The three-day meeting in Carlsbad, CA, included commentary from numerous executives and investors in the cell and gene therapy space. Here are some of the biggest takeaways.

The FDA Modernization Act 2.0 should make it easier for companies to gain regulatory authorization using non-traditional testing methods, like organs-on-a-chip. But biopharma will need to make the leap into technology to help build knowledge and data if the drug development world is to move away from animal testing entirely. 

SIGA provides an update on its monkeypox program, while Massive Bio announces progress on its AI platform for connecting cancer patients to trials, with additional updates from BridgeBio, the Oncology Institute, and CROs Caidya, Charles River Labs, Syneos Health and PPD parent Thermo Fisher Scientific.

Private Company Edition: Westlake Village BioPartners’ latest launch 3T Biosciences also licensed a second TCR platform from Stanford University. In other recent financings, Senda raised a $123m series C round, Orna revealed a $221m series B and CPRIT funded several cancer drug developers.