ENHANCING SPEED & QUALITY IN CELL & GENE THERAPY MANUFACTURING FOR THE DACH REGION
Bringing together 250+ CGT manufacturing, process development, technology, regulatory and operations leaders across the DACH region to tackle the challenges of scaling, automation, GMP manufacturing, process optimisation and commercialisation.
250+ cell & gene therapy manufacturing leaders, operators, regulators and technology partners from across the DACH ecosystem.
DACH’s focused forum on the practical execution of cell and gene therapy manufacturing — from process transfer and automation to GMP scale-up, biosafety and supply continuity.
Expert Speakers
Companies Represented
AGENDA AT A GLANCE
Day 1 | 17 February 2027 |
Day 2 | 18 February 2027 |
|
|
|
Commercialising Cell & Gene Therapies: Scaling for Global Success
|
Bridging the CGT Scale-Up & Tech Transfer Gap
|
| Networking Break | |
|
Scaling Cell Therapy Manufacturing
|
Quality, GMP & Regulatory Control in CGT Manufacturing
|
| Lunch | |
|
Overcoming Bottlenecks in Viral Vector Manufacturing
|
Novel Biosafety and Contamination
|
| Networking Break | |
|
Industry Roundtables: The Future of CGT Manufacturing
|
Supply Chain, Logistics & Commercial Readiness
|
| End of Conference Day 1 | End of Conference |
Day 1 | 17 February 2027 |
|
|
Commercialising Cell & Gene Therapies: Scaling for Global Success
|
| Networking Break |
|
Scaling Cell Therapy Manufacturing
|
| Lunch |
|
Overcoming Bottlenecks in Viral Vector Manufacturing
|
| Networking Break |
|
Industry Roundtables: The Future of CGT Manufacturing
|
| End of Conference Day 1 |
Day 2 | 18 February 2027 |
|
|
Bridging the CGT Scale-Up & Tech Transfer Gap
|
| Networking Break |
|
Quality, GMP & Regulatory Control in CGT Manufacturing
|
| Lunch |
|
Novel Biosafety and Contamination
|
| Networking Break |
|
Supply Chain, Logistics & Commercial Readiness
|
| End of Conference |
AGENDA
Chairman’s Welcome Address
Scaling Viral Vector & Cell Therapy Manufacturing for Commercial Readiness
- Overcoming scale-up bottlenecks in viral vector production (lentiviral, AAV)
- Managing process consistency from development to GMP manufacturing
- Manufacturing considerations across T-cell, NK-cell, and CD34 stem cell therapies
- Bridging the gap between small-scale development and industrial production
Building Sustainable CGT Business Models: From Clinical to Commercial
- Impact of funding constraints and milestone-driven investment
- Cost of goods and manufacturing scalability challenges
- Ensuring long-term operational and commercial sustainability
- Aligning manufacturing strategy with market access and growth
Scaling Non-Viral T-Cell Engineering: Bridging Process Development and GMP Manufacturing (TBC)
- Translation from small-scale development to clinical manufacturing
- Large-scale CRISPR knock-in and knock-out
- Maintaining editing efficiency, viability and cell quality
- Reproducibility across different donors and starting materials
Scaling CAR-T Manufacturing: From Clinical Success to Commercial Delivery
- Overcoming manufacturing bottlenecks in autologous CAR-T production
- Improving vein-to-vein timelines through process optimisation
- Increasing manufacturing capacity while maintaining product quality
- Preparing CAR-T platforms for sustainable commercial supply
Scaling Viral Vector Manufacturing: From Development to GMP Production
- Addressing scale-up challenges in lentiviral and AAV production
- Managing process variability between R&D and GMP environments
- Bridging development processes with commercial manufacturing requirements
- Reducing risk during tech transfer and engineering runs
Improving Yield, Consistency & Cost Efficiency in Viral Vector Production
- Enhancing process robustness and reproducibility at scale
- Tackling low yields in complex vector manufacturing processes
- Optimising upstream and downstream performance for efficiency gains
- Balancing cost pressures with clinical and commercial demand
Chairman’s Welcome Address
Why CGT Tech Transfer Fails — From R&D to GMP Reality
- Fundamental mismatch between lab-scale and GMP manufacturing environments
- Limited opportunity for full-scale optimisation due to cost and material constraints
- Environmental and operational differences between development and production sites
- Hidden failure points emerging only during GMP execution
Manufacturing Strategies Across CD34 Stem Cell, T-Cell & NK-Cell Therapies
- Platform-specific manufacturing challenges across CD34 stem cells, T- Cells, and NK-Cells
- Optimising process development and scale-up for different cell therapy modalities
- Technology transfer considerations from clinical to commercial manufacturing
- Ensuring process robustness, comparability, and manufacturing consistency across diverse cell therapy platforms
The Future of CAR-T Manufacturing: In Vivo vs Ex Vivo Approaches Towards 2030
- In vivo vs ex vivo: how quickly will the manufacturing model evolve?
