Meet Miguel Forte

As President of the International Society for Cell & Gene Therapy, a board member of the Alliance for Regenerative Medicine, and CEO of Kiji Therapeutics, Miguel has become a prominent voice in cell and gene therapy at a difficult moment for the field, helping to maintain momentum through a challenging funding environment while advocating for stronger clinical, regulatory, and commercial frameworks.

His influence spans policy, translation, and company building. At ISCT, Miguel has worked to strengthen the society’s global presence and clinical leadership, including the establishment of its inaugural Chief Medical Officer role. At Kiji Therapeutics, he is applying his experience as a biotech executive, academic, and former regulator to the development of engineered stem cell therapies, including allogeneic, off-the-shelf iPSC-derived approaches designed for targeted therapeutic delivery.

“The greatest challenge in cell and gene therapy at present is patient access. Limited access resulting from limitations in production, capacity, clinical delivery and, above all, reimbursement is restricting both treatment for patients in need and confidence in business models. Adapted business models and confidence in the benefit delivered by these therapies are needed if we are to expand our mission of addressing unmet medical needs.”

“The future of cell and gene therapy will be split across three business models: autologous ex vivo, where we have already seen significant value; in vivo, where a lot of attention is now focused; and allogeneic, where hidden promise resides.”