Prof. Fermín Sánchez-Guijo, MD, PhD.
Head, Hematology Department & Professor of Medicine, University of Salamanca, University Hospital of Salamanca. Current Vice-President, ISCT Europe and Middle East Region (2023-2025).
Salamanca, Spain
ISCT's European leadership has been renewed this year by 75% with the new-elected Vice-President-elect, Treasurer and Secretary after the established election procedure.
It seems therefore appropriate to dedicate a few lines of the current Telegraft number to present the actual composition of the group together with the background of the new incorporations, and to summarize some of main activities and challenges on which the team is currently working.
Prof. Dominique Farge, MD, PhD, with a career of more than 35 years as an internist and an international expert in stem cell therapy for the treatment of autoimmune diseases, is also a professor at St-Louis University Hospital in Paris. She is the new Vice-President-elect. Her experience in conducting international multicenter clinical trials and her extensive network of contacts in areas related to internal medicine such as gastroenterology, rheumatology, neurology, cardiology, and others, will be of considerable help to ISCT. This, together with her teaching experience and enthusiasm, will greatly help to enhance the training activities of the group and to boost the growth of the Society's membership not only in Europe but also in other regions.
The new Regional Treasurer is Dr. Elsa Abranches, PhD, who is currently Senior Director-Head of Cell Therapy Bioprocess, Development and Manufacturing at AstraZeneca. Dr. Abranches holds a degree in Chemical Engineering and a PhD in Stem Cell Biotechnology from the Technical University of Lisbon. Professionally, she has a track record of remarkable interest for ISCT, combining experience in manufacturing, standardization, regulatory, clinical trials and a very attractive industrial profile. With her knowledge and drive, she can help ISCT Europe bring together all key stakeholders to support the development and delivery of preclinical, regulatory and translational guidelines for advanced therapies in our environment.
The latest incorporation is Dr. Lindsay Davies, PhD, currently Chief Scientific Officer of NextCell Pharma AB in Sweden, who is the new Scientific Secretary of ISCT Europe. Dr. Davies has been involved in the world of gene and cell therapy since her PhD thesis on cartilage repair and has worked in academic positions in the UK and later in Sweden (Karolinska Institute). She also has been involved in the Finnish Red Cross Blood Service and an industrial partner for medical device development. In 2020, she moved to industry to dound her own consulting firm, CellTherEx, which has played a key role in supporting academics and SME spinning out and handling regulatory compliance. Dr. Davies is quite aware of the gaps in transitioning from ideas to clinical trials and product regulatory approval, and this knowledge is essential to help many ISCT members from different backgrounds, and to promote teaching activities to reduce this gap.
For the group's monthly teleconferences, we have the invaluable assistance of Dr. Max Gnecchi MD, PhD, past-VP, who continues to actively participate with his expertise in current and future projects, and Christopher Bravery, PhD, Chair of the EU Legal And Regulatory Affairs Committee, who updates us on his committee's meetings.
The group's main challenges are related to continue fostering training activities (the creation of a workforce with expertise in this area is key for the future), and because we understand that Early-Stage Professionals are our greatest treasure. One of such initiatives is the 1.5-day training course “The Use of Cell Therapies for Autoimmune Diseases: MSCs from Biology to Clinical Application” that will be held in Paris from 25th to 26th of January, 2024.
Likewise, within our strategic plan we will focus our attention in 2024 on the organization, after many years without it (mainly due to the irruption of the COVID-19 pandemic), of a European Regional ISCT Congress, which will take place in Goteborg (Sweden) in early September 2024 (from the 4th to the 6th) and where we hope to bring together all the main stakeholders of gene and cell therapy in our environment (ESP, clinicians, academia, biotech, pharma, lab personnel, regulators, patient advocates, among others).
Increasing the number of members and fostering relationships with other related societies with common interests (EBMT, TERMIS, ESCGT, etc.) are other of our priorities, in addition to promoting participation in Cytotherapy and Telegraft and supporting initiatives aimed at evaluating and better understanding the gene and cell therapy activity carried out in our environment through surveys and/or registries.
References
1. ISCT Regional Executive Committees Website. https://www.isctglobal.org/about/leadership/regional-executive-committees
2. ISCT Course on “The Use of Cell Therapies for Autoimmune Diseases: MSCs from Biology to Clinical Application” https://www.isctglobal.org/resources/training-programs/mscs-from-biology-to-clinical-application
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