Today's episode takes us into crucial territory where science meets ethics in gene therapy development. Following our recent compelling conversation with Ben Hurlbut on germline genetic editing, we're diving deeper into the ethical dimensions of bringing new treatments to patients.

We'll explore two critical challenges that development teams face: determining the initial dose for therapy and establishing acceptable parameters for off-target effects before clinical testing. While these decisions are grounded in scientific data, they carry profound ethical implications – especially considering that AAV-based therapies are currently "one and done" treatments, where redosing isn't yet possible.

Thomas Wechsler, chair of the ASGCT Ethics Committee, will join us to help us navigate the technical and ethical dimensions of these crucial decisions. His unique perspective will help us understand how teams balance scientific rigor with ethical responsibility when introducing new therapies to the clinic.

Music by: https://www.steven-obrien.net/
--------------------------
Bright New Morning - Steven O'Brien

(Used for free under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Show your support for ASGCT!: https://asgct.org/membership/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Join Dr. Paloma Giangrande, Editor-in-Chief of Molecular Therapy Nucleic Acids, as she discusses RNA exon editing with Ascidian Therapeutics' leadership: CSO Dr. Robert Bell and CEO Dr. Michael Ehlers. Their conversation explores Dr. Bell's recent MTNA publication "RNA Exon Editing: Splicing the Way to Treat Human Diseases."

Last Call: Submit your abstracts for ASGCT's 2025 Annual Meeting in New Orleans by January 31st, 11:59 PM ET. Present at cell and gene therapy's premier event and get published in Molecular Therapy. Details at annualmeeting.asgct.org/abstracts.

In This Episode

Paloma Giangrande, PhD
Editor-in-Chief, Molecular Therapy Nucleic Acids and Chief Technology Officer at Eleven Therapeutics

Robert Bell, PhD
Chief Scientific Officer at Ascidian Therapeutics

Michael Ehlers, MD, PhD
President and Chief Executive Officer at Ascidian Therapeutics

'Electric Dreams' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0.
www.scottbuckley.com.au

Show your support for ASGCT!: https://asgct.org/membership/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Sonal Gupta, MD, PhD, SVP and Head of Clinical Development at Affyimmune Therapeutics talks with host Emily Walsh Martin, PhD, to explore the challenges of cell therapy clinical trials and how to move patients quickly and thoughtfully through the steps required to receive therapy in aggressive solid tumor cancers.

But first, "we’ve moved straight from pumpkin spice season into ASGCT Annual Meeting registration season," as Dr. Walsh Martin says. So hop online and join ASGCT, then register and take advantage of the incredible member discounts on Annual Meeting registration. We’ll see you in New Orleans, May 13-17, 2025!

AnnualMeeting.ASGCT.org/register

Music by: https://www.steven-obrien.net/
--------------------------
Bright New Morning - Steven O'Brien

(Used for free under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Show your support for ASGCT!: https://asgct.org/membership/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode features a conversation between Dr. Timothy Cripe and Dr. Joseph Glorioso, who discuss an article published in Molecular Therapy Oncology by Dr. Glorioso and colleagues titled Oncolytic Herpes Simplex Viruses Designed for Targeted Treatment of EGFR-bearing Tumors.

Join the editor-in-chief of Molecular Therapy, Dr. Roland Herzog, and ASGCT this January for the next installment of Molecular Therapy Presents: Clinical Gene and Cell Therapy. This transformative field has grown from promising experimental treatments to approved medicines for a wide range of genetic and/or acquired diseases. This virtual event is free for ASGCT members to attend and will highlight several in-depth invited reviews appearing in Molecular Therapy's Clinical Gene and Cell Therapy special issue. Attend the webinar and learn more about cutting-edge developments in the clinical space before the special issue is published in early 2025. Find Molecular Therapy Presents: Clinical Gene and Cell Therapy, and all upcoming ASGCT events at ASGCT.org/events.

In This Episode

Timothy Cripe, MD, PhD
Editor-in-Chief, Molecular Therapy Oncology and Professor and Chief of Hematology, Oncology, BMT at Nationwide Children's Hospital

Dr. Joseph Glorioso
Professor, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics and Department of Human Genetics at the University of Pittsburgh

'Electric Dreams' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0.
www.scottbuckley.com.au

Show your support for ASGCT!: https://asgct.org/membership/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Host Emily Walsh Martin, PhD, is joined by Chris Choi, PhD, Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center's Senior Vice President of Industry Partnerships and Technical Director of the center’s new Good Manufacturing Practice (cGMP) Facility. Dr. Choi is also an associate professor of oncology. This wide-ranging conversation covers cell therapy development and manufacturing and how the growing Roswell Park Center is aiming to support sponsors in the CAR T and cell therapy space. Emily and Chris also discuss their experiences on cross-functional teams and how a program's research, manufacturing, and clinical elements must be knit together for success.

Music by: https://www.steven-obrien.net/
--------------------------
Bright New Morning - Steven O'Brien

(Used for free under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Show your support for ASGCT!: https://asgct.org/membership/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

This episode features a conversation between Dr. Roland Herzog and Dr. Joseph Glorioso. On January 1, 2025, Dr. Glorioso will begin his 5-year term as the Editor-in-Chief of Molecular Therapy, marking the end of Dr. Herzog’s successful tenure at the helm of the journal. Drs.Herzog and Glorioso engage in a wide-ranging conversation that touches on the history of Molecular Therapy, highlights from the gene and cell therapy field, and how Molecular Therapy will continue to grow and evolve under Dr. Glorioso’s leadership.

ASGCT is proud to present this episode of the Molecular Therapy Podcast in partnership with our upcoming Breakthroughs in Muscular Dystrophy conference on November 19th and 20th in Chicago, and virtually This event will provide an unparalleled opportunity to delve into the latest advancements in research on gene and cell therapies for muscular dystrophy. Learn more and register today at ASGCT.org/Breakthroughs.

In This Episode:

Dr. Roland Herzog
Editor-in-Chief of Molecular Therapy and Professor of Pediatrics, Riley Children's Foundation Professor of Immunology, and Director of the Gene and Cell Therapy Program at Indiana University

Dr. Joseph Glorioso
Professor, Department of Microbiology and Molecular Genetics and Department of Human Genetics at the University of Pittsburgh

'Electric Dreams' by Scott Buckley - released under CC-BY 4.0.
www.scottbuckley.com.au

Show your support for ASGCT!: https://asgct.org/membership/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Derek Jackson, vice president of cell and gene therapy product development at Pacira BioSciences, joins The Issue to take the program in a different direction.

We often focus our discussions on CGT for rare diseases. Most of the time, the teams of scientists working on the program don’t have any personal experience with the disease from their family, friends, or themselves.. but today we will talk about gene therapy development for a much more common disease: knee osteoarthritis. Moreover, the product we will be discussing is not only non-rare but also non-AAV.

Music by: https://www.steven-obrien.net/
--------------------------
Bright New Morning - Steven O'Brien

(Used for free under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Show your support for ASGCT!: https://asgct.org/membership/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.

Dr. Ben Hurlbut, professor at Arizona State University's Lincoln Center for Applied Ethics, joins host Dr. Emily Walsh Martin for a critical conversation in the cell and gene therapy industry in which they discuss how ethics informs and impacts the field and offers a deep dive into the ethical, medical, and social considerations around germline gene editing.

Music by: https://www.steven-obrien.net/
--------------------------
Bright New Morning - Steven O'Brien

(Used for free under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 License: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Show your support for ASGCT!: https://asgct.org/membership/donate

See omnystudio.com/listener for privacy information.