We work to enable our customers to deliver new and innovative medicines. Let us support you. Download the presentation (PDF) showcasing Lonza’s cell and gene therapy development portfolio from discovery to commercialization.

An Introduction to Cell and Gene Therapy

Cell and gene therapy is a rapidly developing field. It promises significant long-term health benefits to people suffering from a wide range of diseases, from ophthalmological disorders to cancer.

Cell therapies repair or replace damaged cells or tissue and involve the injection of intact, living cells into a patient. These are either derived from the patient (autologous cell therapy) or a donor (allogeneic cell therapy).

Gene therapy involves introducing, removing, or changing genetic material to alter how a protein or group of proteins is produced in a cell, to alleviate or cure a disease.

Cell and gene therapies are combined in some techniques, such as ex vivo chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy (figure on the right side). But they can also be utilized entirely independently, for example, in mesenchymal stem cell (MSC) therapy (cell therapy only) and in vivo viral gene transfection (Learn moregene therapy only).