Innovation Hubs launch UK Gene Therapy Survey
In October, Dr Sophie Mountcastle (Innovation Hubs Network Manager) and Dr Anji Miller (LifeArc Senior Business Partner and Innovation Hubs Lead) attended the European Society of Gene and Cell Therapy (ESGCT) 29th Annual Congress in Edinburgh to launch a new survey on behalf of the Innovation Hubs for Gene Therapies.
The purpose of the survey is to find out more about the novel gene therapies being developed within the UK academic community, and specifically to understand the requirements for GMP viral vectors for early-phase clinical trials.
Why your views matter
The Innovation Hubs for Gene Therapies are helping academic researchers across the UK to take their gene therapy research into clinical trials by providing access to high-quality GMP viral vectors along with essential translational support and regulatory advice. In order to ensure that our services meet the needs of the UK community, we are conducting a survey to better understand the requirements of those developing novel gene therapies. The Network is particularly interested to hear from researchers who may require access to GMP-grade viral vector for pre-clinical and Phase 1 clinical trials in the next 2-5 years. However, the Innovation Hubs are keen to hear from researchers at any stage of gene therapy development that are progressing towards pre-clinical and clinical trials.
What will happen with the information collected?
The Innovation Hubs are currently scaling-up and validating their manufacturing platforms and the results of the survey will help us to tailor our advice and services. The results will also provide information on the process development support that the community may require to take their gene therapies from research-lab to GMP manufacturing processes. Finally, there is a section in the survey for researchers to tell us about their funding needs so that we can understand the challenges and identify where the Innovation Hubs may be able to support funding applications.
Complete the survey
To complete the survey visit: https://engagementhub.ukri.org/mrc/ihfgt-gene-therapy-research-needs/
The survey is split into three parts. Part 1 asks for an overview of your research and will take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete. Part 2 asks more technical questions about viral vector manufacture and will take approximately 5-10 minutes to complete. Finally, Part 3 asks for more details about your funding requirements and will take approximately 5 minutes to complete. You do not need to answer every question, and any information you can share with us will be valuable as the Innovation Hubs prepare for GMP manufacturing.
The survey closes on 31 Jan 2023 and a summary of the key findings will be published in February 2023.
For more information, please email