Cell & Gene: The Podcast

Erin Harris

Cell & Gene, the most valuable online resource for delivering in-depth content from authoritative authors and sources to professionals in the CGT sector, introduces Cell & Gene: The Podcast. In each episode, Cell & Gene Chief Editor, Erin Harris, will talk to industry and academic leaders about their current initiatives and how they are moving the sector forward.

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20 episodes
Updated Thursday

Episodes20

Newest first

Thursday · 18 min
Rewriting the Playbook for Stargardt Disease with Atsena Therapeutics' Shannon Boye, Ph.D.
We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. Episode 134 of Cell & Gene: The Podcast features Host Erin Harris' discussion with Shannon Boye, PhD, Founder and CSO of Atsena Therapeutics. Dr. Boye shares how the company is approaching Stargardt disease with a differentiated gene therapy strategy built around delivery, dual-vector design, and a disciplined go/no-go framework. Their conversation also explores what Atsena’s broader clinical experience is teaching the team as it advances new programs and works toward the clinic. Subscribe to the podcast! Apple | Spotify | YouTube Visit my website: Cell & Gene Connect with me on LinkedIn
July 16 · 18 min
How Precision Oncology Is Redefining Cancer Drug Development with Aprea Therapeutics' Dr. Oren Gilad
We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. Episode 133 of Cell & Gene: The Podcast features Host Erin Harris' discussion with Aprea Therapeutics' CEO, Dr. Oren Gilad. They cover the evolution of precision oncology, the science of synthetic lethality, and how Aprea is developing next-generation therapies that target cancer's unique genetic vulnerabilities while improving safety and efficacy. Dr. Gilad also shares insights into biomarker-driven drug development, where precision medicine is headed as researchers pursue more effective treatments for patients with difficult-to-treat solid tumors, and more. Subscribe to the podcast! Apple | Spotify | YouTube Visit my website: Cell & Gene Connect with me on LinkedIn
July 2 · 22 min
Exploring Dendritic Cell Therapy for Solid Tumors with Diakonos Oncology's Jay Hartenbach
We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. Episode 132 of Cell & Gene: The Podcast features Host, Erin Harris' conversation with Diakonos Oncology's President and COO, Jay Hartenbach. Together, they explore how the company is advancing a patient-derived dendritic cell therapy designed to generate a stronger immune response against difficult-to-treat solid tumors, including glioblastoma, pancreatic cancer, and refractory melanoma. Their discussion also covers early clinical signals, outpatient administration, and the manufacturing and automation steps needed to make personalized cell therapies more scalable for broader CGT audiences. Subscribe to the podcast! Apple | Spotify | YouTube Visit my website: Cell & Gene Connect with me on LinkedIn
June 18 · 1 hr 25 min
Cell & Gene: The Podcast Presents: Better Biopharma’s Editors’ Roundtable — A Midyear Look at the 2026 Life Sciences Industry
We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. For episode 131 of Cell & Gene: The Podcast, we’re sharing a recent "Better Biopharma" roundtable that Erin Harris had the opportunity to join alongside her Life Science Connect editorial colleagues. Hosted by Tyler Menichiello, this conversation brings together chief editors from across the Life Science Connect network to take a midyear look at what’s shaping the pharmaceutical and biotech landscape in 2026. Featuring perspectives from Katie Anderson, Jeff Buguliskis, Ben Comer, Ray Dogum, Rachel Grabenhofer, Dan Schell, Anna Rose Welch, and Harris, this is a valuable listen for anyone looking to better understand where the industry is headed, and how CGT fits into that broader trajectory. https://www.bioprocessonline.com/solution/better-biopharma Subscribe to the podcast! Apple | Spotify | YouTube Visit my website: Cell & Gene Connect with me on LinkedIn
June 12 · 18 min
Why In Vivo Therapies Are Moving Toward the Clinic with Ascidian Therapeutics' Dr. Mike Ehlers
We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. In Episode 3 of our in vivo-focused special series of Cell & Gene: The Podcast, Ascidian Therapeutics' Founder, President, and CEO Mike Ehlers, M.D., Ph.D., explains how the company is advancing a new class of genetic medicines built on RNA exon editing to durably correct disease at the transcript level without permanently altering DNA. He also shares why in vivo therapies still need to prove precision, durability, and predictability before they become mainstream, and why the field must move beyond proof of concept to reproducible clinical performance across patients and diseases. He discusses the importance of patient selection, tissue specificity, and matching editing efficiency to biological thresholds, and much more. Subscribe to the podcast! Apple | Spotify | YouTube Visit my website: Cell & Gene Connect with me on LinkedIn
