The deadline to submit an abstract for short talk consideration has passed.  For any questions or issues, please email info@keystonesymposia.org.

Cellular therapies are now becoming a routine part of cancer care, especially for treatment of hematologic malignancies. Based on this success, new cell therapy approaches are rapidly being developed and translated into clinical trials. We have only scratched the surface of how cell therapies can be effectively utilized for better treatment and potential cures for both malignant and non-malignant diseases. However, key challenges remain- such as how to engineer key cell populations more efficiently and effectively. Synthetic biology and other advanced engineering strategies are being employed to improve targeting and safety of cell therapies. Allogeneic cell therapies are gaining in interest and importance, as they likely provide a more cost-effective approach. However, key challenges remain, such as immune compatibility remain a concern and will be explored.

This meeting will highlight both new technologies to build improved cell therapies, as well as diverse cell sources that can be utilized for repair or replacement of diseased or damaged tissues. Strategies to use new cell therapies to treat infectious and autoimmune disease, as well as new approaches to directly engineer cells in vivo will also be discussed. This meeting will be held jointly with the Keystone Symposia on Stem Cells, Regeneration, and Therapeutics. These joint meetings will enable cross-fertilization of investigators with interests that range from basic biology to translational research and clinical trials. These exciting meetings will enable both academic and industry scientists to understand key challenges and advances in these fields to bring new and more effective cell therapies into clinical reality.