Join our lunchtime symposium at ESGCT 2026 to explore current approaches using Minicircle DNA in non-viral cell engineering, site-specific genome integration and cell and gene therapy manufacturing.
Experts from Fraunhofer IZI, Baylor College of Medicine, Charité/Berlin Institute of Health and Medizinische Hochschule Hannover will discuss how DNA design, gene transfer technologies and manufacturing strategies come together in the development of advanced cell and gene therapies.
Symposium overview
Minicircle DNA provides a compact, bacterial-backbone-free DNA format for applications ranging from non-viral gene transfer to donor-template-based genome engineering.
The symposium brings together two perspectives on its use in advanced cell therapies:
- From process development to clinical translation: virus-free CAR T-cell manufacturing at scale and under GMP conditions
- Precise non-viral gene integration: donor-template design and site-specific integration for advanced TCR- and CAR-T cell therapies
Chair
Prof. Dr. Hildegard Büning
Deputy Director, Institute of Experimetal Hematology,
Medizinische Hochschule Hannover
Co-host
Dr. Ram Shankar
Chief Scientific Officer
PlasmidFactory GmbH
Talk 1
Dr. Katrin Mestermann
Group Leader, Fraunhofer Institute for Cell Therapy and Immunology
From Bench to Bedside: Development of a Virus-Free Clinical CAR T Manufacturing Protocol
Katrin Mestermann will share insights into the development and translation of a transposase-mediated, virus-free CAR T-cell manufacturing process.
The presentation will cover:
- Process optimization and upscaling toward an at-scale manufacturing process
- Development of a GMP-compliant workflow for clinical application
- Preclinical data generation and preparation for clinical translation
- The role of Minicircle DNA in non-viral gene transfer
Talk 2
Prof. Dr. Dimitrios L. Wagner, MD/PhD
Baylor College of Medicine & Charité/Berlin Institute of Health
Non-viral and site-specific integration to create advanced TCR- and CAR-T cell therapies
Dimitrios Wagner will discuss approaches for the precise, non-viral integration of complex genetic payloads into therapeutic T cells.
The presentation will cover:
- DNA donor-template design for CRISPR-mediated homology-directed repair
- Programmable and Site-specific Transgene Addition (PASTA)
- Large Serine Recombinase-mediated integration of complex transgene payloads
- The use of minimal DNA donor formats such as Minicircle DNA for site-specific cell engineering
Join us at ESGCT 2026
October 28 | 01:30–02:30 PM
Hall 3, Level 0
ESGCT Annual Congress | Hamburg
If you would like to discuss your own DNA requirements, meet our team during ESGCT 2026 at booth E-13/E-14.
Explore our ESGCT 2026 activities