June 5 · 18 min
Reimagining In Vivo Gene Editing Through Base Editing and Targeted Delivery with Beam Therapeutics' Gopi Shanker, Ph.D.
We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. In episode 2 of this four-part in vivo-focused special series of Cell & Gene: The Podcast, Host Erin Harris sits down with Gopi Shanker, Ph.D., Chief Scientific Officer at Beam Therapeutics, for an in-depth conversation on the rapidly evolving landscape of in vivo gene editing and precision genetic medicines. Dr. Shanker discusses how next-generation base editing technologies are advancing beyond traditional CRISPR approaches by enabling precise single-base changes without creating double-stranded DNA breaks. They discuss the growing momentum behind in vivo delivery strategies, including targeted LNP technologies designed to reach tissues beyond the liver, as well as the operational and patient-centric advantages these approaches may offer compared to ex vivo therapies. Subscribe to the podcast! Apple | Spotify | YouTube Visit my website: Cell & Gene Connect with me on LinkedIn
June 4 · 22 min
Advancing CAR T for Drug-Free Remission in Autoimmune Disease with Kyverna Therapeutics’ Dr. Naji Gehchan
We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. In episode 130 of Cell & Gene: The Podcast, Dr. Naji Gehchan, Chief Medical and Development Officer at Kyverna Therapeutics, joins Host Erin Harris to outline the company’s mission to apply CAR T-cell therapy beyond oncology to treat severe autoimmune diseases, highlighting promising Phase 2 data from its investigational therapy, Miv-cel, in stiff person syndrome (SPS). Dr. Gehchan explains that Miv-cel works by deeply depleting pathogenic B cells and enabling a broad immune reset, differentiating it from conventional therapies that require ongoing management. As Kyverna advances a rolling BLA submission, Dr. Gehchan positions this milestone as potentially historic, both for SPS patients and for the broader cell therapy field, signaling an inflection point where CAR T could transform autoimmune disease care in the same way it has oncology. Subscribe to the podcast! Apple | Spotify | YouTube Visit my website: Cell & Gene Connect with me on LinkedIn
May 29 · 31 min
The Future of In Vivo Gene Editing and Clinical Translation with Precision Biosciences' Cassie Gorsuch, Ph.D.
We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. This is Episode 1 of a four-episode in vivo-focused special series of Cell & Gene: The Podcast. Host Erin Harris speaks with Cassie Gorsuch, Ph.D., CSO at Precision Biosciences, about the rapid evolution of in vivo gene editing and the scientific, translational, and regulatory hurdles shaping the field. Dr. Gorsuch discusses how Precision Biosciences approaches in vivo therapeutic development through its Arcus platform, with programs targeting chronic hepatitis B and Duchenne muscular dystrophy. They cover the broader challenges facing in vivo gene editing, including delivery limitations outside the liver, balancing specificity and efficiency, mitigating off-target risks, and translating promising preclinical in vivo data into clinical success. Subscribe to the podcast! Apple | Spotify | YouTube Visit my website: Cell & Gene Connect with me on LinkedIn
May 21 · 18 min
Redefining CAR-T Timing and Patient Access with Allogene Therapeutics' Dr. Zachary Roberts
We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. In episode 129 of Cell & Gene: The Podcast, Host Erin Harris reconnects with Zachary Roberts, M.D., Ph.D., EVP of Research & Development and Chief Medical Officer at Allogene Therapeutics, to explore how allogeneic CAR-T is evolving from a scalability promise into an earlier-line, potentially curative intervention. Their conversation centers on the ALPHA3 trial, where MRD-guided treatment is redefining when and how CAR-T can be deployed, alongside broader implications for diagnostics, patient access, and the shift toward off-the-shelf therapies in community settings. Subscribe to the podcast! Apple | Spotify | YouTube Visit my website: Cell & Gene Connect with me on LinkedIn
May 7 · 43 min
Building Integrated cGMP Systems for Autologous Cell Therapies with MassGen's Tatyana Matveeva, Ph.D.
