SAPA-GP Hosted the Third @Philly Cell and Gene Therapy Annual Conference

On June 14-15, SAPA-GP held the 2024 @Philly Cell and Gene Therapy Annual Conference at the Sheraton Valley Forge Hotel in King of Prussia, northwest of Philadelphia. Over 500 life scientists, pharmaceutical professionals, entrepreneurs, investors, and senior executives attended the conference. Inaugurated in 2022, the annual conference has become a leading platform in the region to showcase the latest developments in cell, gene, and RNA therapies, and to connect biotech entrepreneurs with investors.

Dr. Yufeng Li, the conference co-chair and president of SAPA-GP, opened the conference. Dr. Peter Marks, Director of the Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research (CBER) at the FDA, delivered a keynote speech on advancing the development of novel biologic products. He was followed by a keynote address from Dr. Jason Bock, CEO of CTMC, on accelerating cell therapy transformation. The second day of the conference was opened by Dr. Haichen Yang, the conference co-founder and former president of SAPA-GP (2022-2023). Dr. Guangping Gao, Professor of UMass Chan Medical School and a key pioneer of gene therapy, and Dr. P.J. Brooks, a world-renowned NIH researcher in rare diseases, gave keynote addresses on AAV gene therapy for CNS diseases and novel platform approaches to genetic therapies and rare disease clinical trials.

For two days, over seventy accomplished scientists, biopharma professionals, investors, entrepreneurs, as well as other movers and shakers delivered presentations, panel talks, and one-on-one discussions in five parallel tracks. The @Philly forum, partnered with the Chamber of Commerce for Greater Philadelphia, highlighted Greater Philadelphia's thriving biotech ecosystem in R&D, manufacturing, and entrepreneurship.

"Great to see the conference's increasing influence and contribution to the Greater Philadelphia area's biotech ecosystem," commented Dr. Yufeng Li, president of SAPA-GP.

The 2025 @Philly Cell and Gene Therapy Annual Conference will be held in June 2025. For more information about programs and sponsoring opportunities at SAPA-GP, please visit https://sapagp.org/.

About SAPA-GP

Founded in 2002, SAPA's mission is to promote pharmaceutical sciences and biotechnology, facilitate scientific and business cooperation, and foster career development of pharmaceutical professionals. Each year SAPA-GP hosts many conferences and events in science, business, investment, and career development. With over 4,000 members, SAPA-GP has been instrumental in shaping favorable biotech ecosystems in Greater Philadelphia.