Which ideas, technologies, and perspectives are currently moving Cell and Gene Therapy forward? On Tuesday, 30 June 2026, NecstGen will host TechTalkXL: Cell & Gene Therapy in Leiden, as part of Dutch Bio Science Week, organised by Leiden Bio Science Park. The event brings together professionals working in or closely following the field of Cell and Gene Therapy for an afternoon of expert presentations, snapshot talks, and peer exchange.

About the Event

Cell and Gene Therapy is advancing across a range of areas, including oncology, rare genetic disorders, and degenerative diseases. Progress in clinical translation, process development, and enabling technologies is shaping what becomes possible and what the next steps look like in practice.

TechTalkXL provides a setting to examine these developments directly, with speakers actively involved in bringing therapies forward. The format is focused and practical: expert presentations followed by shorter snapshot talks and dedicated time to connect with colleagues and peers from across the field.

Programme
15:30 – Arrival & Registration
16:00 – Speaker Session 
17:10 – Snapshot Talks
From 17:30 – Networking

Speakers
There will be an exciting speaker program, including the following experts from the field: 

• Anneke Schuitemaker-Reurs – Mendus AB
  • Scaling up the production of vididencel, a cell-based immunotherapy; Developing active immunotherapy for myeloid blood cancers
• Nina Kotsopoulou, AAVantgarde Bio
  • AAVantgarde Bio’s journey for delivering large genes
• Diederik Lokhorst, NecstGen
  • Development of a scalable, GMP-ready lentiviral vector manufacturing platform
• Wenliang Dong – ORCA Therapeutics
• Jordan Turnbull – Fuse Vectors

Snapshot Talks

• An end-to-end RNA platform – from IVT to formulation – empowering faster, simpler, and scalable therapies production
  • Yuliya Shakalisava, EXIT071

• Beyond the Cell: Harnessing Exosomes for Diagnostics and Therapeutics
  • Emilie Viey, Quantoom Biosciences

• Tamar Tak, Leiden University Medical Center

• TBA, Astraveus

Practical Information

Date: Tuesday, 30 June 2026 Location: Leiden, The Netherlands, Leiden Bio Science Park Participation: Free of charge Registration: Required

TechTalkXL is open to anyone working in or engaged with the field of Cell and Gene Therapy. If this is relevant for you or your team, we invite you to save the date and register via the link below.

Register Now

Events like these are part of NecstGen’s ongoing effort to strengthen collaboration and knowledge exchange across the Cell and Gene Therapy development chain. We look forward to welcoming you in Leiden.

On 24 April 2026, the Cell & Gene Therapy community gathers at PLNT Leiden for the Future of CGT.

NecstGen is contributing to this conference together with partners across the ecosystem: Health~Holland, JPP – Life Sciences Marketing & BD, Leiden Bio Science Park, OVBSP Leiden, and host PLNT Leiden.

The programme is built for teams actively working in CGT. Expect case studies from real CGT projects with concrete lessons, breakout tracks covering biotech, manufacturing, regulatory, and clinical development, workshops focused on building practical skills, and a partnering setting structured for honest conversations and new collaborations.

Speakers bring direct experience from CGT ventures, clinical development, and the broader ecosystem, covering topics such as financing structures, investor alignment, post-deal continuity, and the path from innovation to patient impact.

If you are building, backing, or scaling in CGT, the content is relevant to your work.

More information on this event & tickets can be found here: https://futureofcgt.com/

As part of Dutch Bio Science Week 2025, TechTalkXL brought together the Cell and Gene Therapy community for an afternoon of focused exchange at Mirai House. Organised by NecstGen in collaboration with Leiden Bio Science Park, the event provided a setting to examine both therapeutic development and the practical realities of producing advanced therapies.

Speakers and guests represented a wide range of perspectives from academia, biotech, and early-stage ventures. Discussions covered topics such as gene editing, T-cell engineering, NK cell applications, decentralised manufacturing, data handling, donor safety, and the infrastructure required to support these therapies.

The main programme featured presentations from Frank Staal of LUMC on clinical developments in gene therapy for rare genetic diseases, Ester Weijers of NTrans on a non-viral CRISPR delivery platform, Anna-Maria Georgoudaki of Glycostem on off-the-shelf NK cell therapies, and Gemma Parsons of Galapagos on a decentralised, digitally enabled model for fresh cell therapy manufacturing.

In the snapshot session, shorter talks focused on advances in manufacturing. Topics included modular automation, decentralised production models, advanced sterility testing, closing the process, and data-informed quality systems. Presenters brought insight from KU Leuven, Fraunhofer IPT, Biotactical, WMDA, and NecstGen.

Events like these are part of our broader effort to strengthen collaboration across the Cell and Gene Therapy development chain. The aim is to help bring advanced therapies to patients with greater consistency, confidence, and speed.

We thank all speakers for their contributions and all attendees for making time in a busy week to take part in these conversations.

On September 24, NecstGen will host the next CGT Circle session at Mirai House. Details on the programme and registration will follow shortly. For now, we invite you to save the date.

Photos below capture a few moments from the afternoon. We look forward to welcoming you again.