We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. In episode 128, Host Erin Harris talks to Tatyana Matveeva, Ph.D., Director of cGMP Operations at George A. "Doc" Lopez, MD Laboratory for Regenerative Cell Therapy, Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital, about leading cGMP operations within an integrated ecosystem, where manufacturing, research, and neurosurgery coexist. Dr. Matveeva highlights key operational challenges in scaling autologous therapies, particularly around technology transfer, process reproducibility, and regulatory readiness, emphasizing the need for early collaboration between research and GMP teams. Their conversation also explores rigorous approaches to chain of identity and custody, the importance of extensive simulation runs to ensure robustness, the unique sensitivities of manufacturing cells for neurological applications, and more. Subscribe to the podcast! Apple | Spotify | YouTube Visit my website: Cell & Gene Connect with me on LinkedIn
April 23 · 23 min
Rewriting Disease Biology Through LSD1 Inhibition with Oryzon's Carlos Buesa, Ph.D.
We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. On Episode 127 of Cell & Gene: The Podcast, Carlos Buesa, Ph.D., Founder and Chairman of the Board at Oryzon talks to Host Erin Harris about how targeting LSD1 is unlocking new treatment approaches across oncology, CNS disorders, and sickle cell disease, with promising early clinical data and a strategy grounded in precision epigenetics. Subscribe to the podcast! Apple | Spotify | YouTube Visit my website: Cell & Gene Connect with me on LinkedIn
April 9 · 20 min
Advancing Early Detection in Rare Cancers with Catriona Jamieson, M.D., Ph.D.
We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. On episode 126 of Cell & Gene: The Podcast, Host Erin Harris welcomes Catriona Jamieson, M.D., Ph.D, Director of the UC San Diego Sanford Stem Cell Institute and Professor of Medicine at the School of Medicine. They explore how shifting the medical mindset from “common horses” to rare “zebras” is unlocking earlier detection and more effective treatment of diseases like myelofibrosis. Dr. Jamieson explains how subtle, often overlooked symptoms can mask serious underlying conditions, and how advances in genomic testing are enabling clinicians to identify disease-driving mutations sooner. They cover groundbreaking progress in targeted therapies, which aim to stop cancer progression and overcome treatment resistance. Subscribe to the podcast! Apple | Spotify | YouTube Visit my website: Cell & Gene Connect with me on LinkedIn
March 26 · 27 min
Regulatory Flexibility in CGT: Key Shifts and Implications with Monika Swietlicka
We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. On episode 125 of Cell & Gene: The Podcast, Host Erin Harris talks to Halloran Consulting Group's Monika Swietlicka to discuss how the FDA is increasing flexibility in cell and gene therapy development without lowering evidentiary standards, emphasizing a risk-based, holistic approach. They also explore what this means for developers, from platform strategies and global regulatory divergence to the growing role of patient advocacy and the need for early, integrated planning. Subscribe to the podcast! Apple | Spotify | YouTube Visit my website: Cell & Gene Connect with me on LinkedIn
March 12 · 28 min
Scaling CRISPR for Rare Disease with Aurora Therapeutics' Dr. Edward Kaye
We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. On episode 124 of Cell & Gene: The Podcast, Aurora Therapeutics' CEO Dr. Edward Kaye discusses the company’s strategy for translating CRISPR gene editing into scalable, commercially viable medicines for rare diseases. Aurora is initially targeting phenylketonuria (PKU) using a platform approach that leverages shared components, such as lipid nanoparticles and base editors, while customizing guide RNAs for specific mutations. Dr. Kaye explains how trials, regulatory flexibility, and optimized manufacturing could make it possible to treat many genetic variants efficiently and cost-effectively. Ultimately, Aurora aims to build a repeatable model that expands gene editing access to larger rare-disease populations while keeping patients at the center of development. Subscribe to the podcast! Apple | Spotify | YouTube Visit my website: Cell & Gene Connect with me on LinkedIn
February 26 · 34 min
Simplifying Friction in Cell Therapy Clinical Trials with Dr. Panteli Theocharous
We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. In episode 123 of Cell & Gene: The Podcast, Host Erin Harris talks to Dr. Panteli Theocharous, FIBMS, M.S., Ph.D., FRCPath, about the patient journey in cell therapy trials. They pinpoint key friction points, such as delayed referrals, unpredictable vein-to-vein timelines, and burdensome long-term follow-up, while sharing actionable strategies for simplification. These strategies range from upstream trial design and streamlined consent processes to standardized logistics, hybrid monitoring models, honest risk communication, and engaging patients as true partners in real-world evidence generation. Subscribe to the podcast! Apple | Spotify | YouTube Visit my website: Cell & Gene Connect with me on LinkedIn
