UK risks missing out on RNA boom
Summary
According to a new report published today, urgent action is required to develop skills and retrain staff in the UK’s pharmaceutical sector to take advantage of a predicted boom in RNA medicines and treatments.- Author Company: Centre for Process Innovation (CPI)
- Author Name: Eddie Steinson
- Author Email: eddie.steinson@uk-cpi.com
- Author Website: https://www.uk-cpi.com/
It highlights that the workforce could need at least 150 future capabilities to meet RNA vaccine and treatment demand.
This includes developing novel equipment and reagents to increase efficiencies within RNA therapeutics manufacturing. The report also highlights the need to enhance technical and digital capabilities so companies can scale up manufacturing.
The report urges the industry to plan for the future roles, novel equipment and capabilities needed to develop and provide innovative treatments and medicines.
Meanwhile, the industry should establish partnerships with educational institutions to develop and implement appropriate education and training provisions to help address the skills gap.
The global RNA-based treatments market is predicted to reach more than $25 billion by 2030, and the outlook for RNA technologies continues to show promise.
According to the report, despite playing a leading role in the development of RNA vaccines and therapeutics during the COVID-19 pandemic, the UK now risks falling behind other nations.
Brendan Fish, Director of Biologics and RNA Centre of Excellence at CPI, said:
“This report shows that while the UK invested heavily in RNA technologies during and following the COVID-19 pandemic, we need to do more to fully realise the potential these technologies could have.
“We know how crucial mRNA vaccines were in protecting people during those difficult years during the pandemic, but we also need to harness this technology to provide answers to some of the biggest challenges we face, with RNA showing potential to treat other severe conditions such as cancer.
“The UK must continue to lead the way, and to do that, we need a workforce that is fit for the future. At CPI, we have worked hard to establish our RNA Training Academy and RNA Centre of Excellence, which the industry can use to develop workforce skills and establish an excellent foundation for the future. Still, we know more needs to be done.”
Jonathan Haigh, UK Site Head at FUJIFILM Diosynth Biotechnologies, said:
“In the rapidly evolving landscape of medicine manufacturing, it is imperative that we equip our workforce with the necessary skills to enable the industry to adopt and exploit innovative technologies in response to global, national, and sector challenges.
“This report serves as a valuable tool in understanding the current skill sets within our sector. It provides the insight and recommendations required to enable the UK to adopt future skills for innovative technologies associated with the intensification of medicines manufacturing, including RNA therapeutics, to succeed in the dynamic global marketplace.”
In April 2020, CPI joined the UK Government’s Vaccine Taskforce to support the manufacture and and formulation of novel mRNA vaccine candidates for COVID-19.
CPI has since opened the RNA Centre of Excellence—a first-of-its-kind GMP (Good Manufacturing Practice) grade centre in Darlington—and launched the RNA Training Academy to help establish the UK’s capability in this emerging technology.
