
7 – 10 June 2026 Salzburg, Austria
Program
Insights, sessions, and keynotes
ESACT MEETING 2026 at a glance!
The ESACT MEETING 2026 will offer a rich and engaging scientific program, featuring a variety of sessions focused on the latest developments in animal cell technology.
Important Dates
Innovation Award and Exhibitor’s Reception
Where cell scientists meet: connect, share, inspire.
Posters and Drinks
Science meets conversation.
Sightseeing Tour to Hellbrunn and Dinner
Experience Salzburg’s charm. Dine in historic surroundings.
Poster Award and Gala Dinner
Celebrating excellence. Dining in elegance.
ESACT MEETING 2026 Program Overview
Overview schedule
| Time | Sunday 7 | Monday 8 | Tuesday 9 | Wednesday 9 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 08.00 – 09.00 | Registration (open all day) | |||
| 09.00 – 10.00 | Keynote Lecture | Keynote Lecture | Keynote Lecture | |
| 10.00 – 11.00 | Session 1 & 2 | Session 4 | Session 5 | |
| 11.00 – 12.00 | Workshops | |||
| 12.00 – 13.00 | ESACT General Assembly | Poster Award Lecture | ||
| 13.00 – 14.00 | Lunch | Lunch | Poster Session | Lunch | |
| 14.00 – 15.00 | Registration and | Session 3 | and | Session 6 |
| 15.00 – 16.00 | Welcome Coffee | Educational Session | ||
| 16.00 – 17.00 | Opening | 50 Years of ESACT | Cultural Visit to Hellbrunn | Announcements and Closure | |
| 17.00 – 18.00 | ESACT Innovation Award | Time to freshen up before the gala dinner | ||
| 18.00 – 19.00 | Keynote Lecture | Poster Session | ||
| 19.00 – 20.00 | Exhibitor’s Reception | |||
| 20.00 – 21.00 | Evening free for personal dinner plans | Dinner in Salzburg | Gala Dinner | |
| 21.00 – 22.00 | ||||
Scientific program
Please note: Further details will be available soon. Program sessions and timings may change over the coming weeks.
Day 2, Monday 24
| 09.00 – 14.00 | Workshops and sponsored symposia |
| 14.00 – 16.00 | Registration and welcome coffee |
| 16.00 – 17.00 | Opening | 50 years of ESACT MEETING |
| 17.00 – 18.00 | ESACT Innovation Award |
| 18.00 – 19.00 | Keynote |
| 19.15 | Exhibitor’s reception |
Day 2, Monday 24
| 09.00 – 13.00 | Keynotes and morning sessions, including Poster Award Spotlights |
| 13.00 – 14.30 | Lunch |
| 14.30 – 17.00 | Afternoon session |
| 17.00 – 20.00 | Poster session and drinks |
| 18.00 – 19.00 | Dinner on your own |
Day 2, Monday 24
| 09.00 – 12.00 | Keynotes and morning sessions |
| 12.00 – 13.00 | ESACT Generaly Assembly |
| 12.00 – 14.00 | Lunch |
| 13.00 – 16.00 | Poster session |
| 14.00 – 16.00 | Educational Session |
| 16.15 – 16.45 | Departure of Busses to Hellbrunn |
| 19.00 – 20.00 | Return of Busses from Hellbrunn |
| 20.00 | Dinner in Salzburg | Please check sign on your badge and the app to find location |
Day 2, Monday 24
| 09.30 – 13.00 | Keynotes and morning sessions |
| 13.00 – 14.30 | Lunch |
| 14.30 – 16.00 | Afternoon session |
| 16.00 – 17.00 | Announcements and closure |
| 19.00 | Reception and gala dinner |
Session theme descriptions
Half a Century of Progress: From Cells to Solutions ……… and beyond
After 50 years of development and progress in bioprocess technology and applications of animal cells for health and research, in this year’s ESACT MEETING we aim to address the newest advances in this field relating both to research and biomanufacturing. Below you find a list of topics that we would like to address under the overarching theme of understanding the cellular mechanism and the industrial exploitation of cells as factories of proteins, vaccines, cell therapies and as vectors for delivery of gene therapies or any other animal cell-based products.
1. Computational and Digitalization Frontiers – From Prediction to Production
Chairs: Nathan Lewis and Dong-Yup Lee
As therapeutic molecules become more complex, it becomes a challenge to capture the complexity of the multifaceted interactions between molecules, cells, products, and bioprocesses, requiring innovative solutions in the design and engineering of cell factories and biomanufacturing. This session explores the transformative power of computational tools, artificial intelligence, machine learning, systems biology, and the data infrastructure underpinning these approaches, bridging the gap between research and manufacturing. By embracing advances in computational tools and big data, this session envisions a fully integrated, predictive manufacturing ecosystem. This session may include, but is not limited to:
- predictive modelling of molecular interactions
- establishment of robust big data ecosystems to enable rapid, reproducible, actionable, and cost-efficient solutions.
