New investment set to further establish UK as a cell and gene therapy hub

An award worth £12 million, from the government’s £197 million investment in the healthcare and life sciences sector, will be used to expand the current size and capability of the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult (CGT Catapult) large-scale GMP Manufacturing Centre in Stevenage, Hertfordshire.

This award will add to the current investment of £55 million and will see the manufacturing capacity double in size.

“Cell and gene therapies are a core component of a revolution in medicine across a broad array of disease areas and continued government investment is helping us to rapidly evolve the UK as a global hub,” said Keith Thompson, chief executive officer, CGT Catapult. “Our mission is to facilitate the growth of a major UK industry, bringing transformative therapies to patients which present new options in challenging disease areas. Key to this is the availability of an advanced, robust supply and logistics infrastructure, which our novel Manufacturing Centre delivers. Industry demand for these services is high and we are looking forward to welcoming our first collaborators to the Centre this year.”

The expanded centre is anticipated to open this autumn and will offer businesses manufacturing facilities that are required for large-scale cell and gene therapy clinical studies and commercialisation operations. Moreover, it will feature a series of large-scale cleanroom modules that can be used for conducting trials or for the commercial manufacture of therapies.

Additionally, a further £30 million will be invested in new Advanced Therapies Treatment Centres, which will be designed to transform the UK’s ability to deliver cell and gene therapies to patients.