20 Years of Advanced Therapies with Troels Jordansen: Entering the Industry by Chance, and Never Wanting Out
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Troels Jordansen, CEO, CellResearch Therapeutics, reflects on two decades of working within the advanced therapies industry as Phacilitate celebrates 20 years of operating in the field.
First of all, could you tell me a little bit about your career over the last 20 years?
In January 1996 I started working for Genzyme Tissue Repair and had my first introduction to tissue engineering.
Today, 26 years later, I am still involved in cellular therapy. I have held positions as Area Sales Manager up to and including Founder and Chairman. I have a deep passion for using cells to repair or correct nature’s mistake in humans.
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What inspired you to first get into CGT?
It happened by chance but once in, I never wanted out. It is a fascinating technology that holds so much promise and we are no longer an emerging sector; there are products in the market saving lives every day.
What changes have you observed from the industry over the last 20 years? What’s changed, what challenges have arisen?
From the early days at Genzyme, we were struggling with getting FDA and others to regulate us and reimbursement was a decade behind; really strange times.
We also had to convince clinicians that this was the way forward. Today, regulatory and reimbursement rules are in play and it is only the reluctance from producers to get pricing correct that is keeping cellular therapy as a niche product. That will change over the coming decade.
What key industry events or milestones have stood out to you over the last 20 years?
At Genzyme we were very supportive of setting up ICRS, in order to give the cartilage surgeons a forum where they could meet and discuss – a good investment.
The FDA approval of the first CAR-T cell product was a huge lift for our industry.
What memories do you have of the first Phacilitate event you ever attended? What year was it?
To be honest, I cannot remember – I have been to so many of them!
What ‘unexpected moments’ do you remember from over the past 20 years of Phacilitate events? Do you have any anecdotes or memories that especially stand out from attending our events, that might have surprised or had a lasting impact for you?
I kind of grew up with the Phacilitate events. First, I participated as a delegate, but over the years I better and better understood what delegates really needed and wanted – plain speaking presenters or panelists. Over the last few years, I have participated to provide just that.
What do you expect to see from the industry over the next 20 years?
I expect to see the cost of products come down dramatically, and I expect to see more standard use of cellular therapy products and much earlier in the progression of the diseases they are developed to treat.
If you could speak to yourself 20 years ago, what would you say? Would you have any advice or pearls of wisdom to share?
This is going to take a long time. Technology has to mature, technology has to become better understood, and we have to forget about 95% of what we do as it will end up as failures. This is a slow burn.
What would you say to anyone considering attending Phacilitate’s 2024 Advanced Therapies Week?
It is one of the best conferences around. It is all about networking and keeping a finger on the pulse.