Melissa Van Pel

Melissa Van Pel has a diverse work experience in the field of cell therapy and research. Melissa started their career as a PhD student at Sanquin in 1998, where they focused on their research until 1999. Melissa then joined UMC Utrecht as a PhD student, where they continued their research on developing a murine model for inducing and maintaining donor-specific tolerance for solid donor organs. Melissa obtained their PhD degree in 2003.

After completing their PhD, Melissa joined Leiden University Medical Center (LUMC) in 2003. Melissa held various roles at LUMC, including Senior Research Scientist and Head of Cell Therapy Product unit. In these roles, they were responsible for coordinating and advising on cell therapy projects, ensuring quality and production of advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMP), and providing regulatory support for clinical research.

In 2020, Melissa joined NecstGen as the Head of Cell Therapy. In this role, they contributed to the establishment of a new center of excellence for Cell and Gene Therapy. Melissa was responsible for process development and clinical production of Cell- and Gene Therapy products.

Overall, Melissa Van Pel has a strong background in cell therapy, research, and regulatory affairs.

Melissa Van Pel pursued their education at Utrecht University from 1998 to 2002, where they earned a Ph.D. in Biomedicine. Prior to that, they attended the University of Amsterdam from 1994 to 1998, where they obtained a Master's Degree in Biomedicine.