From CAR T to Gene Therapy, Pharmacists Prepare for What’s Next at the 2026 Tandem Meeting

Pharmacy Times® interviewed J Ryan Shaw, PharmD, BCPS, BCOP, CPP, a clinical pharmacist practitioner, Bone Marrow Transplant and Cellular Therapy, University of North Carolina (UNC) Medical Center and adjunct assistant professor of clinical education, UNC Eshelman School of Pharmacy in Chapel Hill, North Carolina, and Shannon Palmer, PharmD, BCOP, a hematology and bone marrow transplant pharmacist at Oregon Health and Science University, about the value of the 2026 American Society for Transplantation and Cellular Therapy (ASTCT) and Center for International Blood and Marrow Transplant Research (CIBMTR) Tandem Meeting (Tandem Meeting) in Salt Lake City, Utah, from February 4 to 7, for pharmacy professionals.

They discuss how the Tandem Meeting supports pharmacists’ expanding roles in transplantation, cellular therapy, and gene therapy, highlights key scientific and clinical developments to watch in 2026, and offers targeted education and networking opportunities for pharmacy professionals.

Pharmacy Times: Looking forward to the 2026 ASTCT/CIBMTR Tandem Meeting, how do you envision the role of pharmacists in transplant and cellular therapy evolving over the next year?

J Ryan Shaw, PharmD, BCPS, BCOP, CPP: Pharmacists are an integral part of the multidisciplinary team that cares for transplant and cellular therapy patients. Pharmacists have been well established in the transplant setting with unique responsibilities that come with caring for this unique patient population; however, the role of pharmacy within cellular therapy is quite dynamic. There are multiple products (eg TILs, chimeric antigen receptor [CAR] T, gene therapy, etc) moving to market each year in a wide variety of disease states. This presents both challenges and opportunities to define and expand pharmacist responsibilities. From more operational aspects like onboarding, formulary management, and implementation to clinical aspects like patient counseling, infection prevention, and coordination of care across new referring services, pharmacists will be essential to delivering high-quality care in this new, developing cellular therapy era.

The Tandem Meeting is a unique meeting specifically targeted to stem cell transplant and cellular therapy where you can learn about the amazing new science that is upcoming in the field, discuss current clinical dilemmas and best practices, and network with transplant and cellular therapy providers from across the world. The knowledge and connections made at the meeting have lasting impacts and provide useful long-term resources. The transplant and cellular therapy community is relatively small, but the connections made at the meetings have a huge impact on research and patient care.

Pharmacy Times: Gene therapy and CAR T-cell therapy were major themes in 2025—what breakthroughs or clinical developments should pharmacists be watching for in 2026?

Shaw: A lot of the major themes from 2025 will be carried through into 2026—like a focus on CAR-T and gene therapy. However, there are a lot of breakthroughs and clinical developments that Tandem will shine a spotlight on, such as TILs/IL2 therapy, advances in supportive care for CAR-T therapy, pulmonary GVHD, and new conditioning options and cell products.

The Tandem Meetings provide a unique opportunity that integrates the scientific program with role-specific programming from Infectious Diseases, Advanced Practice Providers, Data Managers, and Pharmacy, to name a few. This allows attendees to explore the latest breakthroughs in research while also understanding how diverse expertise contributes to innovation, patient outcomes and the future of the field.

Moreover, the global nature of the Tandem Meetings is shaping equitable and scalable treatment strategies. By convening researchers, clinicians and industry leaders from around the world, the meetings provide a platform for discussing how novel therapies can be adapted for diverse healthcare settings. This dialogue is crucial for translating scientific advances into treatments that are not only innovative but also accessible and effective across different populations.

Pharmacy Times: For pharmacy professionals who are interested in learning more about the evolving field of hematopoietic cell transplantation, cellular therapy, and gene therapy, how might attending this meeting be beneficial?

Palmer: The ASTCT Pharmacy Special Interest Group (SIG) develops the pharmacy track at the Tandem Meeting every year. This track is focused on current topics and emerging therapies relevant to pharmacy practice, including stem cell transplant, immunotherapy, CAR-T treatments, gene therapies, toxicity management, and plenty more. Whether you are a new or seasoned practitioner, pediatric- or adult-focused pharmacist, the sessions within the pharmacy track provide engaging content for a wide audience.

