Quarter Century Update: Future Predictions for the Field

The past 25 years, from 2000 to 2025, have been an unprecedented and rapid period of development of the field of cell and gene therapy. A number of critical breakthroughs have occurred in this time, and the technologies have gone from preclinical musings to realities of standard clinical practice, at least in a few key indications like hematologic malignancies and neuromuscular disease. To get a perspective on how far we've come, and how far we have yet to go, CGTLive® reached out to Deborah Phippard, PhD, the chief scientific officer of Precision for Medicine, and Renier Brentjens, MD, PhD, the chair of the department of medicine and the deputy director at Roswell Park Comprehensive Cancer Center, to hold a Special Report discussion on the topic entitled: "Quarter Century Update: What’s Holding up Progress in Development? Where Have We Seen the Most?"

In this conversation, Brentjens and Phippard discussed the future of cell therapy and its potential to transform cancer treatment. Brentjens compared today’s therapies to “flip phones” and predicts that within a decade, they will evolve into far more advanced and precise “smartphone”-like technologies, capable of curing diseases with a single treatment, a stark contrast from years of toxic chemotherapy. He envisions a shift toward “one-and-done” approaches that could replace long, burdensome regimens. Phippard agreed, noting that cell therapies—like checkpoint inhibitors before them—will likely move earlier in the treatment process as time goes on, though cost and access remain major hurdles. Both reflected that the last 25 years brought enormous advances and believe the next 25 will be similarly unpredictable and transformative.