Six leading projects of ATMP Catalyst showcased at the ATMP Day 2025
The event gathered over 200 national and international attendees to mark the first anniversary of the official launch of the ATMP Catalonia initiative.
Catalonia’s advanced therapies sector reached a key milestone today with the presentation of the first six projects selected by the ATMP Catalyst acceleration program, during the ATMP Day 2025 held at the Casa Llotja de Mar in Barcelona.
The event, organized by Biocat with the support of the Barcelona City Council and the Government of Catalonia, brought together more than 200 participants from the health innovation ecosystem to review the first year of the ATMP Catalonia initiative and reinforce its leadership in this strategic field.
ATMP Catalyst is the first European accelerator exclusively focused on early-stage projects and startups in advanced therapies. The program, which will support up to 18 projects over three years through annual calls, offers specialized training, tailored and free mentoring, access to leading laboratories, and connections with investors and international experts.
The six projects selected for ATMP Catalyst
The projects chosen for the first edition of ATMP Catalyst reflect the diversity and potential of advanced therapies research in Catalonia:
- THOR
A project focused on developing a universal, modular CAR-T therapy designed to adapt to different tumor targets without the need to redesign the treatment. The system has already shown in vitro efficacy in glioblastoma and will enable broader applications to other cancer types and even autoimmune diseases.
- Phagocytic Synthetic Cells
This project is developing synthetic cells capable of phagocytosing and eliminating multi-drug resistant bacteria directly in the airways of patients with cystic fibrosis. The goal is to offer an alternative to antibiotics, reduce the emergence of resistance, and improve protection for the most vulnerable patients.
- CARcoma
CARcoma is working on a new generation of CAR-T therapies targeting metastatic sarcomas, combining the secretion of a TIM3 decoy to enhance efficacy and persistence. The project addresses an unmet clinical need in aggressive solid tumors.
- NoctuRNA
NoctuRNA is developing a platform based on circular RNA therapies to treat infectious and genetic diseases with no current therapeutic options. The technology enables the design of more stable and specific molecules, opening new avenues for intervention in complex pathologies.
- Spes Immunotherapies
Development of personalized vaccines against acute leukemia, using T-cell receptors tailored to each patient’s mutations. The first candidate targets acute lymphoblastic leukemia, with plans to expand the technology to other leukemias and solid tumors.
- FORCE
FORCE is building an ex vivo platform to transfer healthy mitochondria into T cells of patients with primary mitochondrial diseases, aiming to restore cellular functions and reduce mutational load. The technology also shows potential to rejuvenate T cells in cancer or immunosenescence contexts.
ATMP Day 2025: a key meeting point for advanced therapies
The event brought together the Catalan and international advanced therapies ecosystem to celebrate the first anniversary of ATMP Catalonia and take stock of the progress achieved in its first year of activity. The day included an analysis of the sector’s current state, discussions on the main challenges ahead, and a roadmap for establishing the region as a European benchmark in the field.
The institutional session featured remarks from the General Director of Transfer and Knowledge Society, Javier Selva; Barcelona’s Deputy Mayor for Economy, Finance, Economic Promotion and Tourism, Jordi Valls; and Biocat’s Director of Innovation and Business Development, Núria Martí, who officially welcomed attendees and introduced the ATMP Catalyst program. The keynote address was delivered by Lluís Pareras, founder and managing partner at Invivo Partners, who explored the future prospects of advanced therapies.
Later, a roundtable moderated by Montserrat Daban (Biocat) tackled the dilemma between centralized and decentralized manufacturing models, featuring insights from Noelia Mateo (Hospital Clínic de Barcelona), Miguel Mulet (Terafront), and Claudio Santos (Gyala Therapeutics). The event concluded with a presentation of the international congress Advanced Therapies Europe 2025, led by Becky Johnson-Kent and Ingerid Sorgaard (Phacilitate), and a closing speech from Aleix Cubells, Director General of European Funds and State Aid at the Government of Catalonia.
Finally, a networking cocktail encouraged the exchange of ideas and the creation of new synergies among companies, researchers, institutions, and investors. With initiatives like ATMP Day, the ATMP Catalonia Network, and the ATMP Catalyst program, Catalonia is cementing its position as one of Europe’s most dynamic hubs for advanced therapy innovation, promoting collaborative research, technology transfer, and the international positioning of its biomedical ecosystem.
In conclusion, the launch of the ATMP Catalyst program and the celebration of ATMP Day reinforce the strategic role of ATMP Catalonia as an international reference hub in advanced therapies. This initiative strengthens the strategic momentum of ATMP Catalonia, which works to structure, connect, and empower the entire sector across the country. With these complementary instruments, Catalonia is consolidating its leadership as an innovation powerhouse in advanced therapies—accelerating the translation of research to patients and boosting public-private collaboration, knowledge transfer, and talent attraction in a field that is key to the future of medicine.