"Advancements and challenges in cell and gene therapies from a UK perspective” by Professor Johan Hyllner.
We have invited Professor Johan Hyllner, Chief Scientific Officer, Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, London to give a lecture within the series “Cancer from another angle” jointly organised by CIC bioGUNE, the Spanish Association Against Cancer and the British Council.
Cell and gene therapies offer the promise of treating and altering the course of diseases which cannot be addressed adequately by existing pharmaceuticals. These novel therapies are a diverse group across cell types and therapeutic indications and have been an active area of research for many years but are now strongly emerging through translation and towards successful commercial development and patient access. The progression of such therapies brings a whole raft of scientific, bioprocessing, analytical, regulatory and commercialisation issues to be solved. Very few organisations that work in the space currently have all these capabilities in-house. Thus, it is clear that collaborations between regions, academic institutions, industry and other stakeholders are important to accelerate therapeutic development.
In the UK, the major barriers for the growth of a cell and gene therapy industry have been identified as being regulatory, business, manufacturing and supply chain related. To overcome these hurdles Innovate UK, a governmental agency, founded the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult to provide a critical mass of expertise to bridge the translational gap from bench to bedside and address the barriers mentioned above.