Leading experts in hematopoietic cell transplantation (HCT) and cellular and gene therapy will gather in Honolulu from Feb. 12-15 for the 2025 Tandem Meetings | Transplantation & Cellular Therapy Meetings of ASTCT® and CIBMTR® to share the latest scientific advancements and emerging technology in the field.

“The Tandem Meetings are an opportunity for the attendees to be updated on the latest in transplantation, cell, and gene therapy, including oral abstracts, plenary sessions, and spotlight sessions,” said Scientific Organizing Committee (SOC) Co-Chair Marie Bleakley, MD, PhD, MMsc, Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center. “Each year the content is new. We wanted to have a strong emphasis on the gene therapy component this year because there have been a number of recent approvals and gene therapy is really now coming to the clinic.”

“The Tandem Meetings is a very high-quality, cutting-edge clinical and scientific meeting for the attendees to receive new information but also to meet together and generate the next round of ideas.”

Marie Bleakley, MD, PhD, MMsc
Scientific Organizing Committee (SOC) Co-Chair

The Scientific Track of the meetings will begin with Opening Remarks & Plenary: Providing Novel Therapies to the World: International Considerations in Access and Regulatory Approval, a joint session of ASTCT, CIBMTR, and EBMT, at 8:15 a.m. on Feb. 12. Sessions throughout the day will highlight different aspects of gene therapy, including Dawn of a New Age?: In Vivo Gene Therapy at 10:30 a.m. and Plenary: Economics of Novel Cell and Gene Therapies at 5 p.m.

The Scientific Program includes more than four dozen sessions featuring the latest science, as well as information on new technologies and innovative products in the field. Oral abstract sessions, award lectures, plenaries, and Meet-the-Professor sessions highlight the agenda. New data will be presented in several key areas, including transplantation and cellular therapy for autoimmune diseases, solid tumor CART T therapy, and graft engineering.

Scientific Program planners have put an emphasis on laboratory science in this year’s agenda through sessions focused on preclinical and basic science understanding of T-cell function in transplantation and cell therapy, as well as manipulation of T-cell signaling and epigenetics.

“Much of what we do in transplantation and cell therapy started in the laboratory and was brought to the clinic for the benefit of our patients. Throughout the Tandem Meetings, we aim to balance basic science and clinical applications,” said SOC Co-Chair Melody Smith, MD, MS, Stanford University. “This is one of the throughlines for many of the sessions planned for this year’s meeting. Another exciting aspect is the number of sessions that will showcase the various applications of cell therapy in clinical medicine and where our field is going.”

Among the program highlights recommended by Bleakley and Smith are the following sessions and activities.

• Tandem Meetings Welcome Reception, 6:30 p.m. on Feb. 12, Exhibit Hall 2
• Welcome, Awards & Plenary: Transplantation and Cell Therapy for Autoimmune Disorders, 8:15 a.m. on Feb. 13, Ballroom B
• Plenary: Graft Engineering to Reduce Relapse of Hematological Malignancies, 5 p.m. on Feb. 13, Ballroom B
• Welcome, Awards & Best Abstracts, 8:15 on Feb. 14, Ballroom B
• ASTCT Spotlight Session: Inside the Administration – Insight into the Federal Government and How We Can Make a Lasting Impact, 1:45 p.m. on Feb. 14, Ballroom C
• Late Breaking Abstracts, 3:15 p.m. on Feb. 15, Ballroom B
• Closing Remarks & Plenary: Solid Tumor CAR-T, 4:10 on Feb. 15, Ballroom B

“The Tandem Meetings are a very high-quality, cutting-edge clinical and scientific meeting for the attendees to receive new information but also to meet together and generate the next round of ideas,” Bleakley said.

Nine ASTCT Spotlight Sessions, hosted by ASTCT Committees and Special Interest Groups (SIGs) focus on innovative and cutting-edge clinical and scientific research.

CIBMTR Working Committee meetings help guide the observational research that culminates in peer-reviewed journals that advance the field toward improved outcomes and higher quality of life for patients living with blood-related disorders. The 11 committees are each dedicated to a separate topic, such as a specific type of disease, donor and recipient health services, and survivorship.

“One thing that is unique about the Tandem Meetings is that there are distinct tracks with curated sessions for different healthcare professionals. The meeting app and website really help attendees navigate these pathways,” Smith said. 

Each of the nine focused tracks outside of the Scientific Program have one or two days of tailored programming.

• Administrative Director
• Advanced Practice Provider
• BMT CTN Coordinators
• Clinical Research Professionals / Data Management
• Infectious Diseases
• IT and Informatics
• Nursing
• Pediatric
• Pharmacy

Additionally, poster viewing will be available in Exhibit Hall 3 at 1-7:30 p.m. on Feb. 12, 7 a.m.-6:45 p.m. on Feb. 13, and 7 a.m.-3 p.m. on Feb. 14-15. Tandem Meetings Poster Reception: Meet the Authors will take place from 6:45-7:45 p.m. on Feb. 13.

The Exhibit Hall will be open in Exhibit Hall 2 at 9 a.m.-3 p.m. on Feb. 12-14 and 9 a.m.-noon on Feb. 15.

Registration is still open for the 2025 Tandem Meetings. All registered attendees will have access to on-demand recordings of presentations after the meeting.