The power of small: success of small academic/healthcare units within the cell & gene therapy industry
Cell & Gene Therapy Insights 2020; 6(8), 1207–1214
10.18609/cgti.2020.132
Cell and gene therapy (CGT), within the biopharmaceutical industry, continues to gain traction with the success of chimeric antigen receptor (CAR) T-cell therapies from Novartis and Gilead, stem/stromal cells from Takeda (formerly TiGenix), limbal stem cells from Chiesi, oncolytic virus from Amgen, and many more. However, these novel therapies were not born in pharma, they originated and were clinically developed within small academic GMP manufacturing sites. This commentary reviews the impact and significance of small academic/healthcare units as a launchpad for the innovation and success of CGT ventures, from the perspective of two senior managers at the Centre for Cell, Gene & Tissue Therapies (CCGTT) at the Royal Free Hospital, London, UK.