February 12 · 14 min
Inside a Breakthrough HER2 Immunotherapy for PMO with OS Therapies’ Paul Romness
We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. In episode 122 of Cell & Gene: The Podcast, Host Erin Harris talks to Paul Romness, CEO of OS Therapies, to learn the company’s mission to address the severe unmet need in pulmonary metastatic osteosarcoma (PMO), a rare pediatric cancer with no established standard of care once it metastasizes. Romness explains how OS Therapies’ off-the-shelf HER2-targeted immunotherapy aims to significantly improve outcomes by stimulating a robust immune response with minimal side effects. He highlights results from a multicenter Phase 2B trial showing markedly improved overall survival rates compared to historical outcomes, details the company’s constructive regulatory interactions with the FDA, and underscores the value of comparative canine biomarkers in development. Subscribe to the podcast! Apple | Spotify | YouTube Visit my website: Cell & Gene Connect with me on LinkedIn
January 29 · 30 min
Building Safer CRISPR Medicines for CVD with Scribe Therapeutics' Benjamin Oakes
We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. In episode 121 of Cell & Gene: The Podcast, Host Erin Harris talks to Scribe Therapeutics' CEO and Co-Founder Benjamin Oakes about building next‑generation CRISPR and epigenetic editing tools to move genetic medicine beyond rare disease into common cardiometabolic indications. Oakes shares Scribe’s engineered CasX platform and epigenetic silencers, preclinical data from its various programs, and why exquisite specificity and low-dose LNP delivery are essential to treating patients safely. They also explore Scribe’s partnerships with Sanofi and Lilly, the company’s cardiometabolic-first strategy co-developed with Dr. Jennifer Doudna, and Oakes’ conviction that genetic medicines can fundamentally reshape healthspan and the future of preventive cardiovascular care. Subscribe to the podcast! Apple | Spotify | YouTube Visit my website: Cell & Gene Connect with me on LinkedIn
January 15 · 19 min
Advancing Off-the-Shelf CRISPR CAR-T Therapies into the Community Setting with Caribou Biosciences' Rachel Haurwitz
We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. Welcome to episode 120 of Cell & Gene: The Podcast. Host Erin Harris is joined by Rachel Haurwitz, CEO of Caribou Biosciences, to discuss the company’s progress in developing CRISPR-edited, off-the-shelf CAR-T therapies for hematologic malignancies. Their conversation centers on Vispacell, Caribou’s allogeneic CD19 CAR-T for second-line large B-cell lymphoma. Haurwitz explains how Caribou has systematically optimized its allogeneic platform using clinical and translational data. They also cover pivotal Phase 3 trial planning, regulatory considerations, and what to expect next from Caribou’s broader pipeline, including its BCMA-targeted program in multiple myeloma. Subscribe to the podcast! Apple | Spotify | YouTube Visit my website: Cell & Gene Connect with me on LinkedIn
January 9 · 1 hr 22 min
The Editors' Roundtable: A 2025 Retrospective of the Life Science Industry
We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. We’re sharing this Better Biopharma episode on Cell & Gene: The Podcast because Better Biopharma is a sister show in the Life Science Connect family, and this conversation touches so many of the same challenges, pressures, and big-picture shifts our audience is thinking about right now. CGT doesn’t live in a bubble, and neither do the people building it. So we wanted to bring this wider, cross-industry conversation straight to you. Subscribe to the podcast! Apple | Spotify | YouTube Visit my website: Cell & Gene Connect with me on LinkedIn
January 1 · 21 min
Developing Itvisma for Broad-Range Treatment of SMA with Novartis' Dr. Norman Putzki
We love to hear from our listeners. Send us a message. In episode 119 of Cell & Gene The Podcast, Host Erin Harris talks to Dr. Norman Putzki, Global Head Clinical Development, Novartis, about the FDA approval of Itvisma, now the only gene replacement therapy approved for children, adolescents, and adults with spinal muscular atrophy (SMA). Dr. Putzki walks us through the six-year development journey behind the STEER and STRENGTH Phase 3 programs. And we explore what the expanded age-range label means for patients who were previously left behind, why intrathecal, fixed-dose AAV delivery represents a pivotal advance for safety, efficacy, and scalability. He details how the Itvisma program is informing Novartis’ broader gene therapy strategy across neuromuscular and CNS diseases, and more. Subscribe to the podcast! Apple | Spotify | YouTube Visit my website: Cell & Gene Connect with me on LinkedIn