The program offers over 13 hours of continuing pharmacy education credits with 4 hours of board-certified oncology pharmacist (BCOP) credit in collaboration with the Hematology/Oncology Pharmacy Association (HOPA) over 2 days. This directed, pharmacy-led content is a unique aspect of the Tandem Meeting that is not often found with other large oncology society meetings. The meeting also allows pharmacy professionals to make connections with other practice sites to exchange ideas and discuss active clinical or operational challenges.

Pharmacy Times: What are key sessions you think may be particularly valuable for pharmacy professionals at this meeting?

Palmer: There is always such amazing content at the Tandem Meetings. It is hard to go wrong with any of the sessions. The pharmacy track BCOP topics include maintenance in Multiple Myeloma, TIL and IL2 management, vaccine updates, and navigating infections post CAR-T therapy. Here are a few key presentations pharmacy professionals should not miss at the meeting:

• Friday, February 6, at 1 PM MST: The Art of Maintenance: A Thoughtful Debate on Post-Transplant Multiple Myeloma Management presented by Pearl Abraham, PharmD, BCPS, BCOP and Issam Hamadeh, PharmD.
• Friday, February 6, at 4:15 PM MST: ReviTILizing Tumor Infiltrating Lymphocytes and IL-2 in Melanoma presented by Charlene Kabel, PharmD, BCOP.
• Saturday, February 7, at 8:15 AM MST: Vaccine Updates presented by Eric Gaskill, PharmD, BCOP.
• Saturday, February 7, at 1 PM MST: Collateral Damage: Navigating Infections After CAR T Cell Therapy presented by Jamie Brown, PharmD, BCOP, Natalie Brumwell, PharmD, BCOP and Mary McGann, PharmD, BCOP.

Other hot topics in the pharmacy track include presentations on how to incorporate pharmacogenomics into a practice; an MD led CIBMTR research panel; model-based dosing to improve pre-transplant conditioning; pulmonary GVHD, cannabis in BMT, and measurable residual disease (MRD) in acute myeloid leukemia (AML).

The program will also include several returning sessions, including the Pharmacy SIG Update at 8:45 AM MST on Friday, February 6, and ASH Updates Part I & II at 9:15 and 10:30 AM MST on Friday, February 6. Additionally, we will continue our collaboration with EBMT with Paediatric Hematopoietic Stem Cell Transplant Conditioning: Infants to Adolescence—UK versus US Perspectives at 9:15 AM MST on Saturday, February 7.

The ASTCT mentorship program of the Pharmacy Special Interest Group will be highlighted in 2 sessions: ASH Updates Part 2 from 10:30 AM MST on Friday, February 6 and Cycle Savvy: Managing Menses and Menopause in a HSCT Patient from 3:15 PM MST on Friday, February 6. A mentor with experience presenting at national conferences is paired with a mentee who is a first-time presenter.

Pharmacy Times: What are your hopes for this Tandem Meeting?

Shaw: The Tandem Meetings are a multidisciplinary event, bringing together specialists from across the full life cycle of patient care—from diagnosis and treatment to remission and long-term outcomes. This approach fosters collaboration among clinicians, researchers, industry leaders and patient advocates, ensuring that every aspect of transplantation, cellular therapy and gene therapy advances in a cohesive, patient-centered manner. I hope to explore scientific and clinical advancements within transplant and cellular therapy. There will be a focus this year in the Scientific Track at Tandem on molecular drivers of GVHD pathogenesis, donor selection, toxicities related to CAR-T, as well as several other topics.

Palmer: I am excited to hear about new directions for CAR-T therapy in solid tumors and autoimmune disorders and the utility of AI therapy for implementation in practice among many other interesting topics. Specifically, I am excited to attend the programming in the pharmacy track, as this should be directly applicable to my daily practice.

Lastly, the Tandem Meetings provide an opportunity to connect with colleagues from across the country (and the world). The relationships that I have built at the Tandem Meetings continue to be greatly professionally and personally enriching.