- 2030, 2035 or 2040: when could in vivo CAR-T become commercially viable?
- Cost & scalability: Can in vivo approaches reduce cost per patient and improve accessibility?
- Safety: managing the risks of in vivo vector delivery and long-term effects.
Navigating GMP & Regulatory Complexity in Cell & Gene Therapy
- Non-harmonised expectations across EMA vs FDA and global regulators
- Evolving GMP expectations for early-phase vs commercial CGT manufacturing
- Assay validation, comparability, and starting material scrutiny challenges
- Regulatory uncertainty during tech transfer from academic to GMP environments
How can CGT manufacturers strengthen biosafety controls without slowing development?
- Managing contamination risk across donor material, starting materials, viral vectors, and open processing steps
- Balancing rapid methods, assay sensitivity, and GMP/regulatory expectations
- Strengthening investigation and decision-making pathways when atypical results arise
- Building scalable contamination-control strategies as programmes move from early clinical to commercial supply
Building a Phase-Appropriate Biosafety Strategy for Cell and Gene Therapy Manufacturing
- Defining biosafety-testing needs according to modality, process risk, and clinical stage
- Integrating cell-bank, raw-material, in-process, and product testing into one coherent control strategy
- Reducing turnaround-time risk while maintaining confidence in product safety and quality
- Preparing biosafety methods and controls for tech transfer, scale-up, and commercial readiness
Managing Critical Material Shortages in CGT Manufacturing
- Viral vectors, plasmids and raw material bottlenecks
- Long lead times and limited supplier base
- Impact of material constraints on GMP production timelines
- Practical mitigation strategies used by manufacturers today
What Breaks When CGTs Move from Clinical to Commercial Supply?
- Tech transfer failures impacting supply continuity
- Scaling manufacturing networks under GMP constraints
- Misalignment between development timelines and manufacturing reality
- Operational challenges in sustaining commercial supply
MEET THE SPEAKERS

CHAIRMAN
Nicoletta Loggia
BIG PHARMA
Marion Hitchcock
Chris Baldwin
BIG PHARMA
Gulbengu Kuzgun Yuksel
BIG PHARMA
Bart Van Waeyenberge
Parag Kumthekar
Interested in Sharing Your Expertise and Insights?
MEET THE SPEAKERS
of Co-located Events


BIG PHARMA
Volker Derdau
BIG PHARMA
Baerbel Grossmann
BIG PHARMA
Dr. Ulrich Rümenapp
Hagen Cramer
BIG PHARMA
Dr. Cecile Brocard
BIG PHARMA
Karoline Bechtold-Peters
BIG PHARMA
Bettina Knapp
BIG PHARMA
Alessio Epifanio
BIG PHARMA
Melanie Dannemeyer
BIG PHARMA
Frank Seibel
BIG PHARMA
Carl Reens
Maximilian Abress
Karin Keppeler
BIG PHARMA
Roberto Corazza
Gnana Oli Rajaraman
Sponsors & Media Partner
Special thanks to our event partners, without whom we would not be able to provide
this networking, learning, and collaborating platform to the community
Looking to partner with us for this event?
