ELRIG announced Drs. Stephen Ward (Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult) and Annarita Miccio (Imagine Institute) will lead Cell and Gene Therapy 2026 as the keynote speakers.
Cell and Gene Therapy 2026 is a free-to-attend event bringing together leading scientists, economists and patient advocates to explore breakthroughs shaping the future of medicine. The program, focusing on translational impact and patient perspectives, includes talks and poster presentations covering neurological disorders, sensory diseases, rare conditions, and cancer immunotherapy. There will also be an exhibition hall and networking opportunities, providing a platform for collaboration between academia, biotech, pharma and investors from across the drug discovery community. The Early Career Professional Poster Award will recognize the outstanding contributions from the next generation of scientists.
Dr. Stephen Ward has over two decades of cell and gene therapy expertise, within a career spanning biological medicine research, development and manufacturing. He has been with the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult for over 10 years, playing a pivotal role building its pioneering process development and analytical capabilities; and leading major strategic manufacturing, supply chain, skills and industrial growth programs. In 2024, he became Chief Technology Officer, shaping the organization’s technology development strategy. Dr. Ward is also Vice Chair of the Medicines Manufacturing Industry Partnership. He will present “Is the Coming of Age of Advanced Therapies Now Within Our Grasp or Ephemeral Hope?” on day one of the conference.
Dr. Annarita Miccio directs the laboratory of chromatin and gene regulation during development at the Imagine Institute in Paris, France. Her work focusses on transcriptional control of hematopoiesis and developing therapies for betahaemoglobinopathies. In particular, she optimized the design of lentiviral vectors currently employed in a clinical trial for sickle cell disease and developed CRISPR/Cas9 strategies for beta-haemoglobinopathies. Dr. Miccio is the author of over 70 publications and more than 15 patents, she has led major EU- and nationalfunded projects and received multiple scientific awards. She will discuss the “Successes and Challenges in Gene Therapy: The Example of Beta-Haemoglobinopathies” during her presentation on the second day. ‑haemoglobinopathies. In particular, she optimized the design of lentiviral vectors currently employed in a clinical trial for sickle cell disease and developed CRISPR/Cas9 strategies for beta-haemoglobinopathies. Dr Miccio is the author of over 70 publications and more than 15 patents, she has led major EU- and national‑funded projects and received multiple scientific awards. She will discuss the “
