Transforming the future of healthcare – do cell and gene therapies hold the key?

Dr. Bertalan Mesko, PhD is The Medical Futurist and the Director of The Medical Futurist Institute analyzing how science fiction technologies can become reality in medicine and healthcare. As a geek physician with a PhD in genomics, he is also an Amazon Top 100 author. He is also a Private Professor at Semmelweis Medical School, Budapest, Hungary.

With 500+ presentations including courses at Harvard, Stanford and Yale Universities, Singularity University's Futuremed course at NASA Ames campus and organizations including the 10 biggest pharmaceutical companies, he is one of the top voices globally on healthcare technology.

Dr. Mesko was featured by dozens of top publications, including CNN, the World Health Organization, National Geographic, Forbes, TIME magazine, BBC, and the New York Times. He publishes his analyses regularly on medicalfuturist.com.

He is a Certified Superforecaster for Good Judgment, Inc..

Cristian-Silviu BUŞOI is a Member of the European Parliament and Chair of the Industry, Research and Energy Committee. He is also Member of the Delegation for Southeast Asia, as well as substitute Member of the Environment, Public Health and Food Safety (ENVI), Committee on Economic and Monetary Affairs (ECON) and the Delegation for the Arab Peninsula.

Mr. Busoi graduated Medicine from Carol Davila University in Bucharest, Law from Titu Maiorescu University in Bucharest, and Diplomacy from the Romanian Diplomatic Institute in Bucharest. His political career started in 1996 when, as a student, he became member of the National Liberal Party. Eight years later, he entered the Romanian Parliament and, in 2013, became President of the Romanian National Health Insurance House. Since 2007, he has been elected to the European Parliament for three consecutive terms.

Dr. Andrzej Ryś is a medical doctor specialised in radiology and public health, graduated from Jagiellonian University, Krakow, Poland. He founded in 1991 and ran as Director until 1997 the School of Public Health at the Jagiellonian University. Thereafter, from 1997 -1999, he served as Director of the Krakow’s City Health Department. Between 1999 -2002, he continued his career as Deputy Minister of Health in Poland where he was member of the Polish EU accession negotiators team for the harmonisation of the Polish Health Care Law with the EU’s Acquis Communautaire.
After becoming Senior Consultant of “Health and Management Ltd” for the World Bank (WHO) and EAR in Serbia (2002), he founded (2003) the “Center for Innovation, Technology Transfer and University Development” (CITTRU) at the Jagiellonian University, where he was Director until 2006.
In 2006, he became Director for Public Health and Risk Assessment at the Directorate-General for Health and Consumers (DG SANCO), in the European Commission. From 2011-2014, he assumed the position of Director for Health Systems and Products in DG SANCO. Since 2014, Dr. Andrzej Rys is the Director responsible for Health Systems, Medical Products and Innovation in DG SANTE.

Avril Daly was elected to the EURORDIS Board of Directors in 2009, and has been Vice-President of EURORDIS since 2012.

She is CEO of Retina International the global patient-led umbrella group dedicated to the promotion of research into Retinitis Pigmentosa (RP), Usher Syndrome, Macular Degeneration and allied retinal dystrophies. Retina International acts as a voice for patients living with retinal disease on policy issues that affect them and fosters co-operation among the medical and scientific communities with a view to expediting the development of and access to  treatments. It promotes mutual support and encouragement to its members in 50 countries worldwide through the decimation of information, capacity building projects and educational programmes, meetings and events.

Avril previously held the role of CEO at the Irish charity Fighting Blindness where she  was  responsible for raising awareness of retinal degenerative diseases among the general public, health care professionals and policy makers as well as the implementation of the organisations strategic development plan.

She is the chairperson of Rare Diseases Ireland (previously known as the Genetic and Rare Disorders Organisation, GRDO), the Irish National Alliance for Rare Diseases, and in 2011 was appointed by the minister of health to the steering committee working towards the development of the Irish National Plan for Rare Diseases, published in 2014. Avril  now sits on the oversight committee reviewing the implementation of that plan and on the working group of the Clinical Programme for Rare Diseases at the Irish Health Service Executive (HSE). Avril is co-chair of the National Vision Coalition in Ireland.

Avril represents Retina International at the European Patients Forum and was a founding board member of the Medical Research Charities Group (MRCG) and, the Irish Platform for Patients' Organisations, Science and Industry (IPPOSI).

She  represents EURORDIS at International Conferences throughout Europe and beyond. Avril is a Business & Media Studies Graduate. 

