Prof. Dr. Gerard Wagemaker | Haematology Department of Erasmus MC Rotterdam

‘That level of involvement was a first for the international congress organiser’

  Prof. Dr. Gerard Wagemaker is affiliated with the Haematology Department of Erasmus MC in Rotterdam. As President of the Netherlands Society of Gene and Cell Therapy, he was closely involved in the organisation of the 22nd European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ESGCT), in October 2014 at the World Forum in The Hague. The conference, which is held each year in a different European city, brought 850 specialists in the field of gene and cell therapy to The Hague. “Promoting basic and clinical research in gene therapy, cell therapy, and genetic vaccines by facilitating education, the exchange of information and technology and serving as a professional adviser to stakeholder communities and regulatory bodies in Europe. These are the main tasks of ESGCT. One of the ways to fulfil those tasks is the annual conference. Last year our Dutch department got the honour to invite our European colleagues. The Hague Convention Bureau was instrumental in the success of our conference by getting the local organisation to fit our wishes, reaching agreements with World Forum and getting sponsorship from the city of The Hague, who offered us a welcoming reception. Delegates also loved the local tourist information desk in the lobby. That level of involvement was a first for the international congress organiser for the ESGCT, Gaelle Jamar.”