Revolutionizing Medicine: The Breakthrough Power of Cell Therapy emphasized by CTTR 25 held in PGIMER, Chandigarh.
CHANDIGARH, 20,03.25-The conference titled “current trends in Translational Research Conference (CTTR) 2025” was held in PGIMER from 17th – 19th march,2025. The conference organised by the Department of Translational & Regenerative Medicine, PGIMER, Chandigarh, served as a platform for the exchange of ground-breaking research, clinical advancements, and emerging trends in stem cell science. This conference brought together leading researchers, clinicians, and industry experts nationally & internationally. The conference featured interactive panel discussions that addressed ethical considerations, regulatory frameworks, and commercialization challenges in stem cell therapies.
The conference was inaugurated by the chief guest-- Padma Bhushan Prof. K.K. Talwar former Director PGIMER who highlighted the significance of translational research in accelerating breakthroughs in precision medicine, drug development, and regenerative medicine. Director PGI-- Prof. Vivek Lal, who was the guest of honour for the conference, emphasized the importance of cell and gene therapy that should be readily accessible for common man at a reasonable cost. He emphasized this as the need of the hour to deal with fatal diseases and promised to extend his complete support in upgradation of facilities at PGIMER for cell & gene therapy, Chandigarh.
A major highlight of the conference was the keynote speech by Dr. Gaurav Narula from TMC, Mumbai, a renowned name in CAR T cell therapy, who emphasized the potential of immune therapies in treating blood cancers which are refractory to conventional therapy. Dr. Amit Awasthi from THSTI, Faridabad also delivered a scintillating talk on Designing and developing novel CAR T cell for lymphoma patients. Notable breakthroughs in induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) were also discussed, where Dr. Rajarshi Pal from eyestem showcasing the journey of getting to FIRST iPSC derived RPE cell based therapy for dry Age Related Macular Degeneration patients in India. On a similar note, Dr. Shaji from CMC Vellore spoke about iPSCs based disease modelling for haematological malignancies. Dr. Pawan Gupta from Stempeutics, Bangalore spoke about their therapeutics in Indian market based on Mesenchymal Stem Cells for treating Critical Limb Ischemia disease condition. Dr. Remuzzi and Dr. Anna from Europe talked about innovations in context of mesenchymal stem cells in kidney transplantation and lung injuries. Another highlight of the conference was a talk by Dr. Nithya Kalyani from Apollo Hospital, Chennai who talked about Islet cell transplant for Diabetic patients which is a pressing global problem. There was active participation from ICMR, Dr. Mukesh Gupta, Director NARFBR, Hyderabad explained the importance of preclinical studies as a pipeline process to develop a therapeutics in cell therapy space.
The proceedings concluded with a commitment to fostering interdisciplinary partnerships and accelerating the translation of stem cell research into clinical practice. Dr. Reena Das who was the organising chairman for the conference expressed enthusiasm about the conference's potential to drive impactful scientific advancements and foster global partnerships in translational research.