Cell-based therapies are rapidly emerging as a powerful complement to traditional small-molecule and biologic drugs. Engineered T cells have achieved remarkable success in treating blood cancers, yet key challenges remain in programming precise cellular behaviors, scaling manufacturing and delivery, and navigating regulatory hurdles. At the same time, the field is expanding to explore new disease areas—including autoimmunity and regeneration—and a broader range of cell types including other immune cells, stem cells, and even microbes. 

This meeting will showcase state-of-the-art advances and chart future directions in cell therapy. Sessions will address which diseases are best suited for cellular interventions, what programmable functions are needed to achieve success, and how clinical trials can inform basic research and innovation. By convening synthetic biologists, cell engineers, clinicians, and industry leaders, the program will foster cross-disciplinary dialogue, catalyze new collaborations, accelerate clinical impacts and help define the next generation of cell therapies. 

Additionally, this conference will be co-located with another Keystone Symposia conference, “Antibodies as Drugs: Engineering and Computation Tools Enabling Clinical Advances” to enable cross-talk between these complimentary treatment modalities and facilitate interdisciplinary insights and collaborations to advance therapeutic opportunities and impacts.

Check out the speaker highlights in the video below: