“The only thing worse than not having a potential treatment is having one you can’t access.” 

In our latest Member Spotlight, we feature Diana Hernandez, Director of Immune and Advanced Therapies at Anthony Nolan. With nearly a decade of experience at the forefront of cell & gene therapy, Diana brings a unique perspective spanning translational research, patient advocacy, and the complexities of sourcing life-saving starting materials. Her work bridges the gap between scientific innovation and real-world patient access.

As part of Act for Hope’s Patient workstream, she is driven by a clear mission: ensuring that therapies don’t just exist but reach the people who need them most. Her passion lies in tackling access barriers and helping improve how the ecosystem delivers for patients.

What’s your affiliation with the cell & gene therapy (CGT) field?

I have been involved in the CGT space mainly on translational research, both in academia and in biotech. For the last 9 years I have been working at Anthony Nolan, the first bone marrow registry in the world and my role encompasses both research into novel CGT treatments as well as the procurement of allogeneic starting material and patient advocacy. Working for this organisation truly allows me to see the whole picture, from the difficulties manufacturers encounter when trying to procure cells for R&D and beyond (and how to solve them), to the challenges patients face trying to access advanced therapy treatments.

What is your role within Act for Hope, and what motivated you to get involved?

My role within Act for Hope is in the patients workstream. I guess the main motivation was the frustration at seeing all the advances in science not reaching the people that need them the most. As someone once said, the only thing worse than not having a potential treatment is having one you can’t access. I am passionate about better understanding the barriers to access, and although not all of them will have easy solutions, we owe it to patients to learn from our previous mistakes and continuously improve what we do and how we do it. Wider patient access benefits all involved.

What part of this community’s mission personally resonates with you?

The power of collaboration when there is a critical mission to be accomplished.Sharing resources, data, knowhow and connections allows things to move in a way that not even money can achieve. We have the means to show how collaborative efforts can deliver results. Initially even the awareness piece is fundamental to increase patient access to CGTs, the bigger audience we can reach with information which is true and accurate the more informed patients, clinicians and the industry will be. A collective voice is always louder and has more reach, so I am delighted to be part of this community which has the purpose and the means.