Symposium on Access to Cell and Gene Therapies

Toronto Event:

Date: Thursday, October 30, 2025

Time: 8:30am – 12:00pm (ET) – registration and breakfast will open at 8:30am (ET), with the event starting promptly at 9:00am (ET)

Location: MaRS Discovery District

Address: 101 College Street, Toronto, ON M5G 0A3

Register at the following link: https://lifesciencesontario.member365.ca/public/event/details/e966dd285879f2150bc159ac7141a99c1e896359/1


Advancing Cell and Gene Therapy, in partnership with Life Sciences Ontario, is hosting a national forum in Toronto this fall to devise solutions that drive action toward equitable access to these groundbreaking therapies for Canadians. This event will bring together interested parties from across the healthcare landscape, including patient advocates, clinicians, researchers, hospital administrators, industry leaders, and government representatives. The event will serve as a platform for discussion, collaboration, and the development of actionable recommendations to ensure all Canadians can benefit from the promise of cell and gene therapies.

The event will feature a mixture of keynote and panel discussions with policy, health system and patient advocate leaders, as well as an interactive workshop for attendees to share their perspectives on what is required to promote equitable access to cell and gene therapies.

  • 8:30am Registration, breakfast and networking
  • 9:00am Welcome, opening and housekeeping items
  • 9:05am Introductory remarks from Tyler Allsopp, Parliamentary Assistant to the Ontario Minister of Economic Development, Job Creation and Trade
  • 9:10am Keynote address from Cate Murray, President & CEO of the Stem Cell Network
  • 9:25am Panel discussion with Rob Annan, President & CEO of Genome Canada, Dr. Stéphanie Michaud, President & CEO of BioCanRx and John Adams, Board Chair of the Best Medicines Coalition
  • 10:15am Break and networking
  • 10:30am Interactive workshop discussion
  • 11:50am Closing and the way forward

For any questions about registration and the event in general, please reach out to Sarah Kabani at [email protected].

Past Events

Is Our Health System Ready for Where Science is Taking Us?

On March 4, 2024, Longwoods Publishing convened a leadership discussion, Is Our Health System Ready for Where Science is Taking Us, featuring Dr. Bob Bell, Ontario’s former Deputy Minister of Health; Dr. Ronan Foley, a Clinical Hematologist from Juravinski Cancer Centre at Hamilton Health Sciences; and Dr. Elise Héon, Staff Director of the Ocular Genetics Program at The Hospital for Sick Children. These experts came together to discuss the promise of cell and gene therapies (CGTs) through a panel discussion moderated by health journalist and CTV News contributor Avis Favaro.

Ensuring Equitable Access to CGTs in Quebec

In February 2024, Advancing Cell and Gene Therapy hosted an event in Montreal, in partnership with BIOQuébec, where industry representatives, clinicians, policymakers and government officials gathered to discuss solutions towards ensuring equitable access to cell and gene therapies (CGT) in Québec. The event commenced with a keynote address from Dr. Stéphane Bergeron, Assistant Deputy Minister of Physical and Pharmaceutical Health, and an expert panel focused on the current state of CGTs in the province. A collaborative workshop then engaged attendees in generating recommendations for improving access to CGTs in Québec, concluding with an open forum to discuss and refine these ideas. A report summarizing key takeaways can be accessed here.