To advance innovation in China’s cell therapy and immunotherapy landscape, deepen discussion on key scientific questions, share the latest clinical research progress, and promote global collaboration and clinical translation within the field, the 2025 International Cell and Immunotherapy Congress (CTI 2025) was held in Hangzhou, Zhejiang, from November 13 to 16, 2025. The congress was jointly organized by Zhejiang University, the International Academy for Clinical Hematology (IACH), the Zhejiang Society for Immunology, and the Zhejiang Anti-Cancer Association, and jointly hosted by the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine and the Liangzhu Laboratory. 

During the meeting, Oncology Frontier – Hematology Frontier conducted an in-depth interview with the conference chair, Professor He Huang from the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine. The interview explored CTI 2025’s defining feature of “panoramic cross-disciplinary integration,” China’s breakthrough achievements in next-generation CAR-T technologies and expanded disease indications, and key directions for global collaboration in the cell therapy field. The aim was to provide forward-looking guidance and valuable insights for clinical practice, research translation, and industrial development.

01

Insights from West Lake, A New Chapter on the Banks of the Qiantang River**

As an annual academic landmark, the International Cell and Immunotherapy Congress brought together leading experts spanning basic research, industrial translation, clinical application, and policy development. Discussions focused on major trends and frontier breakthroughs in this rapidly evolving field. From Professor Carl H. June’s landmark accomplishment of the world’s first successful CAR-T treatment for leukemia more than a decade ago, to the participation of global authorities such as T-cell receptor discoverer Tak W. Mak and second-generation CAR-T pioneer Michel Sadelain, the congress showcased the full innovation chain from scientific discovery to clinical translation.

China has also emerged as a global frontrunner in this domain. The core research teams represented by the Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplantation Center at the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine have long focused on developing new CAR-T technologies and expanding their clinical applications, producing systematic and influential achievements.

“Next-generation CAR-T technology” refers to innovative research driven by unmet clinical needs, building on the 14 CAR-T products already commercialized worldwide. In the area of functional enhancement, Professor He Huang’s team developed PD-1–knockout CAR-T cells, with findings published in Nature in 2022. Their recent work on IL-10–mediated enhancement of CAR-T function has also yielded remarkable clinical responses.

Developing new targets is essential for overcoming the limitations of current commercial CAR-T therapies. The team has achieved a series of breakthroughs in CAR-T therapies targeting CD7 and CD70, effectively addressing malignancies of T-cell and myeloid origin that existing commercial therapies do not cover. In the universal CAR-T field, they optimized manufacturing and immunocompatibility design to overcome limitations of individualized products—such as restricted availability and high cost. These achievements were selected among the Top 10 Hematology Advances in China in 2024 and Zhejiang University’s Top 10 Academic Advances of 2024.

In terms of clinical strategy innovation, to address relapse and cytopenias associated with CAR-T therapy, the team established a bridging model integrating CAR-T therapy with hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, successfully overcoming these clinical challenges. This work was published last year in The New England Journal of Medicine and was selected among annual breakthrough highlights. All of these accomplishments aim to solve real clinical problems through a closed-loop model of clinical insight, scientific research, and translational application, ultimately maximizing patient benefit.

02

Expanding Boundaries Through Cross-Disciplinary Innovation**

Cell and immunotherapy was initially applied to hematologic malignancies by targeting tumor-specific antigens to eliminate malignant B cells, T cells, and other leukemic clones, with the goal of achieving cure. Autoimmune diseases, meanwhile, are driven by abnormal B-cell and T-cell clones producing pathogenic proteins or mediating aberrant immune attacks. At their core, these conditions share a common pathological foundation of immune dysregulation with hematologic malignancies.

Based on this mechanistic connection, Professor He Huang’s team conducted a study evaluating dual-target CD19 and BCMA CAR-T therapy for systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). By eliminating aberrant B-cell clones, this approach promotes reconstruction of normal immune clonality. After two years of follow-up, patients displayed complete eradication of pathogenic clones without recurrence, and healthy clonal populations successfully reconstituted. These findings suggest the possibility of a curative effect. The study was published as a cover article in a recent issue of Nature Medicine, providing key evidence for extending CAR-T therapy into autoimmune disease.