- cutting-edge innovations such as virtual cell models, LLMs, and actionable omics that enable smarter decision-making and data sharing across researchers and industries.
- In silico design of drug molecules, production cells, and manufacturing platforms.
- AI, ML, and hybrid models for predicting molecular interactions, cell responses, and drug manufacturability.
- Data-driven decision-making through actionable omics and big data sharing.
- Generative AI for accelerating solution discovery
- Digital twins for biomanufacturing optimization
- High-throughput data generation, big data analysis, and diverse data integration
2. Engineering Tomorrow’s Cell Factories
Chairs: Mike Betenbaugh and Johan Rockberg
In this session, we will explore and expand the opportunities and challenges in producing standard and novel therapeutics using animal cells. Through visionary scientific and engineering strategies, we seek to harness cells, organelles, pathways, and gene expression patterns to meet the demands and reach new heights in biopharma production
Topics of interest include but are not limited to:
- Engineering pathways, PTMs, secretion and organelles
- Advances in synthetic biology such as gene expression, regulation, and control
- Production of new modalities such as multispecifics and viral vectors
- Expression of de novo synthetic proteins
- Systems biology and epigenomics
- Data-driven cell design and machine learning techniques to improved cell formats
- Vector engineering, artificial chromosomes, genome editing, and transposase-mediated or other gene integration techniques
- Minimal cells
- improving productivities and refining cell line stability
- HTP screening and automation
- Accelerated product development – shortening time from design to patient
- Drug-conjugates and introduction of non-canonical amino acids
- Cell free synthesis
- Streamline regulatory compliance for current and next-generation therapeutics
3. Analytics and Automation
Chairs: Veronique Chotteau and Till Wenger
Analytical Methods are a prerequisite for product understanding and process monitoring, as well as control and automation through PAT. Despite considerable progress over the last decades, there is still, and more than ever, a need for meaningful, fast, and reliable methods, as well as automation of analytics and data processing. Over decades, process robustness has been favored compared to implementation of feedback control strategies, which require validated real-time analytics and control. Will this continue or will new applications become an industrial reality and for which type of biologics? We invite presentations in the fields of protein production, vaccines, gene therapy vectors, cell therapy, etc. about the following (but not restricted to):
- New analytics for faster, more actionable insights, especially for complex biologics, cell and gene therapeutics
- Advanced PAT systems for real-time process automation, monitoring, and control
- Disruptive technology for sensors and feedback loops
- Defining, understanding, monitoring and controlling CQAs for complex biologics.
- Dealing with the variability of starting materials to achieve robustness in cell therapy manufacturing
- Regulatory aspects of novel methods and process control strategies
- Acceleration potential through automation, better product and process understanding
- PAT and digital twin to support manufacturing
- Case studies of implementation of PAT in commercial biomanufacturing
- Examples of accelerated or real time drug substance release based on novel methods or PAT
4. Sustainable Bioprocessing – Greener and Affordable Biomanufacturing
Chairs: Oliver Rupp and Antonio Roldao
This session explores the vital intersection of sustainability, affordability, and efficiency in biomanufacturing. It aims to spotlight innovative, scalable, and economically/environmentally viable solutions to address the challenges of modern bioprocessing. These advancements are expected to make bioprocessing more eco-friendly and accessible, while also meeting the growing demand for biologics and further innovative cell culture applications. Ultimately, these innovations should help ensure that new therapies and products reach patients and markets faster. We are focusing on spotting advances in bioprocessing technologies to revolutionize biologics production (e.g. recombinant proteins, vaccines), accelerate cell and gene therapy applications, and drive innovation in cultured food and meat solutions. This includes, but is not limited to:
- Streamlining the interface of upstream and downstream processing operations
- Transitioning to continuous or hybrid manufacturing
- Incorporating renewable resources and innovative ways of “reutilizing” process components into production pipelines
- Cross-project and –product learnings to simplify and expedite process scalability, validation activities, and technology transfers
- Reducing production facilities footprints through balanced scale utilization and flexible, modular unit operations (e.g. container-sized “Mini Factories”)
- Standardizing manufacturing platforms to accelerate the development and approval of new therapies and products
5. Expanding the Horizons of Animal cells – new applications and therapeutic formats
Chairs: Margarida Serra and Nick Timmins
Bringing together insights from cell and developmental biology, immunology, materials science, biofabrication, bioprocessing, and data sciences, this session delves into groundbreaking applications of animal cells. Key discussions will focus on overcoming manufacturing and economic challenges, unraveling mechanisms of action, improving potency and addressing immuno-compatibility for therapeutic uses, and ensuring safety in both therapeutic and non-therapeutic applications. The session will also explore the practicalities of transitioning innovative concepts from research to real-world applications, including regulatory considerations for these emerging technologies.
