SCA Regional Virtual Town Hall - April 15, 2026

ABOUT THE TOWN HALL

The International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy (ISCT) is the leading global platform dedicated to advancing cell and gene therapies through collaboration between academia, industry, and regulatory bodies. By fostering meaningful connections and driving clinical translation, ISCT empowers innovation and the responsible commercialization of advanced therapies worldwide. ISCT continues to champion the translation of advanced therapies through robust regional engagement. The South and Central America (SCA) Regional Executive Committee is hosting a dedicated Townhall to unveil its 2026 Action Plan.

This session serves as a strategic roadmap for the year, highlighting key events designed to empower the SCA cell and gene therapy community. Participants will gain first-hand insights into the committee’s goals for the latter half of 2026, including initiatives led by the Early-Stage Professionals (ESP) Subcommittee and regulatory harmonization efforts across the region.

The 2026 Action Plan Townhall is a call to action for members and non-members alike to participate in the growth of the SCA ecosystem. By aligning regional expertise with ISCT’s global resources, we aim to overcome translational hurdles and showcase the innovative work emerging from South and Central America. Join us to discover how you can engage with the committee and help shape the future of CGT in our region.

KEY LEARNING OBJECTIVES

  • Promote upcoming 2026 SCA regional initiatives, such as the webinars and other global ISCT initiatives
  • Foster engagement between regional members and non-members in the region
  • Increase visibility of ISCT in the region
  • Grow the membership of ISCT members in SCA
 TOWN HALL CHAIR

Tatiana Maron Gutierrez, PhD, MSc
ISCT SCA Regional Secretary
ISCT SCA ESP Subcommittee Co-Chair
Researcher
Instituto Oswaldo Cruz (IOC)
Fundação Oswaldo Cruz (FIOCRUZ)
Brazil

Tatiana holds a PhD in Sciences (Physiology) from the Federal University of Rio de Janeiro and completed her postdoctoral fellowship at the Oswaldo Cruz Foundation (FIOCRUZ), where she currently serves as a senior researcher. Her research spans the fields of cell therapy, neuroinflammation, and respiratory physiology. A primary focus of her work has been the therapeutic potential of cell therapy, particularly mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs), in treating various inflammatory diseases.

 SPEAKERS

Samuel Couto, PhD

ISCT SCA Regional Treasurer
Manufacturing Lead
Instituto Butantan
Brazil

Samuel C. F. Couto, PhD, currently serves as Manufacturing Lead at Instituto Butantan, and also as an associate researcher at the University of São Paulo in Brazil. After earning his degree in Biological Sciences from PUC-Campinas University, Samuel pursued a PhD in Biotechnology at the University of São Paulo, followed by postdoctoral fellowships at both the University of São Paulo's Medical School and Children’s National Hospital in Washington, D.C. He is particularly interested in increasing access to cellular and gene therapies in lower-middle-income countries. 

Lilia Carolina León-Moreno, PhD
ISCT SCA ESP Subcommittee Co-Chair
Post-Doctoral Researcher
CIATEJ
Mexico

Lilia C. León-Moreno, PhD, is a posdoctoral researcher focused on the study of exosomes and mesenchymal stromal cells as a potential therapy for neurodegenerative diseases. She is interested in increasing the knowledge of the medical and scientific communities, and general public about advanced therapies and establishing a regulatory framework that enables the development of these therapies in Latin America. She is currently involved in the planning of a CDMO for cell therapy in Jalisco. 

Virginia Picanço e Castro, PhD, MSc
ISCT SCA Regional VP-Elect
Researcher and Coordinator
Biotechnology Laboratory
Ribeirão Preto Blood Center
Brazil

Virginia Picanço e Castro, PhD, is a prominent researcher at the Regional Blood Center of Ribeirão Preto in Brazil, where she focuses on pluripotent stem cells and cell reprogramming. After earning her degree in Biological Sciences from the University of São Paulo, Dr. Picanço e Castro pursued a PhD in Genetics at the Medical School of Ribeirão Preto, followed by postdoctoral fellowships at both the Regional Blood Center and Indiana University. Her research explores the complex pathways involved in cell reprogramming, specifically aiming to generate pluripotent stem cells from human somatic cells. She also investigates the molecular mechanisms that regulate the differentiation of hematopoietic and pluripotent stem cells, with the ultimate goal of developing effective in vitro differentiation protocols.

Dr. Picanço e Castro’s work aims to create a comprehensive database of genomic proto-proteins involved in hematopoietic differentiation, which could lead to new gene overexpression techniques that enhance cell differentiation and reprogram fibroblasts into adult blood cells. Her research is highly relevant to Brazil's burgeoning biotechnology sector, with the potential to offer safer and more efficient stem cell-based therapies. She collaborates with leading national and international researchers and guides a team of students at the Biotechnology Laboratory Group, contributing to significant advancements in regenerative medicine and therapeutic innovation.

Andrés Caicedo, PhD, MSc

ISCT SCA Regional VP
Researcher and Coordinator
Biotechnology Laboratory
Universidad San Francisco de Quito
Ecuador

Andrés Caicedo earned his PhD with Honors in Biomedicine in 2013, supported by a scholarship from the French Ministry of National Education, Higher Education, and Research. He holds specializations in Regenerative Medicine from the Biomedicine Research Institute and Biotherapies (IRMB) and in Management, both from the University of Montpellier. Since 2016, he has been an Associate Professor and Principal Investigator at the School of Medicine at San Francisco University of Quito (USFQ), where he leads the "Biomedical Discovery" team. His research group focuses on developing innovative therapies for repairing tissue damaged by aging, environmental stress, or injury.
In 2017, Andrés was named one of the Innovators Under 35 in Latin America by the MIT Technology Review for his groundbreaking work on "Artificial Mitochondria Transplantation for Medical Purposes, MitoCeption." That same year, he won the "Ecuador Changes the World" Innovation Call from the Alliance for Entrepreneurship and Innovation of Ecuador (AEI) for his project on predicting susceptibility to diabetes and metabolic syndrome using circulating mitochondrial DNA.

From 2018 to 2023, Andrés led the R&D department at “Sistemas Médicos USFQ” and founded the Dragon BioMed Initiative at USFQ, focusing on mitochondria as a "Living Drug." In 2019, he served as Chairman of the Scientific Commission at the National Institute of Transplantation of Tissue, Organs, and Cells (INDOT). He currently serves as the Vice-President for the ISCT South and Central America Regional Executive Committee. In 2023, Andrés was honored with the ISCT Trailblazer Award for Emerging Markets, and in 2024, he received the Best Innovation of the Year and Best Inventor Awards from the Ecuadorian Corporation for the Development of Research and Academia (CEDIA).

Throughout his career, Andrés has been awarded multiple grants to advance intellectual property rights for innovations in regenerative medicine and cancer, primarily funded by CEDIA. He remains committed to fostering collaboration between the private sector, academia, and government to position Ecuador and the region as leaders in safe and effective stem cell-based therapies.