CGT Catapult partners to overcome barriers in ATMP industry

CGT Catapult has partnered with Deep Science Ventures to tackle issues and create companies that address needs in the advanced therapy sector.

Together, the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult (CGT Catapult) and London , UK-based venture creator Deep Science Ventures (DSV) aim to drive innovation and employment opportunities in the advanced therapy industry by addressing challenges in the sector and creating companies to support better patient outcomes.

“The CGT Catapult will leverage its world-class technical and regulatory expertise in ATMPs alongside DSV’s structured approach to venture creation to address the challenges facing the UK cell and gene therapy industry,” a spokesperson for CGT Catapult told us.

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“By combing the CGT Catapult’s network of expertise and role in the UK bioscience ecosystem the collaboration with DSV aims to overcome these challenges and bring forward meaningful, tangible solutions to drive innovation and employment opportunities.”

According to CGT Catapult, while “the events of the past year have shown the true strength of the UK cell and gene industry,” it still has “existing challenges [which] need to be solved,” to ensure target specificity and effective production.

“The primary hurdles facing the cell and gene therapy industry at the moment include scaling up manufacture of ATMPs for large scale clinical trials and subsequent commercialization. These products require precise and optimized production protocols to ensure cost efficient manufacture in an automated and refined fashion,” the spokesperson said.

Over the course of 12 months, CGT Catapult and DSV will collaborate to identify an area “that is ripe for innovation,” employ a founding analyst to establish potential approaches for commercial and scientific viability, form teams, and create one or more high-impact ventures.

The partnership is set to run over the course of 12 months and financial details have not been disclosed.