EHA-EBMT 9th European CAR T-cell Meeting: What to Expect in Lisbon

This piece previews the EHA-EBMT 9th European CAR T-cell Meeting, scheduled for February 4–6, 2027, in Lisbon, Portugal — a dedicated, in-person scientific gathering jointly organized by the European Hematology Association (EHA) and the European Society for Blood and Marrow Transplantation (EBMT) that focuses specifically on chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapy. We outline what the meeting covers, who typically attends, and why a conference devoted entirely to one modality matters for a field moving quickly from blood cancers into solid tumors and autoimmune disease.

What's Happening

Now in its ninth edition, the European CAR T-cell Meeting has grown into one of the continent's most focused venues for CAR-T science, distinct from the broader EBMT Annual Meeting or hematology congresses that cover the field only in passing. The 2027 edition runs fully in person at a Lisbon venue, with no livestream or virtual option — organizers are betting that the kind of granular, cross-disciplinary conversation this meeting is known for works best in the room. It is chaired by Maria Themeli and Annalisa Ruggeri, supported by a 12-member Scientific Programme Committee drawn from across Europe (including Germany, Italy, Spain, the Netherlands, France, Ireland, Finland, Lebanon, and Türkiye), and is accredited for continuing medical education credit.

The previous edition, the 8th European CAR T-cell Meeting, was held in February 2026 in Palma de Mallorca, Spain, and was framed by its chairs as charting CAR-T's "path from concept to clinical reality" — a theme the Lisbon meeting is positioned to extend as more products and academic programs mature.

Who Should Care

The program is built for a genuinely multidisciplinary audience: hematologists and oncologists running CAR-T programs, laboratory and translational scientists, specialist nurses and advanced-practice clinicians managing patients through treatment and its toxicities, manufacturing and supply-chain professionals, regulatory specialists, industry representatives, and patient-organization delegates. That breadth reflects how CAR-T has evolved from an experimental lab technique into a logistics-heavy, team-delivered therapy with its own specialized infrastructure.

Key Focus Areas / Sessions to Watch

Based on the published program scope, expect sessions on:

• Clinical advances and toxicity management in blood cancers and, increasingly, in conditions beyond hematology
• Academic CAR-T programs and the European networks built to deliver them outside large commercial centers
• Manufacturing and regulatory hurdles, a persistent bottleneck for wider access
• In vivo CAR-T engineering and next-generation cell-engineering platforms aimed at improving efficacy and safety
• Patient management and nursing care across the treatment journey
• The expanding investigational use of CAR-T approaches in solid tumors and autoimmune diseases

Why It Matters for Patients and Researchers

CAR-T therapy has delivered some of modern oncology's most dramatic responses in certain blood cancers, but it remains expensive, logistically demanding, and out of reach for many patients and health systems. A meeting built around manufacturing, regulatory pathways, and equitable access — alongside the latest clinical and engineering data — is exactly the kind of venue where the field's practical obstacles get worked on directly, not just its headline results. For researchers and clinicians, it is also one of the clearer windows into how seriously the CAR-T community is pursuing solid tumors and autoimmune disease, two areas where early, still-preliminary data has generated real excitement but where rigorous, longer-term evidence is still being built.

Bottom Line

The EHA-EBMT 9th European CAR T-cell Meeting is a focused, credible venue for tracking where CAR-T therapy is headed clinically, scientifically, and logistically. Readers following cell-based cancer immunotherapy — whether as patients, caregivers, or professionals — should watch for post-meeting coverage on toxicity management advances, manufacturing/access initiatives, and any notable early data in solid tumors or autoimmune indications, while keeping in mind that conference presentations, especially in newer indications, often represent early-stage findings that still require confirmation in larger, peer-reviewed studies.