Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult reviews research into cell and gene therapies in the UK
Latest reports on cell and gene therapy clinical trials and preclinical programmes indicate the industry in the UK is progressing
Two newly updated databases that provide a snapshot of clinical trials and preclinical research in cell and gene therapies active in the UK in 2016 have been published. The databases are updated annually and published by the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult (CGT Catapult), who gather the information from the cell and gene therapy community in the UK.
The main trends that the figures in the databases show, indicating that the industry continues to progress, are
- the number of cell therapy clinical trials has remained the same as in 2015 as new entries into the database have been matched by the number of completing trials; this indicates continuous progression of the portfolio
- a total of 57 cell and gene therapy clinical trials identified in the UK
- the total includes data on in vivo gene therapy trials for the first time; six in vivo trials were identified with five of them being commercially sponsored
- a steady increase year on year since 2013 in identified projects in preclinical phase (55 in 2015 to 60 in 2016)
- an increase in number of cell and gene therapy trials being sponsored by commercial organisations.
Keith Thompson, CEO of the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, said: 'The latest update to our databases shows the cell and gene therapy industry is progressing with trials moving through the various clinical stages and the number of preclinical projects continuing to grow. It’s also really encouraging to see the number of trials sponsored by commercial companies going up, as that’s a signal of confidence from industry that these types of therapies offer commercial potential and really do have a future as medicines for patients.'
Data was collected on in vivo gene therapy trials for the first time as this part of the sector is attracting significant investment.
This is the fourth year that CGT Catapult has collected the data, which are made available to academics, researchers and commercial organisations. It is collected from the UK cell and gene therapy community so is potentially not exhaustive but substantial enough to examine trends.
