Francesco Bifari, Co-founder and Head of Therapy Development at Hemera, has been invited to present the REMaST® platform at the ISCT 2026 Annual Meeting, one of the leading international congresses dedicated to cell and gene therapies, with a presentation focused on the biological mechanisms underlying nervous tissue regeneration.
The abstract, titled “Tumor-associated macrophages enhance cancer-associated nerve growth and spinal cord regeneration”, was selected for presentation within the scientific session “Hematopoietic Stem/Progenitor Cells and Tissue Engineering”, dedicated to the new frontiers of advanced therapies and tissue engineering.
The presentation explored the role of specific macrophage populations in nerve fiber growth and spinal cord regeneration processes, with particular attention to the immunoregulatory mechanisms involved in modulating the lesion microenvironment.
The presented data highlight how macrophages can contribute to axonal regrowth through integrated biological processes, including extracellular matrix remodeling, angiogenic support, and modulation of the inflammatory response elements now considered central to the development of regenerative strategies for the central nervous system.
Participation in ISCT 2026 also represented an important opportunity for engagement with international biotech companies, clinicians, industrial partners, and regulatory experts involved in the translational development of advanced therapies.
At a critical stage in the clinical advancement of REMaST®, the congress provided particularly relevant insights into key topics currently reshaping the development pathway of cell therapies: from GMP manufacturing scalability to process standardization, and the definition of regulatory strategies and clinical endpoints in neurological indications.
An additional takeaway from the international discussion is the growing convergence of the field toward multimodal therapeutic approaches, capable of simultaneously addressing inflammation, tissue regeneration, and remodeling of the pathological microenvironment, a paradigm consistent with the scientific rationale underlying the REMaST® platform.
For Hemera, these scientific and industrial exchanges represent a strategic milestone on the path toward clinical development, contributing to the consolidation of the therapy’s roadmap and the integration of biological research, industrial development, and regulatory preparation.
Hemera’s participation in ISCT further confirms the growing international interest in regenerative medicine approaches based on macrophage reprogramming and their potential application in neurodegenerative and traumatic disorders of the central nervous system.