UK companies advance development of regenerative medicines and cell therapies
The results of the 2015 Innovate UK competition in Developing Regenerative Medicines and Cell Therapies are now online: https://innovateuk.blog.gov.uk/2016/01/27/uk-companies-advance-development-of-regenerative-medicines-and-cell-therapies/
Regenerative medicines and cell therapies hold unprecedented promise to treat many areas of unmet medical need and chronic burden. Turning these promising discoveries into products, services and sustainable businesses is crucial if the UK is to become a global leader in the field, calling for truly innovative thinking and strong interdisciplinary collaboration.
Innovate UK looks for innovative regenerative medicine, cell and gene therapy projects
Since 2009, Innovate UK’s Regenerative Medicine programme has been building on the country’s strengths, including its world-leading research base and centralized health system, to support the development and commercialization of Regenerative Medicines and Cell Therapies, as well as underpinning tools and technologies. To date the program has funded 87 feasibility or collaborative R&D projects focused on the engineering, manufacture, distribution and supply of potential new treatments for a variety of health challenges such as arthritis, cancer, diabetes, stroke, and wound healing, as well as less common “orphan” indications where there is currently no treatment.
With our 2015 competition ‘Developing Regenerative Medicines and Cell Therapies’, Innovate UK looked to invest up to £8 million in collaborative R&D projects that address critical challenges faced by UK companies developing regenerative medicines and cell therapies as clinical treatments and commercial products.
Five exciting projects win funding
The five collaborative projects that succeeded in the final assessment of the competition are led by Cobra Biologics Ltd, Synpromics Ltd, ReNeuron Limited and Autolus Ltd.Their collaborators span across the academic, research and industry communities, including Touchlight Genetics Ltd, University College London, Cell Therapy Catapult and Centre for Process Innovation.
The full details on this year’s competition and the successful applicants can be found online: https://innovateuk.blog.gov.uk/2016/01/27/uk-companies-advance-development-of-regenerative-medicines-and-cell-therapies/