Gene research into curing diseases
Gene therapy step hailed as milestone
EDUCATION: A Yorkshire university will be at the forefront of research into life-changing treatments.
Three state-of-the-art gene therapy innovation hubs are being set up across England aimed at ensuring cutting-edge innovation will offer hope to millions with life-threatening diseases.
A YORKSHIRE university will be at the forefront in research to advance scientific discoveries into life-changing treatments.
Three state-of-the-art gene therapy innovation hubs are being set up across England aimed at ensuring cutting-edge innovation is translated into transformative treatments which offer hope to millions with life-threatening diseases.
The planned network of hubs, at a new University of Sheffield facility in South Yorkshire, King’s College London and NHS Blood and Transplant in Bristol will speed up the development of a new wave of genetic medicines, researchers say.
One of the hubs will be the University of Sheffield’s Gene Therapy Innovation and Manufacturing Centre (GTIMC), led by Professor Mimoun Azzouz, chairman of Translational Neuroscience at the university.
Prof Azzouz described the step
as a “momentous milestone” for revolutionary medical advances not only for Sheffield and South Yorkshire, but also for the North of England and the UK.
The charity LifeArc and the Medical Research Council (MRC), who are behind the £18m move, say it is aimed at helping the most innovative research to reach patients. The UK has a world-class genetics research base but academics have struggled to get access to the practical means to progress research into trials, they say. The aim is for the new hubs to give academics this support and operate as a co-ordinated network, sharing technical skills and resources.
LifeArc chief executive Melanie Lee, said: “Recent innovations in gene therapies hold enormous potential for treating conditions such as rare diseases, but often promising ideas, particularly in academia, are not making it through to patients.”
Revolutionary gene therapy aims to treat conditions by engineering another gene to replace, silence or manipulate the faulty one. The new hubs will manufacture commonly used vectors including both lentivirus and adenoassociated virus (AAV) that are needed for genetic therapy trials. The network will also facilitate simplified licensing agreements and streamline regulatory reviews.