From October 27–31, 2025, ISCT celebrated the successful conclusion of our 2025 Cell Therapy Leadership Training Program. Since its launch in 2015, this course has been a flagship initiative, cultivating the next generation of cell and gene therapy leaders on a global scale. Alongside our 15 scholars (selected from a competitive international applicant pool), ISCT has built a strong track record of collaboration with regulatory agencies, including the U.S. FDA, which has supported staff participation since 2019.
We’re proud to share that more than 50 representatives from regulatory agencies attended this year’s program. Throughout the week, sessions covered strategic leadership in cell therapy, CGT manufacturing, clinical trial design, and hot topics in innovation, scalability, and ethics. During the program, hosted at the University of Pennsylvania Perelman Center for Advanced Medicine, fifteen scholars from around the world were mentored by expert course faculty and world-renowned speakers as they explored the full spectrum of therapeutic development — from preclinical studies to commercialization. Scholars also benefited from one-on-one mentoring sessions, where they refined project proposals aimed at accelerating the clinical translation of novel therapeutics and manufacturing processes.
Course faculty member and ISCT Telegraft Contributing Editor, Dr. Ashley Krull, PhD, recently met with seven of the fifteen scholars to hear about their experiences. Whether you’re a potential applicant or a past participant looking to revisit the week, watch the video below to learn how this program informed and inspired its 2025 cohort.
To learn more about the Cell Therapy Leadership Training Program, visit the webpage at www.isctglobal.org/workforce-development/cttc and stay tuned for the next cohort of scholars, opening in the second half of 2026.
An honourable mention also goes out to our 2025 sponsors, whose support makes it possible to provide full-tuition scholarships that help develop the next generation of CGT leaders and bridge the workforce development gap in the sector.
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