Cell & Gene: The Podcast

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In Episode 140 of Cell & Gene: The Podcast, Erin Harris speaks with Dr. Remo Moomiaie-Qajar of Axiom Biosciences about the company’s delivery-focused approach to developing regenerative and genetic medicines, including stem cell therapies, mRNA, and nanoparticles. Dr. Remo explains why drug delivery platforms can help shape therapeutic design and development strategy, and how evolving FDA guidance is creating opportunities to streamline preclinical requirements, leverage platform-based CMC data, and accelerate clinical development without compromising safety or quality. He also discusses the value of early regulatory engagement, clearer expectations, and stronger collaboration between developers and the FDA.

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On episode 139, Host Erin Harris talks to Jonathan Rigby, President and CEO of Sernova (and proposed CEO of BetaNova) and Will Rust, Ph.D., President and CEO of Seraxis (and proposed President and CSO of BetaNova). Sernova and Seraxis are coming together to form BetaNova, combining Sernova’s implantable Cell Pouch with Seraxis’ stem cell-derived pancreatic islet cells in an effort to develop a functional cell therapy for people living with Type 1 diabetes (T1D). They discuss the rationale behind the merger, the challenges of replacing insulin-producing cells at scale, and the strategies BetaNova is pursuing to address immune suppression and autoimmune rejection. They also discuss the company’s SRO2 and gene-edited SRO3 programs, the planned clinical path, and how the combined platform could advance the goal of a functional cure for T1D. 

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In episode 138 of Cell & Gene: The Podcast, EA Weeks, J.D., Ph.D., Counsel at Troutman Pepper Locke talks to Host Erin Harris about the deal terms that matter most in CGT, including IP ownership, manufacturing capacity, CMC milestones, data rights, tech transfer, and more. They also discuss planning for what happens when a partnership does not go as expected.

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In episode 137 of Cell & Gene: The Podcast, Host Erin Harris talks with Sylke Poehling, Ph.D., SVP and Global Head: Therapeutic Modalities, pRED; Roche Gene Therapy Center of Excellence about how the company selects the optimal modality by starting with disease biology. Dr. Poehling explains how an integrated Center of Excellence brings together discovery, safety, manufacturing, and development expertise to reduce technical risk and accelerate progress. She outlines where AI is already creating value versus where caution is warranted. She also explains why genomic medicines will become mainstream when, for common diseases, physicians can offer them as routine options and patients can choose them with confidence. 

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On episode 136 of Cell & Gene: The Podcast, Host Erin Harris welcomes back Dr. Panteli Theocharous, FIBMS, M.S., Ph.D., FRCPath to discuss why autoimmune CAR T is moving rapidly from an emerging concept toward a potentially transformative treatment approach. They talk about the very different benefit-risk calculus in autoimmune disease compared with oncology, the patient and caregiver burden of conditioning, apheresis and long-term monitoring, and the need to rethink clinical trial endpoints around meaningful outcomes. They explore the potential of in vivo CAR T and circular RNA to eliminate some of the biggest barriers in the current treatment pathway, while discussing the scientific and durability questions that remain.

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In Episode 135 of Cell & Gene: The Podcast, Host Erin Harris talks to Sonal Gupta, MD, PhD, Chief Medical Officer of CoRegen, about the company's novel approach to treating solid tumors by engineering regulatory T cells (Tregs) rather than conventional effector immune cells. Dr. Gupta explains how CoRegen's investigational cell therapy, CRG150, targets the upstream regulator SRC3 to simultaneously influence multiple immune checkpoint pathways. She also discusses the scientific rationale behind the platform, the transition into first-in-human clinical studies, the biomarkers and translational questions the company hopes to answer, and why manufacturing, CDMO selection, and chain-of-identity capabilities are foundational to the future success of autologous cell therapies.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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

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