Hosted by the Italian Embassy, the Forum “Innovative Advanced Therapies: The Swedish and Italian Vision of Future Medicine in Hematology and Beyond” took place in Stockholm on June 10, 2026. The event was organized by Dr. Roberto Gramignoli of the IRCCS Gaslini Hospital in Genoa, the Scientific Attaché of the Embassy Augusto Marcelli, and promoted by the Tecniplast group.
The goal of strengthening the existing collaboration between Italy and Sweden in the life sciences was achieved thanks to a highly qualified representation of experts from Italian, Swedish, and international scientific communities, all committed to the research and development of advanced therapies in hematology and hematology-oncology.
This Forum involved leading experts in advanced therapies from both countries that presented the latest results of research with high therapeutic potential, thanks to contributions from clinicians who have been working on new therapies for many years. The most advanced experiences in gene, cell, and tissue therapies applied to hematology and hematology-oncology were presented; potential therapeutic opportunities developed by these groups of excellence were discussed; collaboration was promoted to accelerate their adoption to make these innovative therapeutic options available for the treatment of rare, congenital, and chronic diseases. The frontiers of personalized medicine for the treatment of blood-related cancers and leukemia were also discussed.
In his welcoming remarks, Ambassador Michele Pala emphasized “the relevance of this meeting and acknowledged participants for their contribution to the development and testing of new therapies that have pushed clinical boundaries, achieving positive results for many patients.”
Among Italian experts Dr. Gramignoli, a pioneer in advanced therapies who, after extensive experience abroad, including more than ten years at the prestigious Karolinska Institute, returned to Italy to coordinate the Cellular Therapies Unit at Gaslini Hospital offering new therapeutic opportunities to Italian patients; Prof. Franco Locatelli, Director of the Department of Oncohematology and Cellular Therapies at Bambino Gesù Hospital in Rome, an expert in CAR cell therapies; Prof. Alessandro Aiuti, Deputy Director of the San Raffaele-Telethon Institute and a renowned expert in gene therapy; and Prof. Carlo Dufour, leading expert in acquired and constitutional bone marrow failure and Director of the Department of Hematology-Oncology at Gaslini Hospital.
Swedish experts who presented the results of new therapies already offered to patients in Sweden included Prof. Gunilla Enbland, head of the Department of Immunology, Genetics, and Pathology at Uppsala University and the Department of Oncology at Uppsala Hospital; Prof. Katarina Uttervall of the Cell and Gene Therapy Group at the Karolinska Institute; and Prof. Markus Hansson, expert in myeloma therapies at Sahlgrenska University Hospital in Göthenburg.
The conference was attended by 7 experts and pioneers in regenerative medicine and oncology, who gathered in Stockholm for the conference of the European Hematology Association, an institution with over 6,000 members from 150 countries, leading European nonprofit organization dedicated to promoting excellence in hematology research, care, and education. The Forum, organized by the Italian Embassy, offered an unique advanced vision of research shared between Italian and Swedish scientific communities, which are opening up a future of new therapeutic possibilities for patients suffering from diseases previously considered untreatable or incurable.