Biopharma & Big Pharma
Service & Solution Providers
Decision Makers
By Geography
By Profile
By Job Title
Targeted Attendees List
| Job Title | Company | Country |
| Associate Director Gene Therapy | Boehringer Ingelheim | Germany |
| Cell & Gene Therapy Value Chain Delivery Lead | Roche | Switzerland |
| Regulatory CMC Senior Director - Biologics & Gene Therapies at Ultragenyx | Ultragenyx | Switzerland |
| Manager Cell & Gene Therapies/ Project Manager - Cell & Gene Therapies Business Operations | F. Hoffmann-La Roche AG | Switzerland |
| Associate Director Analytical Development | T-knife Therapeutics | Switzerland |
| Co-founder and CEO | CDR-Life | Switzerland |
| CTO | Orchard TX | Switzerland |
| Associate Director Analytical Development CMC | Gyroscope Therapeutics | United Kingdom |
| CEO and Co-founder | T3 Pharmaceuticals | Switzerland |
| MSAT Scientist, Cell and Gene Therapy | Novartis | Switzerland |
| Analytical Development Scientist | Gene Therapy | UCB | Belgium |
| Principal Scientist in Gene Therapy Research | CSL Behring | Switzerland |
| Head of Pharmaceutical Development | SmartImmune | France |
| VP Process Research | Autolus Ltd. | United Kingdom |
| Global Sr. Director Audit and Inspection Management | Pfizer | Spain |
| Senior Scientist | Institute for Transfusion Medicine and Gene Therapy | Germany |
| Product Operations Lead - Cell Therapy | Takeda | Switzerland |
Sponsorship Packages
Diamond
- Full-day workshop for 30 pax: room, lunch, 2 refreshment breaks, coffee / tea
- Keynote solo presentation: 20 min + 5 min Q&A
- 25-minute end-user client case study
- 12 sqm exhibition space (4×3m booth + banner)
- 1 speaker pass; 7 guest passes; 2 exhibitor passes
- 10 onsite 1:1 meetings
- Lead retrieval
Platinum
- Half-day workshop for 30 pax: room, 1 refreshment break, coffee / tea
- Prime-billing solo presentation: 20 min + 5 min Q&A
- 25-minute end-user client case study
- 12 sqm exhibition space (4×3m booth + banner)
- 1 speaker pass; 7 guest passes; 2 exhibitor passes
- 10 onsite 1:1 meetings
- Lead retrieval
Gold
- Prime-billing solo presentation: 20 min + 5 min Q&A
- 9 sqm exhibition space (3×3m booth + banner)
- 1 speaker pass; 5 guest passes; 2 exhibitor passes
- 10 onsite 1:1 meetings
- Lead retrieval
Silver (Enhanced)
- Solo presentation: 20 min + 5 min Q&A
- 6 sqm exhibition space (3×2m booth + banner)
- 1 speaker pass; 3 guest passes; 2 exhibitor passes
- 5 onsite 1:1 meetings
- Lead retrieval
Silver
- Solo presentation: 10 min + 5 min Q&A
- 6 sqm exhibition space (3×2m booth + tabletop display)
- 1 speaker pass; 2 guest passes; 2 exhibitor passes
- 5 onsite 1:1 meetings
- Lead retrieval
Bronze
- Solo presentation: 10 min + 5 min Q&A
- 6 sqm exhibition space (3×2m booth)
- 1 speaker pass; 2 guest passes
- Lead retrieval
Exhibition + 10 Meetings
- 6 sqm exhibition space (3×2m booth + banner)
- 1 guest pass; 2 exhibition passes
- 10 onsite 1:1 meetings
- Lead retrieval
Exhibition + 5 Meetings
- 6 sqm exhibition space (3×2m booth + banner)
- 1 guest pass; 2 exhibition passes
- 5 onsite 1:1 meetings
- Lead retrieval
Exhibition
- 6 sqm exhibition space (3×2m booth + banner)
- 1 guest pass; 2 exhibition passes
- Lead retrieval
Cell Isolation & Processing Systems
Cryopreservation, Storage & Cold Chain Logistics
Viral Vector Manufacturing
Analytical Testing, Quality Control & Release Assays
Gene Editing & Cell Engineering Technologies
Sterility Testing & Microbiology Solutions
Cell Culture Media, Reagents & Consumables
CDMOs & Contract Manufacturing Services
Cell Expansion & Bioreactor Technologies
Raw Materials, Plasmids & Critical Components
Single-Use Bioprocessing Systems
Engineering, Cleanroom & Facility Design
Process Monitoring, Automation & Digital Manufacturing
Regulatory, Validation & Quality Services
Cell Harvesting, Washing & Formulation Technologies
Chain of Identity / Chain of Custody Solutions
Aseptic Fill-Finish Solutions
Clinical Supply Chain & Logistics Providers
Thought Leadership Speaking
Panel Participation
Solution Showcases
Engagement and Visibility Opportunities
Branding and Digital Visibility
Exclusive Networking
DACH Series Past Partners
The Biologics and CGT Manufacturing DACH conference 2026 was very well planned and coordinated. It provided high-quality talks for staying up-to-date in our industry and I specifically enjoyed the time for networking.
Thanks for the invite to speak at the event. It was a really enjoyable meeting and a great opportunity to present our work to the community. Identifying key partners for ImmunoKey’s development plan is a critical aspect of getting our therapies to patients; the CGT and Biologics Manufacturing DACH meeting offered us the opportunity to engage with key CDMOs who can help us achieve this goal.
