Antonio Pérez-Martínez, Paediatric Professor, Autonomous University of Madrid; Head of Paediatric Hemato-Oncology, University Hospital La Paz, Madrid, Spain.
This interview was developed in collaboration with European Medical Journal (EMJ), with editorial support and medical writing provided by EMJ.
- What distinguishes EBMT 2026 from previous congresses in terms of scientific ambition and scope?
We are leaving a transition from standard treatment to personalised treatment in the clinic. We are moving from the multi-omics era to the immunological era as well. For me, as a paediatric haemato-oncologist, EBMT 2026 is the year we are finally breaking all these silos.
We are not only talking about transplantation or CAR-T cells. Our ambition is to try to create convergence between everything, bringing together not only haematologists or paediatricians but also researchers, bioengineers, and both adult and paediatric specialists. We want to look at the patient as a whole, not just as someone with a single disease. We are not only presenting data or listening to how our colleagues present data. We are also designing how transplantation is going to be in the following year. I think it's just a starting point, but we now have more mature data, and because of that, we can design better studies and treatments for our patients, focusing on cell therapies in transplant and CAR-T cells.
- How has the field evolved since the last Annual Meeting, and how is that reflected in this year’s sessions?
Since the last meeting in Florence, Italy, we have seen a cellular explosion, not only in B cell malignancy, but also in other haematological malignancies. For me, what is very important is that with CAR-T cells and other cell therapies, we are thinking out of the box. We are, for example, focusing on autoimmune diseases. There is growing use of these therapies in conditions such as lupus or multiple sclerosis. We also see more data on solid tumours. We now have data on neuroblastoma in kids and high-grade glioma. So, the “living drug” revolution is no longer just a dream; it is becoming a reality.
We are no longer focused only on haematological diseases or cancer. These therapies are expanding into many areas of medicine. For me, the real question is, how can we do this? How can we make it accessible to every child and adult that need it? How can we universalise this treatment and make it available to all?
- Bone marrow transplantation and cellular therapy continue to advance rapidly. What key developments should delegates look out for?
We are now moving from autologous products to allogeneic products. We already experienced this transition in transplantation when we moved from autologous to allogeneic approaches decades ago. Now we are seeing a similar shift in CAR-T cell therapy, moving from autologous CAR-T cells to allogeneic, off-the-shelf products.
But for me, the most exciting development is that we are now exploring the possibility of generating CAR-T cells in vivo rather than ex vivo. The data from some of our colleagues is fascinating. In the coming years, we may no longer need to manufacture CAR-T cells outside the body in bioreactors. Instead, we might be able to engineer them directly inside the patient.
This means we must keep our focus on the immune system more broadly, not only on conventional T cells, but also on other populations such as γδ T cells and natural killer cells.
At the same time, we are seeing important advances in reducing toxicity, especially for children. There is significant progress in non-toxic conditioning strategies. We are trying to move away from relying only on chemotherapy, reducing conditioning intensity, and rethinking the role of total body irradiation (TBI). Perhaps we can develop better conditioning approaches than TBI in the future. It is truly fascinating to see how rapidly the field is moving forward.
- How does the programme balance cutting-edge science with practical clinical application?
This is a very good question, but very difficult to answer. It is very difficult to balance between being a clinician and a researcher. Trying to find that balance is, for me, the key to success.
We are going to have the Sessions, of course. But we are also going to discuss how to solve real-world problems, what to do if I face this situation, and how to manage this clinical dilemma. That practical side is essential.
As a clinical scientist, when we discover something in the lab, it is important science, but if it does not reach the bedside and the patient, then it remains only a good paper. And that is not enough.
So, we need to design a scientific programme with a balance between laboratory discoveries and clinical translation. My hope is that when our colleagues say goodbye to Madrid, Spain, after the meeting, they will not only remember what they learned, but also clearly know what they can do the following workday and how to apply it in their own countries, in their own hospitals, and in real clinical practice.