Topic examples:
- Advancements in organoid/assembloid technology and micro-physiological systems as tools for drug testing, disease modeling, and reducing reliance on animal testing.
- Enabling affordable and accessible cellular medicines and engineered tissues/organs
- Next generation cell factories for complex secretory products (e.g., extracellular vesicles and implantable delivery devices)
- Animal cells as information processors: biosensors and computational systems
- Making cellular agriculture feasible: cultured meat, cells as food ingredients, and cell-cultured materials.
6. Disruptive Technologies and Visionary Frontiers
Chairs: Nicole Borth and all
This session focuses on revolutionary innovations and ideas shaping the future of animal cell technology. With visionary keynotes from pioneers across diverse fields, this session seeks to inspire bold new directions for research and biomanufacturing. On purpose we do not restrict the topics that can apply, but we are looking for ideas that have highly disruptive or innovative potential.
Workshops and sponsored symposia (Sunday)
- Sponsored symposia
Sponsored symposia will cover an area of science that reflects the direct interests of the company sponsor, through illustration of the potential value of a product or technology developed and marketed by that company. The format (within a 90 minute session) is likely to be based on presentations, with speakers recruited from the company and/or potentially from academics who have used the product to undertake fundamental research. In many ways this may add to fundamental understanding but the presentations are likely to be focused on the use of a specific product/technology. There is a charge to the sponsoring company determined by budgeting decisions from the meeting chair and the professional congress organizer. - Workshops
Workshops are sessions at which fundamental understanding of processes relevant to production of biological therapeutics are presented by researchers/practitioners (from academic, industrial or other backgrounds). The major aim of academic workshops is to highlight the current state of understanding, indicate the challenges that exist in enhancing understanding and to provide a platform for the audience to participate in voicing of opinions and debate over the needs and approaches that might be undertaken. Each workshop (allocated up to 90 minutes) would be expected to spend at least half the time in audience discussions, facilitated by the organizer(s) of the workshop. The remaining time would be allocated to formal (but hopefully interactive) presentations that give background to the current understanding. It is likely that the organizer(s) will present but brief presentations may be solicited from the audience (from academic, industrial or other backgrounds). The major role for the organizers is to build a format (from engagement with the audience) that will stimulate high level and meaningful discussion. It is envisaged that speakers will be selected from participants who have already registered to attend the ESACT MEETING 2026 and no automatic financial support will be allocated to the workshop organizer(s).
Industry educational sessions (Tuesday)
In these sessions, there will be a limited number of timeslots where technology providers present their newest developments, kits or other applications. These will take place on Tuesday afternoon, between the morning lectures and the afternoon outing.
Details to follow.
Keynote speakers
Invited speakers
ESACT Innovation Award 2026
The ESACT Innovation Award is to recognize outstanding innovators and contributors to the field of animal aell culture technology (ACCT). ESACT has had a profound impact on the development of ACCT-based production of biologicals as human therapeutics as well as diagnostics. Over the years, several landmark contributions have been made by scientists and organizations associated with ESACT, yet, there has not been a mechanism to recognize such contributions and disseminate their impact. This award aims to fill this need.
For the purpose of this Award and to provide clarity, ESACT defines “Animal Cell Culture Technology” as:
Applied science, technologies, systems and processes that enable, facilitate or improve the use of cultured animal cells in research, diagnostic and therapeutic applications.
The award is presented at the discretion of the ESACT award committee during the ESACT bi-annual scientific meeting. The value of the award will be a sum of 5.000 Euros together with a commemorative plaque. The award will be presented to the recipient at the ESACT bi-annual scientific meeting. The ESACT Innovation Award 2026 recipient is invited to present the ESACT Innovation Award lecture at the ESACT MEETING 2026 held in Salzburg 7 – 10 June, immediately following the award presentation. The invitation to attend the ESACT MEETING 2026 will further include all travel expenses, accommodation during the meeting and a waiver of registration fees.
ESACT executive committee members, as well as award committee members, are ineligible for the award during the term of their respective committee membership and for a two-year period thereafter. All other individuals or organizations that satisfy the award criteria above are eligible for nomination for the award.
The ESACT Innovation Award was established in 2018 and the first one was awarded at the ESACT MEETING 2019 in Copenhagen.
ESACT Innovation Award Recipients
- ESACT Innovation Award 2019 | Dr. Volker Sandig, MD, PhD
- ESACT Innovation Award 2022 | Dr. Richard Wales and Mr. Neil Bargh
- ESACT Innovation Award 2024 | The CHO genome community, represented by Mike Betenbaugh, Kelvin Lee, Nathan Lewis and Nicole Borth
Please consider identifying and nominating strong candidates for the ESACT Innovation Award 2026.