Cell & Gene: The Podcast

Rewriting the Playbook for Stargardt Disease with Atsena Therapeutics' Shannon Boye, Ph.D.

How Precision Oncology Is Redefining Cancer Drug Development with Aprea Therapeutics' Dr. Oren Gilad

Exploring Dendritic Cell Therapy for Solid Tumors with Diakonos Oncology's Jay Hartenbach

Cell & Gene: The Podcast Presents: Better Biopharma’s Editors’ Roundtable — A Midyear Look at the 2026 Life Sciences Industry

Why In Vivo Therapies Are Moving Toward the Clinic with Ascidian Therapeutics' Dr. Mike Ehlers

Reimagining In Vivo Gene Editing Through Base Editing and Targeted Delivery with Beam Therapeutics' Gopi Shanker, Ph.D.

Advancing CAR T for Drug-Free Remission in Autoimmune Disease with Kyverna Therapeutics’ Dr. Naji Gehchan

The Future of In Vivo Gene Editing and Clinical Translation with Precision Biosciences' Cassie Gorsuch, Ph.D.

Redefining CAR-T Timing and Patient Access with Allogene Therapeutics' Dr. Zachary Roberts

Building Integrated cGMP Systems for Autologous Cell Therapies with MassGen's Tatyana Matveeva, Ph.D.

Rewriting Disease Biology Through LSD1 Inhibition with Oryzon's Carlos Buesa, Ph.D.

Advancing Early Detection in Rare Cancers with Catriona Jamieson, M.D., Ph.D.

Regulatory Flexibility in CGT: Key Shifts and Implications with Monika Swietlicka

Scaling CRISPR for Rare Disease with Aurora Therapeutics' Dr. Edward Kaye

Simplifying Friction in Cell Therapy Clinical Trials with Dr. Panteli Theocharous

Inside a Breakthrough HER2 Immunotherapy for PMO with OS Therapies’ Paul Romness

Building Safer CRISPR Medicines for CVD with Scribe Therapeutics' Benjamin Oakes

Advancing Off-the-Shelf CRISPR CAR-T Therapies into the Community Setting with Caribou Biosciences' Rachel Haurwitz

The Editors' Roundtable: A 2025 Retrospective of the Life Science Industry

Developing Itvisma for Broad-Range Treatment of SMA with Novartis' Dr. Norman Putzki