Speaker Profile
MBA, Vice President, Global Head, Hematology Franchise and Cell Therapy, AstraZeneca
Biography
Aliya Omer leads the global strategy and execution of the hematology and cell therapy portfolio, across hematology and solid tumors at AstraZeneca. Previously, Aliya served as Vice President, US Franchise Head, Breast Cancer at AstraZeneca. Aliya has over 20 years of experience in the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and consumer healthcare industries, with a strong record of success leading across functions and all stages of the product lifecycle. Before joining AstraZeneca, Aliya served as Vice President, Corporate Development Head of Global Portfolio and Program Strategy at Kite Pharma, a Gilead company, where she played a key leadership role in shaping the future direction of Kite and establishing it as a global leader in cell therapy. Previously, Aliya spent twelve years at Novartis Oncology where she led multiple commercial teams in the US and Latin America. Aliya started her career in research and development at Johnson and Johnson.
Session Abstract – PMWC 2026 Silicon Valley
Track Chair:
Cindy Perettie, EVP Kite Pharma
PMWC Award Ceremony
• Michel Sadelain, Columbia
• Arie S. Belldegrun, Allogene Therapeutics
Keynote: Engineering the Future: Innovations in CAR-T Therapy Design
• Michel Sadelain, Columbia
CAR-T Cell Therapies: Strategies in Mitigating Challenges in Solid Tumor Delivery
• Chair: David Barrett, Kite
• Carl June, University of Pennsylvania
• Michel Sadelain, Columbia
Tumor-Infiltrating Lymphocytes (TILs): Advances and Challenges in Solid Tumors
• Chair: Allison Betof Warner, Stanford
• George Coukos, Ludwig Institute for Cancer Research
• Max Julve, Royal Marsden
• Stephanie Goff, NIH/NCI
Allogeneic & In Vivo Cell Therapies: Manufacturing & Clinical Progress
• Chair: Arie S. Belldegrun, Allogene Therapeutics
• David Chang, Allogene Therapeutics
• Adrian Bot, Capstan Therapeutics
• Aliya Omer, AstraZeneca
• Priti Hegde, Kite Pharma
Designing Automated Platforms for Scalable Cell Therapy Manufacturing
Fabian Gerlinghaus (Cellares)
TCR-Based Cell Therapies: New Targets and Clinical Advances
• Chair: Diwakar Davar, UPMC
• Lauren Harshman, Clasp Therapeutics
• Cassian Yee, MD Anderson
Gene Editing & Synthetic Biology for Therapy
• Chair: Matthew Porteus, Stanford
• Rachel Haurwitz, Caribou Biosciences
• Kole T. Roybal, Parker Institute
• Ken Drazan, ArsenalBio
Synthetic Circuits for Smarter Cell Therapies: Enhancing NK Precision and Persistence
Gudrun Stengel, Alida BioSciences
