Jerina Hoxha
24.3.26
Two days of collaboration and strategic alignment driving the project forward
On 16–17 March 2026, the CERTAINTY consortium gathered in Basel, Switzerland, for its Annual Meeting, hosted at the Roche campus. Over two days, partners from across Europe and the United States came together to reflect on progress, exchange insights, and define the next steps in advancing the CERTAINTY virtual twin for CAR T cell therapy in multiple myeloma.
The meeting marked an important moment for the project, combining a mid-term reflection with forward-looking discussions to strengthen collaboration across disciplines, institutions, and stakeholder groups.
Reviewing progress and scientific advances
The first day focused on scientific and technical progress achieved over the past year. Presentations highlighted recent developments in CAR T cell therapy for multiple myeloma, including new insights from patient cohorts and advances in understanding immune digital twins.
Consortium partners presented progress across multiple work packages, covering areas such as:
Mechanistic and predictive modelling approaches
Data integration and management strategies
Development of the virtual twin architecture
Experimental and clinical research on patient-derived samples
The agenda also featured the presentation of CERTAINTY’s award-winning Cancer Cell publication, as well as demonstrations of federated learning infrastructure and data flow solutions supporting collaborative research across institutions.
A key highlight was the inclusion of patient representatives and industry stakeholders, whose perspectives enriched discussions on real-world applicability and impact. These exchanges reinforced the project’s commitment to patient-centred innovation and translational relevance.
Strengthening collaboration and alignment
Beyond presentations, the meeting provided space for in-depth discussions and interactive sessions. Roundtables and exchanges explored researchers’ expectations and needs, as well as how the virtual twin can support clinical decision-making and improve patient outcomes.
The day closed with a consortium dinner in Basel, offering an informal setting to strengthen connections and foster collaboration across the partnership.
From strategy to coordinated action
The second day shifted focus towards coordination, strategy, and future planning. Discussions addressed project management, dissemination and exploitation activities, and upcoming funding opportunities.
Interactive Key Performance Indicators (KPI)-focused roundtables enabled partners to align on key priorities, including:
Development of software modules for engineered cell modelling
Integration of molecular and cellular data into the virtual twin
Creation of stakeholder-oriented interfaces
Structuring of clinical and real-world datasets
Ethical and regulatory considerations
Work package breakout sessions further supported alignment on concrete next steps, responsibilities, and timelines for the coming months. These sessions ensured that discussions translated into coordinated actions across the consortium.
Moving forward
The CERTAINTY Annual Meeting 2026 demonstrated the strength of collaboration across academia, industry, and patient communities. The productive discussions and exchanges have set a clear direction for the next phase of the project.
By bringing together diverse expertise and perspectives, CERTAINTY continues to advance its mission of developing a virtual twin to support personalised CAR T cell therapy and improve outcomes for patients with multiple myeloma.
The consortium extends its sincere thanks to Roche for hosting the meeting and enabling two days of focused and impactful collaboration.
