). He spent his career on the front lines of HIV treatment and research and remains an advocate for the HIV patient. He formed the Kaposi’s Sarcoma Research & Education Foundation in 1982, which later became the San Francisco AIDS Foundation. On this episode, Dr. Conant shares they why behind cell and gene therapy to treat HIV, and he explains Addimmune’s lead asset, AGT103-T, which is designed to provide broad protection using silencing RNA to inhibit binding/entry of the virus, halt replication, and prevent escape.Subscribe to the podcast!Apple | Spotify | YouTube