03

Uniting Global Strength to Advance a New Era in Medicine and Research**

Compared with traditional approaches such as chemotherapy, cellular immunotherapy stands out for its greater safety and more striking efficacy, offering effective solutions for diseases that conventional treatments fail to control. At the same time, the field still faces challenges such as limited target availability and difficulty managing toxicity. Developing innovative products that deliver stronger functionality, more controllable adverse effects, broader patient applicability, and more convenient deployment has therefore become the core direction for the field.

In response to these trends, CTI 2025 adopted “panoramic cross-disciplinary integration” as its thematic focus, covering the full chain from basic research and technological innovation to product translation, regulatory policy, and clinical application. Six parallel subforums were arranged to address new conceptual frameworks and technological advances in cellular immunotherapy, as well as clinical translation for leukemia, lymphoma, myeloma, autoimmune diseases, and solid tumors. Special sessions were also dedicated to artificial intelligence (AI) and clinical translation, underscoring the congress’s forward-looking and guiding role.

Beyond the main academic program, the congress also built a multifaceted platform for exchange. The Young Investigator Forum offered an exceptional stage for outstanding young scholars from China and abroad, highlighting their strong momentum in emerging research areas. The Industry Development Forum focused on key topics such as regulatory policy and industrialization of innovative technologies, strengthening collaboration between academia and industry. Notably, the main venue assembled an elite lineup of international experts, including presidents of hematology societies from Europe, the United States, and Southeast Asia. This not only fostered high-level intellectual exchange, but also created a crucial bridge for Chinese innovations and enterprises to gain international visibility, strongly supporting global development of China’s technologies.

Through its multi-dimensional program design and high-level academic discourse, CTI 2025 established a central platform for sharing cutting-edge technologies, exchanging innovative ideas, and fostering international collaboration. Participants gained invaluable insights through deep academic engagement, laying a solid foundation for future research. The congress is expected to accelerate the translation and clinical implementation of advances in cell and immunotherapy, contributing significantly to global patient well-being.

Expert Biography

Professor He Huang First Affiliated Hospital, Zhejiang University School of Medicine

Professor He Huang is a Qiushi Distinguished Professor at Zhejiang University, a Zhejiang Provincial Distinguished Expert, Chief Physician, and Doctoral Supervisor. He currently serves as Director of the Hematology and Bone Marrow Transplantation Center of the First Affiliated Hospital of Zhejiang University School of Medicine, Director of the Zhejiang University Hematology Institute, and Director of the Zhejiang Provincial Engineering Center for Stem Cell and Immune Cell Therapy.

He is Vice Chair of the Expert Committee of the China Marrow Donor Program, Vice Chair of the Hematology Branch of the Chinese Medical Association, Vice Chair of the Academic Committee of the Asia Society for Cell Therapy, and a member of the International Academic Committee of the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation. He also serves as President of the Zhejiang Society for Immunology.

His research focuses on stem cell biology, clinical applications of hematopoietic stem cell transplantation, and translational research in frontier cellular immunotherapy. He has twice received the Second Prize of the National Science and Technology Progress Award (2003, 2015) and has led major national projects including 973, 863, National Key R&D Programs, National Natural Science Foundation key programs, and international collaboration grants.

He has published nearly 200 SCI papers as corresponding author, in journals such as The New England Journal of Medicine, Nature, Nature Medicine, Cell Research, and The Lancet Haematology. He has received more than 15 provincial and ministerial science and technology awards and holds 21 authorized invention patents. Over the past five years, he has delivered more than one hundred invited, oral, and keynote presentations at major international conferences.

Professor He Huang is the chief editor of CAR-T Cell Immunotherapy, the first monograph on CAR-T therapy published by the People’s Medical Publishing House, and co-editor of the national postgraduate textbook Hematology. He also serves on the editorial boards of leading journals, including Bone Marrow Transplantation and Journal of Hematology & Oncology.