SMART CAMP Symposium on Adoptive Cell Therapy R&D and Translation

In August 2025, SMART’s Critical Analytics for Manufacturing Personalized-Medicine (CAMP) interdisciplinary research group (IRG) hosted an Adoptive Cell Therapy Symposium, co-organised with Esco Aster, a Singapore-founded and headquartered vertically-integrated contract research, development and manufacturing organisation. The half-day event brought together a diverse community of cell therapy manufacturing researchers, clinician-scientists, biotech innovators, investors, and SMART CAMP researchers. Centred on advancing R&D, translation, and innovation in adoptive cell therapy, the symposium showcased the active engagement of SMART-CAMP and the Industry Alignment Fund - Pre-Positioning Programme (IAF-PP), in which CAMP is part of, with academic and industry leaders in the field of cell therapy for impactful research and translational outcomes.

The symposium was graced by experts, guest speakers, and innovators from across the biotech and academic ecosystem. It began with opening speeches from Dr Lee Yie Hou, Scientific Director at SMART CAMP, and Xiangliang Lin, CEO at Esco Aster, who set the tone for the symposium. Lin also closed the symposium by sharing how Esco Aster’s GMP biosciences and biotools are being leveraged in adoptive cell therapies to lower costs of goods sold (COGS).

Kuan Chee Mun, Executive Director & Co-Founder at AIM Biotech, speaking during a session on essential factors to consider prior to establishing a startup

Following the opening speeches, guest speaker Kuan Chee Mun, Executive Director & Co-Founder at AIM Biotech (a biotech startup spinoff from SMART), spoke on “Essential Factors to Consider Prior to Establishing a Startup.” Drawing from his own entrepreneurial journey, he highlighted the strategic decisions, risks, and opportunities that researchers and innovators should weigh when transitioning from academic breakthroughs to commercial ventures.

Throughout the symposium, clinical leaders in the CAR T cell space shared their perspectives on the current challenges and opportunities in bringing cell therapies from bench to bedside. Dr Anthony Tan, Assistant Professor in the Emerging Infectious Diseases Programme at Duke-NUS Medical School, presented his team’s work on “mRNA-based T cell engineering for HBV-related hepatocellular carcinoma (HBV-HCC)”. He discussed the clinical success of therapies with T cells engineered with a CAR or a T Cell Receptor (TCR) in haematological cancers, and shared preliminary evidence that the efficacy of TCR-T cell therapy against HBV-related HCC may be associated with the ability to alter the HCC microenvironment and induce novel antitumor T cells.

Dr Kerwin Kwek, CAMP Research Scientist, speaking on rapid CAR T cell quality profiling via microfluidics

Tapping on their experience, Dr Chen Yunxin, Senior Consultant Haematologist at Singapore General Hospital and National Cancer Centre Singapore, and Dr Alice Cheung, Principal Investigator in the Department of Haematology at Singapore General Hospital, spoke on “Building a CAR γδ T-cell platform from concept to clinic.” They presented the development of a next-generation immune effector cell therapy platform, highlighting the collaboration between scientists and clinicians, the strategic selection of disease indications, and the steps from preclinical validation to manufacturing and regulatory planning.

Researchers at CAMP contributed to the symposium by presenting their ongoing scientific work, innovations and translational efforts related to cell therapy manufacturing of immune and stem cells. Drs Kerwin Kwek, Research Scientist, Zhao Haoran, Postdoctoral Associate, and Yang Yanmeng, Postdoctoral Associate, spoke on topics around rapid CAR T cell quality profiling via microfluidics, biomaterials to enhance T cell immunotherapy, and novel monitoring techniques for mesenchymal stem cells. These sessions reflected the breadth of ongoing research and innovation at SMART CAMP, highlighting the team’s commitment to advancing cell therapy technologies and addressing key challenges in the field.

The symposium concluded with an engaging networking session, where participants and speakers continued their discussions, exchanging ideas, fostering collaborations, and exploring new opportunities to further strengthen Singapore’s position in global cell therapy innovation.