These stories offer a glimpse into the lives of people touched by a new era of medicine. Novartis scientist Leila Haery likes to step away from the lab and wander in nature for perspective. While outdoors, the gene therapy expert contemplates the vastness of landscapes and their evolution over time. She’s inspired to ask new questions with the potential to shape an emerging field of medicine.
Leila’s story is the first in Making Possible, a video series about lives that have been touched by cell and gene therapy. Researchers share what it’s like to work toward one-time treatments for intractable diseases and patients shed light on what those treatments could mean for individuals and families. Cell and gene therapy builds on decades of technological progress and careful research. The goal is to treat disease at its root cause by repairing or enhancing cells at the genetic level. This is a pivotal time for innovation in the field. Following key approvals of cell and gene therapies by health authorities, new treatments are being tested in clinical trials around the world.
What gives me energy in life is the idea that what I do every day really matters to someone else.
Paula Alvarez, Scientist in Cell & Gene manufacturing
Meet Paula: Quality control for CAR-T manufacturing
Meet Leila: Explorer of a future with gene therapy
Reimagining medicine with cell & gene therapy
Scientific discoveries such as antibiotics changed the course of history. Now cell and gene therapies are creating a new turning point in medicine and how we treat disease. Learn more
