AAV Avenues for Cell and Gene Therapy

 LIVE Symposium

September 17-18, 2025
10:00 AM - 2:00 PM ET

Adeno-associated viruses (AAVs) have emerged as essential tools for delivering genetic material into tissues and engineering therapeutic cells. As gene and cell therapies advance, researchers optimize AAV design and enhance vector production to improve targeting, precision, and safety.

In this two-day symposium hosted by The Scientist, experts will discuss the latest advancements, practical applications, and ongoing challenges related to the use of AAVs in cell and gene therapy.

Topics to be covered 

• Investigating AAV serotype tropism in vivo using fluorescent reporter mouse models
• Defining the minimal adenoviral helper gene set for improved AAV production and safety
• Exploring AAV-based strategies for treating ocular diseases and preventing corneal transplant rejection
• Developing enhancer-driven AAV vectors for selective gene delivery to brain endothelial cells
• Strategies for optimizing chemically defined media for scalable AAV production
• Customizing viral vector design for cell-specific gene modulation and disease modeling in neurological research
• Examining sex-specific differences in AAV immunogenicity

View Agenda

Bill Lagor, PhD Kyle and Josephine Morrow Endowed Professor Department of Integrative Physiology Baylor College of Medicine

Nerea Zabaleta, PhD Researcher Centre for Applied Medical Research  University of Navarra

Matthew Hirsch, PhD Associate Professor  Department of Ophthalmology University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill

Hirotaka Kuroda R&D Engineer Shimadzu Corporation

Ajinkya Sase, PhD Application Scientist Vector Biolabs

Ronit Mazor, PhD Principal Investigator and Laboratory Chief Gene Transfer Immunogenicity Branch Center for Biologics Evaluation and Research  US Food and Drug Administration

Thomas Quinn  R&D Group Leader Takara Bio USA

Platinum Sponsors

Gold Sponsor

Silver Sponsors