Just back from an incredible time at the Biologics Manufacturing DACH congress! I have to be honest - as someone in Procurement, some of the deep-dives into Cell & Gene and biologics development were definitely above my scientific capabilities! However, the exchange of knowledge was fantastic, and it was a privilege to learn from such brilliant minds. A true highlight was the fantastic collaboration with Christopher Pawlak (PhD) . I had the privilege of co-hosting a round table with him focused on the impact of tariffs in the biopharma world. Christoph, thank you for the partnership - it was a truly dynamic discussion! 🤝 One of my biggest takeaways is that we have officially entered the era of "The Great Reshoring". We are moving past the days when drug manufacturing decisions were purely scientific; they are now deeply geopolitical. As we discussed in our round table, we can no longer just react to change. We have to treat scenario planning like a muscle that we train constantly to design for volatility. The event really hit home how much our world is changing - from the incredible progress in biologics manufacturing to the AI evolution. I’m excited to see how we can implement these insights to build resilience and benefit BMS biologics manufacturing. Back to my desk, I will start with socializing the learnings with my colleagues. A huge thank you to Drishti G. for the flawless organization and to Noel Murphy for approving the trip and supporting this critical learning opportunity!
Really well organised conference with great attendees and high engagement - I was delighted to have taken the time to attend and really enjoyed sharing my thoughts on Accelerating Biologics Pipeline and ensuing discussion. Thank you to all organisers and facilitators
A fantastic deep dive into the DACH region’s CGT landscape. This conference made one thing clear: efficacy is proven, but industrialization is the new frontier. To truly move the needle, we must look beyond the lab and focus on scaling automation, streamlining supply chains, and tackling COGS. The diversity of voices - from large corporations, to tech suppliers and academic pioneers - provided a 360-degree view of the manufacturing challenges we must solve together.
Thanks for the invite. The conference was really excellent, due to the caliber and engagement of the attendees.
Thanks for putting this together! I enjoyed the discussions, atmosphere and engagement of participants. Great to be there!
I thoroughly enjoyed attending the CGT Manufacturing DACH 2026 by IMAPAC. The program featured exceptionally industry-relevant talks that provided deep insights into the current landscape. Beyond the sessions, the networking opportunities were top-tier, thanks to the high caliber of participants.
I had the pleasure of collaborating with the IMAPAC team during the Irish leg of the Biologics World event in February 2026. The organisers were exceptionally receptive and helpful, ensuring a seamless experience throughout the planning, exhibition logistics, partnering sessions, and sponsor visibility. Their proactive approach in connecting us with potential partners significantly enhanced our ROI. We are already exploring future opportunities to work with the IMAPAC team.
Thank you for your email and organising this wonderful event. It was a pleasure to participate. Congratulations on organising this event. It was a wonderful opportunity to present our work and to collaborate with others in the area. Looking forward to your next event
Thank you, it was a pleasure meeting you, and your enthusiasm made it an engaging and positive event.
I hope we have opportunity to connect again in the future.
Well done on a very informative and successful event.
VENUE
Radisson Blu Hotel, London Heathrow
Travel Options
We look forward to welcoming you to our event at the Radisson Blu Hotel, conveniently located just minutes from Heathrow Airport. Please find travel guidance below to help you plan your journey.
By London Underground
Take the London Underground Piccadilly Line toward Heathrow Airport.
- Alight at Heathrow Terminal 2 & 3 Underground Station
- From the station, the hotel is a short taxi or bus journey away
Estimated travel time: 45–60 minutes from central London.
From Heathrow Airport
The hotel is located along Bath Road, with regular bus services connecting all terminals.
- Local bus routes: 105, 111, 140, 285
- Hotel Hoppa shuttle service also available
- Alight on Bath Road, a short walk from the hotel
Estimated travel time: 10–20 minutes
Taxi or Ride-Hailing
Taxis and ride-hailing services are readily available at all Heathrow terminals.
Estimated travel time: 5–10 minutes Estimated cost: £10–£20
By Car
The hotel is easily accessible by road:
- Address: 140 Bath Road, Hayes, Middlesex, UB3 5AW
- Located just off the M4 motorway
From Other UK Cities
For guests travelling from outside London:
- Arrive at London Paddington Station
- Continue via:
- Heathrow Express (fastest option), or
- Elizabeth line (cost-effective alternative)
- Transfer to bus or taxi for the final leg
Accommodation Options
Explore recommended hotels near the venue.
Venue Hotel
Radisson Blu Hotel, London Heathrow
To book a room at this hotel, please click the button below
London Heathrow Mariott Hotel
To book a room at this hotel, please click the button below
Ibis Style London Heathrow Airport
To book a room at this hotel, please click the button below
Premier Inn London Heathrow
To book a room at this hotel, please click the button below