- In your view, what are the biggest challenges currently facing the transplant and cellular therapy community?
For me and for most of us, I think the most important thing is how to make these advances universally accessible, and how to guarantee equity for everyone.
In the USA, the healthcare system is different. In China, they have other models. But in Europe, most of us live in universal healthcare systems. So, how do we make these complex and very expensive therapies accessible and equitable within that framework? For me, this is something we truly have to think about.
The other point is that we have to think about the long-term toxicity of our patients as it is. Right now, we are curing more patients than ever. With transplants, with CAR-T cell therapies, we are seeing very impressive success in the short term. But we also have to think about what happens in the long term, about toxicity, about secondary cancers related to conditioning or TBI, and about chronic graft versus host disease, especially in our children and young adults.
But as I said, for me, it's how the world healthcare system is going to be able to do it. Sometimes I would say that we were running a healthcare system as if we were riding a bicycle, but now we are driving a sports car. The speed of innovation is incredible, but can our universal systems keep up?
Access and equity are something we have to think about because we have to try to cure not only the people who can pay. Our goal must be to make these treatments available to everyone. To me, this is something we have to think about and try to address.
- How important is international collaboration in addressing these challenges?
For me, this is mandatory. Collaboration is not something we can discuss. It should be mandatory because we are better when we share, we are better when we collaborate, and we are better for our patients when we think without borders. To me, in science and medicine, we should not think based on borders. We should think across the borders.
Especially in my field, paediatrics, where most cancers are rare or ultra-rare diseases, no single centre and no single country has enough cases alone. What I have learned, in the UK, the USA, Germany, and everywhere I have worked, is that we need to share data. From London to Sydney to Madrid. That is the only way.
Our EBMT Registry is a very powerful tool to address this challenge. To me, it's mandatory to work with others and build a good friendship. This is very important in this meeting; the social agenda is to try to make these collaborative studies more friendly. Madrid's good weather, good food, and wonderful atmosphere give us the perfect setting to strengthen these connections. I truly believe it will be a great opportunity to enhance international collaboration.
- If you had to summarise EBMT 2026 in one sentence, what would it be?
If I have to describe it in one word, it would be ‘bridge’. In one sentence, I would describe it as ‘how to build a bridge between science and care’. So, EBMT 2026 should be a bridge between science and patient care by connecting high precision biotechnology and biodynamic and synthetic engineering with real-world clinical practice. We have to be very strong scientific doctors, but also very strong clinical care doctors. To me, bridge is the perfect word that matches the EBMT policy and the EBMT spirit.
- In the context of EBMT and this year’s theme, Advancing the Art of Patient Care, how do you believe innovations in transplantation and cellular therapy can be better aligned with patient-centred outcomes and quality of life?
We are changing the meaning of the words ‘cure’ and ‘survival’. It is no longer enough simply to be cured or to be alive. We must ask about the quality of that cure and how the patient feels while being alive.
Patient-reported outcome measures and other new indicators matter because they help us look beyond survival alone. It is not only about being alive, but being alive with a good quality of life, a strong performance status, no underlying disease, and no major comorbidities. These are factors we must include when we present our data.
For me, saying that 95% of patients survive after a transplant is not enough if some of those patients are in a wheelchair or develop a secondary tumour five years later. That is not true quality of care. We must improve our standards and include patient-reported outcomes as key indicators after treatment.
We also need to humanise our care. The best place to treat a patient is not always the hospital. Sometimes it is the home or another supportive environment. This is especially important for children. We do not only want to cure the leukaemia, but we want to care for the whole child. The child grows up within a family, with parents and grandparents, and our goal is to help that child become a healthy, normal adult.
This is the art of medicine. The meaning of cure now goes far beyond eliminating disease. It means personalisation, less toxicity, and a better life after treatment. In the coming years and decades, this will be our greatest challenge and our greatest responsibility.