Esco Aster and SMART MIT recently teamed up to host Singapore’s first-ever Adoptive Cell Therapy Symposium, marking an important milestone for the region. This groundbreaking event brought together cell therapy manufacturing researchers, clinician-scientists, biotech innovators, investors, and CDMOs, all eager to explore how Singapore can lead with a knowledge-driven, cost-effective approach to advancing cell therapy.

Opening Remarks

Lee Yie Hou (Scientific Director, SMART CAMP) and Xiangliang Lin (Founder & CEO, Esco Aster) set the stage with their opening remarks, emphasizing Singapore’s role as a regional hub for advanced therapies and the importance of bridging academic research with industrial translation for impact creation.

Keynote Highlights

1. Opening Keynote – Dr. Kuan Chee Mun (AIM Biotech)
   Dr. Kuan shared his inspiring journey as a SMART MIT spinoff founder. His key message: innovators must stay focused on unmet needs and solve real problem statements, not just pursue technology. Working closely with partners while adopting a multi-revenue model selectively is vital to survival.
2. Liver Cancer Advances – Dr. Anthony Tan (Duke-NUS)
   Dr. Tan highlighted challenges in liver cancer treatment and the promise of cell therapies. He presented mRNA-based TCR T-cell engineering for HBV-related Hepatocellular Carcinoma (HBV-HCC). Unlike permanent genetic modification, mRNA engineering enables transient TCR expression. Remarkably, tumor lysis was observed 2–3 months post-infusion, suggesting durable immune remodeling and potential synergy with checkpoint inhibitors.
3. Gamma Delta T Cell (GDT) Platform – Dr. Yunxin & Dr. Alice (SGH)
   The potential of GDT cells was presented as a novel adoptive therapy. Being MHC unrestricted and not alloreactive, GDT offers a unique opportunity to develop off-the-shelf CAR-T products. Their versatility and cost efficiency overcome many limitations of conventional T-cell therapies.
4. SMART CAMP Presentations
   Researchers showcased translational strategies accelerating lab-to-clinic adoption:
   • Dr. Kerwin Kwek – Biophysical Signatures on a Chip: Rapid CAR T Cell Quality Profiling via Microfluidics
   • Dr. Zhao Haoran – Microcarrier to Enhance T Cell Immunotherapy
   • Dr. Yang Yanmeng – Cellular Iron Flux Measurement by Micro-magnetic Resonance Relaxometry
5. Closing Keynote – XL Lin (Founder & CEO, Esco Aster)
   XL Lin emphasized aligning unmet needs with scalable manufacturing, leveraging cGMP CDMO to address high costs and complexity. He highlighted scalable, quality-by-design approaches and novel biotools such as fusion protein platforms for ex vivo, non-expanded therapies. These innovations can reduce costs and expand access to future therapies.

A heartfelt thank you to all speakers and participants, both in-person and online, for making this inaugural symposium a success.

Looking ahead, Esco Aster will continue this momentum at Cell & Gene Therapy World Asia 2025 next week. We invite all cell therapy innovators to join us in shaping the future of advanced therapies together.
Learn more at: Cell & Gene Therapy World Asia 2025

About Esco Aster

Esco Aster is a contract research development and manufacturing organization (CRDMO) founded by scientists to enable translation of bench work into diagnostics, medicines, therapies, cosmeceuticals, and cellular agriculture at affordable prices. Through best-in-class continuous manufacturing platforms, Esco Aster delivers scalable, reliable outcomes. Learn more at www.escoaster.com and connect on LinkedIn.

About SMART CAMP

SMART CAMP (Critical Analytics for Manufacturing Personalized-Medicine) is an interdisciplinary research group under the Singapore-MIT Alliance for Research and Technology. It develops innovative tools and analytics to accelerate safe, scalable, and cost-effective manufacturing of cell and gene therapies, strengthening Singapore’s position as a hub for advanced therapeutics. Learn more at smart.mit.edu.