UK ATMP Clinical Trials Database 2022: Number of Advanced Therapy Medicinal Product clinical trials in the UK continues to increase year-on-year

• 178 ATMP clinical trials ongoing in 2022, up from 168 in 2021
• UK picture remains positive despite challenging global environment
• Oncology remains dominant therapeutic area under investigation

London, 17^th January 2023 – The Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult (CGT Catapult) today published its 11^th annual UK Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMP) Clinical Trials Report, which covers ATMP clinical trial activities which the CGT Catapult understands to be ongoing in the UK in 2022. Updated annually, the 2022 report shows that clinical trials in the UK ATMP sector continued to perform consistently in the last year.

In 2022, the UK remained a global leader in clinical research, with total ongoing trials increasing from 168 in 2021 to 178 in 2022.This is in contrast to the global landscape, where there has been a 13% overall decline in the number of ongoing ATMP clinical trials1. The UK is now represented in 14% of global ongoing ATMP commercial trial activity in all Phases I - III, and 8% of all ongoing trials in total[1]. Of the UK ATMP clinical trials observed in 2022, 37% were in Phase I/II and the number of Phase II/III trials increased from three trials in 2021 to seven trials in 2022, further demonstrating the successful translation of therapies from non-clinical programmes into the clinic.

Oncology continues to be the dominant therapeutic area under investigation in ATMP clinical trials (38%), followed by haematological indications (11%), metabolic disorders (10%), and ophthalmology (9%). Cell types investigated in ATMP clinical trials remain largely unchanged from 2021; with the dominance of T cells as the most commonly investigated cell type continuing to increase, accounting for 58% of UK ATMP clinical trials.

The proportion of commercially sponsored ATMP clinical trials in the UK has also continued to rise, with now over 80% (increasing from 131 trials in 2021 to 145 in 2022), highlighting how the UK remains recognised as a good location for clinical research by industry.

Matthew Durdy, Chief Executive of CGT Catapult, commented:

“It is encouraging to see continued growth of UK clinical trial activity, demonstrating the UK as a favourable ecosystem for ATMP trials. The growth throughout 2022 has been supported by the work of the CGT Catapult and the Advanced Therapy Treatment Centres (ATTC) network working alongside key industry partners, and we are making excellent progress towards our goal of accelerating the progression of advanced therapies from lab to the clinic, establishing a clear vision for treatment in the UK, and ensuring that people are trained and ready to bring these treatments to patients.”

View our “ATMP Clinical Trials Report 2022”