Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult brings together over 20 organisations with the aim to accelerate technology development and potentially lower cost in cell and gene therapy manufacturing

Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult brings together over 20 organisations with the aim to accelerate technology development and potentially lower cost in cell and gene therapy manufacturing

The consortium will assess multiple process analytical technologies (PAT) which are either new or routinely used in other industries.

London, 8^th June 2021 – A consortium of over 20 organisations has been formed today by the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, comprising of pharmaceutical companies, technology providers, therapy developers and charities. The consortium will assess the application and combination of multiple technologies for process analytics within the cell and gene therapy industry.

This consortium is the first of this scale, functional expertise and mission within the cell and gene therapy space, bringing together multiple industries to develop cell and gene therapy specific process analytical technologies. Development of industry specific PAT is fundamental to enable monitoring and control during the manufacturing process: reducing batch failures and manufacturing costs, allowing for accelerated progress towards commercialisation in this space.

Through this model of collaborative work, sharing of data from the research carried out, partners will accelerate their expertise in this area and gain industry specific knowledge to integrate and combine cell and gene therapy process analytical technologies into their offering. This PAT consortium will act as a catalyst in accelerating the development of the necessary knowledge and understanding at reduced cost and investment risk to each organisation.

Access to this knowledge will allow technology providers and manufacturers to develop lower cost and more robust manufacturing processes, accelerating development of advanced therapeutics.

Matthew Durdy, Chief Executive Officer at Cell Gene Therapy Catapult commented:

“The industry needs to make a giant leap in terms of analytical capability and the dynamic use of information to control and improve processes, product and costs. The coming together of these leaders in the field is a very important first step towards achieving this.”

Nicholas Medcalf, Deputy Challenge Director - Medicines Manufacturing for Innovate UK said:

“By sharing knowledge and data, the consortium members will be able to reap potentially huge benefits that could lead to more efficient processes in this vital field. The Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult – supported by Innovate UK – is demonstrating its fantastic convening power in harnessing these leading industry players for the greater good of UK enterprise and innovation.”

The organisations that have formed the process analytics consortium are: ABER Instruments; Anthony Nolan; BD; Bio-Techne; Cambridge Consultants; Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult; ChemoMetec; C-CIT Sensors; Cytiva; Eppendorf; GlaxoSmithKline (GSK); HORIBA; IMSPEX Diagnostics Ltd; Kaiser Optical Systems, an Endress+Hauser company; Lonza; Ocean Insight; Ori Biotech; Oxford Nanoimaging; Quantex; See-Through; TeloNostiX; Terumo Blood and Cell Technologies; Univercells Technologies.

About Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult

The Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult was established as an independent centre of excellence to advance the growth of the UK cell and gene therapy industry, by bridging the gap between scientific research and full-scale commercialisation. With more than 350 employees focusing on cell and gene therapy technologies, it works with partners in academia and industry to ensure these life-changing therapies can be developed for use in health services throughout the world. It offers leading-edge capability, technology and innovation to enable companies to take products into clinical trials and provide clinical, process development, manufacturing, regulatory, health economics and market access expertise. Its aim is to make the UK the most compelling and logical choice for UK and international partners to develop and commercialise these advanced therapies. The Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult works with Innovate UK. For more information please visit ct.catapult.org.uk or visit http://www.gov.uk/innovate-uk.