Breaking barriers to improve access to ATMPs

Rainer is Director for Medical Products and Innovation at the European Commission’s DG for Health and Food Safety (DG SANTE).  The Directorate is responsible for legislation and policies on human and veterinary medicines, medical devices and innovation in these areas. His teams, amongst others, work on the revision of the EU pharmaceutical legislation, on the Critical Medicines Act, on clinical trials and on the planned European Biotechnology Act. Prior to his current position, Rainer’s tasks in the European Commission included leading EU antitrust enforcement in the area of pharmaceuticals and health.

Christian is a French physician, board certified in Hematology and Medical Oncology. He is a Professor of Medicine in Cell Biology at Aix-Marseille Université School of Medicine and a full member at Institut Paoli-Calmettes Comprehensive Cancer Center where he has been leading the Cell Collection and Cell Processing facilities for more than 20 years. He was a founder and head of the CBT-1409 Inserm - AMU - AP-HM - IPC, a multidisciplinary research initiative aiming at fostering development and evaluation of innovative cell and tissue -based advanced therapies in the Marseille metropolitan area. Christian is active in several EU professional associations, including EBMT where he served in various positions. He is a member of several national and international advisory boards, and (co)authored more than 400 peer-reviewed publications.

Koenraad leads a global team focused on removing barriers to care via government affairs, medical affairs, health economics, and evidence generation. He brings over 20 years of experience across life sciences, medical devices, pharma, market access, and business development, and is passionate about enabling patient access to transformative therapies.

Veerle leads global teams advancing patient access and innovation across the therapeutics and cell therapy ecosystem. With over 20 years of experience in healthcare, including leadership roles at Pfizer and Terumo BCT, she combines strategic vision with a passion for improving lives through technology and collaboration. She holds an engineering degree with distinction from the University of Leuven.

With a PhD in Biomedicine and a passion for regenerative medicine, Antje brings over 10 years of experience in cell therapy across both research and the biotech industry. Antje is dedicated to accelerating cell therapy innovations to make a meaningful impact on patients’ lives.

Konstantinos Lykopoulos is the Executive Director, Head of Value & Access at Kite, a Gilead Company. He has over 20 years of experience in Market Access and Health Economics, specializing in oncology, specialist medicine and cell therapy. For the past 7 years he has contributed and then led Kite's reimbursement strategy and negotiations, first in Europe and then globally. He is currently leading the Value & Access team in Kite responsible for shaping clinical development programmes to meet payer needs, as well as the development and execution of pricing and access strategies

Sarah is a researcher and leader in the cell therapy field with experience that goes from bench to patients. Today Sarah heads the operations of Legend Biotech, where she oversees facility design, manufacturing workflows, and regulatory compliance for cell therapy platforms. Her contributions ensure that high‑quality, GMP‑grade processes support translation of novel therapies into clinical trials. She is committed to operational excellence, reproducibility, and enabling clinical impact through robust biomanufacturing infrastructure.

Jeroen is a Specialist Sales professional at KBC Securities, where he brings over 25 years of life sciences expertise to support investors and entrepreneurs with strategic insight, scientific depth, and commercial acumen. Holding a Ph.D. in Organic Chemistry from Purdue University, his career spans the full innovation lifecycle—from bench science to business development, valuation, strategic planning, and fundraising. Before transitioning into the business side of science, Jeroen conducted pioneering research on lipid nanoparticles for gene and drug delivery. This hands-on experience continues to inform his approach to opportunity assessment and value creation. His mission is clear: to help improve patient outcomes by bridging science and business.