Advanced Therapy Treatment Centres
The Advanced Therapy Treatment Centres (ATTCs) operate within the NHS framework to address unique and complex challenges to accelerate adoption of pioneering advanced therapies. Coordinated by the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, the ATTC network includes: Innovate Manchester Advanced Therapy Centre Hub (iMATCH); Midlands-Wales Advanced Therapy Treatment Centre (comprising Birmingham, Cardiff, Leicester, Nottingham, Swansea); and Northern Alliance Advanced Therapies Treatment Centre (comprising Edinburgh, Glasgow, Leeds and Newcastle). The network is initially supported by the Industrial Challenge Strategy Fund, delivered by UKRI, with the aim to develop first-of-a-kind technologies for the manufacture of innovative medicines to treat areas such as blindness, cancer, heart failure, liver disease, neurological conditions and rare paediatric diseases.
Cell & Gene Therapy Catapult (CGTC)
A part of the UKRI’s Catapult programme, the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult (CGTC) is focused on building world-leading cell and gene therapy capabilities in the UK as a key part of a global industry by providing clinical trial, technical, manufacturing, regulatory and market access expertise for industry and researchers. Based at Guy’s Hospital in central London, the CGTC helps organisations translate early stage research into commercially viable and investable therapies. To help bring cell and gene therapies to market in the UK and internationally, the CGTC has over 200 cell and gene therapy experts, state-of-the-art development and viral vector labs, and a £70 million large-scale GMP manufacturing centre at Stevenage. VIDEO
Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC)
The Medicines Discovery Catapult (MDC), a not-for-profit national facility based at Alderley Park in Cheshire, brings together a fragmented sector of industry, academia, charities, technologists, services, finance companies, SMEs and startups to accelerate turning good science into new, high-value products and services that are used to improve productivity across the sector. MDC provides unique scientific capabilities and acts as a gateway to specialist facilities, technology and expertise within the UK, supporting SMEs to drive the development and widespread use of new approaches for the discovery and early development of new medicines. It validates new ways of discovering medicines as well as providing and supporting key talent and expertise across the sector. Funding: Innovate UK
Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre (MMIC)
The Medicines Manufacturing Innovation Centre (MMIC) is being developed in Renfrewshire, Scotland, for developing small molecule medicines and fine chemicals. The state-of-the-art development will be located near Glasgow Airport and led by CPI in partnership with the University of Strathclyde, UKRI, Scottish Enterprise and founding industry partners AstraZeneca and GlaxoSmithKline. CPI (Centre for Process Innovation) is a leading independent technology innovation centre and a founding member of the UK Government’s High Value Manufacturing Catapult. The MMIC facility is due for completion early in 2021 but its operational model of “tackling grand challenges” is already up and running.
Nucleic Acid Therapy Accelerator (NATA)
Launched in February 2020, the Nucleic Acid Therapy Accelerator (NATA) is a new national research initiative with a mission to unlock the potential of precision genetic medicines and accelerate the development of nucleic acid (NA) therapies, which have the potential to tackle diseases that arise in people who have genetic errors in their DNA. The NATA will be based at the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus, along with the new Rosalind Franklin Institute and the new Vaccines Manufacturing Innovation Centre. It is currently being run by a small interim team of experienced industry and academic scientists. A key objective of the NATA is to help support and grow the UK’s NA R&D community. The next 6 months will see the NATA open for business with the appointment of a permanent Director and the opening of the national hub at Harwell.
Vaccines Manufacturing Centre (VMIC)
The Vaccines Manufacturing Centre (VMIC) is being established as a new, not-for-profit research company within the UK’s scientific infrastructure to provide strategic vaccine development and manufacturing capability. The three founding members—University of Oxford, Imperial College and the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine—each have extensive experience in development and clinical evaluation of novel vaccines. VMIC UK will receive in-kind industry funding from Janssen (J&J), Merck Sharp & Dohme, and GE Healthcare. It will construct a vaccine manufacturing and innovation centre able to develop novel innovative manufacturing processes and carry out vaccine manufacturing at a variety of scales.