She was diagnosed with the rare retinal condition Retinitis Pigmentosa in 1998.

Diane Kleinermans is President of the Commission of Drugs Reimbursement for the National Institute for Health and Disability Insurance, Belgium. She took up this position in October 2020, having worked as an expert tot he Commisison of Drugs Reimbursement from 2008 to October 2020. Additionally from September 2015 to October 2020 she worked as advisor to the Belgian Minister of Public Health and Social Affairs. Her main responsibilities included clinical trials, human body material but also the BeNeLuxA initiative.Diane has a medical background and a broad experience in various fields. She started her career as GP in Brussels but rapidly collaborated with the pharmaceutical industry.Her first employer was Pfizer where she stayed for more than 15 years, working in early development and creating their Phase I Unit at the Erasme hospital (Brussels). She managed the unit for 10 years,She then left Belgium and worked as medical director of CRO’s in France and the UK, before joining Novartis Ophthalmics as head of the scientists group in Zurich.She then came back to Belgium where, after a short experience in the regulatory department of GSK Biologicals, she joined the NIHDI as internal expert to the Commission of Drugs reimbursement, being amongst others in charge of orphan drugs assessments

lona Reischl joined the Austrian Medicines and Medical Devices Agency AGES/MEA in March 2006 and has been affiliated with the Clinical Trials Unit since then, and as head of unit until 2019. This division in the Institute Surveillance is responsible for clinical trials with medicinal products or medical devices and GCP inspections. Since 2019 her focus has been on regulatory tasks on the European level.

A PhD in immunology/allergology followed the initial degree in pharmacy, thereafter postdoctoral experience at an industrial research institute (AT), at the University of Southampton (UK) and at the National Institutes of Health (USA) in immunology. The current regulatory focus started with a dual research/regulatory position at the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA).

Ilona Reischl is a quality assessor for biologics and the Austrian member of the European Medicines Agency Committee for Advanced Therapies and the Biologics Working Party. She is actively involved in manufacturing, procedural and scientific issues pertaining to biotech products in general and ATMPs in particular. Current activities address the legal and regulatory interface of medicinal products and medical devices, including in vitro diagnostics during development and licensure.

Paige Bischoff joined ARM in 2020 as the Alliance’s first Senior Vice President of Public Affairs. She brings more than 20 years’ experience driving global advocacy, policy and public affairs campaigns across the US, EU & APAC, focusing on policymakers, regulators, advocacy groups, influencers, payers, media and think tanks. Paige has extensive experience building and leading teams at the regional, national and international levels, contributing to stock price growth by delivering on go-to-market business goals and enhancing corporate reputations for regulated companies, ranging from fast-growth Silicon Valley medical device to global Fortune Top 10.

She began her career as an award-winning broadcast journalist and healthcare reporter committed to advocating for increased patient access to innovative new therapies. Paige relishes her role as a trusted crisis counselor which began when she ran the national C-Suite Communications Training Practice for a global blue-chip PR agency in New York, partnering with pharmaceutical and biotech company executives to effectively promote and protect their brands and policy positions.

Paige received a certificate from the Advanced Management Program at the Tuck School of Business at Dartmouth College and a B.A. in 20th-century European History from UC Davis.

Dan Hart is a Senior Lecturer in Haemostasis and Honorary Consultant Haematologist at Barts and the London School of Medicine and Dentistry. He has a PhD in cellular immunology and completed his haemophilia specialization at The Royal Free Hospital and Great Ormond Street Hospital for Children haemophilia centres. He sub-specialises in Haemostasis & Thrombosis, with a significant part of his clinical workload covering the Haemophilia Comprehensive Care Centre at The Royal London Hospital, looking after the full range of inherited bleeding disorders in both paediatric and adult settings. He has an evolving research programme focusing on further understanding the mechanisms of neutralising antibody generation after factor VIII treatment for Haemophilia A, and is chair of the United Kingdom Haemophilia Centres Doctors Organisation Inhibitor working party and co-lead for Haematology North Thames NIHR LCRN. 

Vivienne Parry is a writer and broadcaster.  A scientist by training, Vivienne hosts medical programmes for BBC Radio 4, writes widely on health, presents films, facilitates many high level conferences and trains young researchers.  She has a part time role as Head of Engagement at Genomics England which delivered the 100,000 Genomes Project.  She also sits on the board of UK Research & Innovation which is responsible for the strategic spend of the UK’s £7 billion research budget.  She has a wide range of enthusiasms including public health, vaccines and rare diseases.