Cell Therapy Catapult centre moves into new home at Guy’s HospitalReported by PRWeb on Tuesday, 19 June 2012 (on June 19, 2012)
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The new technology and innovation centre, a Catapult for cell therapies1, will be established at the Tower wing, Guys Hospital, London.
London, UK (PRWEB UK) 19 June 2012
The new technology and innovation centre, a Catapult for cell therapies1, will be established at the Tower wing, Guys Hospital, London.
The central London site was chosen for its easily accessible transport links, its credentials as a large research and teaching hospital, clinical infrastructure, and access to the financial district and world-class universities.
The Catapult centre will establish its offices and state of the art laboratories on the 12th Floor of Guys’ Tower, part of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. The Catapult will bridge the gap between academic invention and real life commercial products. Its laboratories will be able to address technical issues relating to the quality, safety and efficacy of cell therapies in pre-clinical studies and carry out clinical trials as well as develop effective manufacturing processes for these novel products.
The Cell Therapy Catapult centre will also focus on the regulatory and commercial challenges surrounding cell therapies and address the economics of new products and services emerging from research, ensuring they are cost effective and market ready.
Making the announcement while at the BIO International Convention in Boston, Universities and Science Minister David Willetts said:
"The UK has world class expertise in life sciences, and we are ideally positioned to gain a substantial share of the global market. The Cell Therapy Catapult will help ensure that we remain at the forefront of advances in regenerative medicine, bringing benefits to patients and the economy.
"Guy’s Hospital has a formidable reputation in its own right, so locating the Cell Therapy Catapult at such a revered institution will help underline the importance of the new centre and provide access to leading clinicians and researchers."
Keith Thompson, Chief Executive of the Cell Therapy Catapult said:
“Cell therapy offers great promise for many unmet clinical needs. The Catapult will be in the vanguard of translating the science into real benefits for patients and growing UK businesses.
“We are delighted to be able to locate our laboratories and offices at Guy’s Hospital. We had an important set of criteria for the location of the new Catapult, the Tower wing at Guy’s Hospital met all of the desired expectations”.
Sir Ron Kerr, Chief Executive of Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust said:
“Guy’s and St Thomas’ has a long and enviable reputation for health research and innovation. We are delighted to have been chosen as the site for the Cell Therapy Catapult as this will complement and significantly enhance the fantastic resources we already have at Guy’s, including access to a diverse patient base and the facilities at both our NIHR Biomedical Research Centre and the wider Experimental Medicine Hub which is at the heart of King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre. Hosting this new Catapult, with its focus on cell therapy and regenerative medicine, creates an exciting opportunity to be at the absolute forefront of this exciting field of medical research and innovation.”
Iain Gray, Chief Executive of the Technology Strategy Board said:
“The cell therapy business area, treating some of the major illnesses, is predicted to grow to £3.1 billion by 20142 with even greater growth expected beyond that. With an established Catapult in cell therapy, the UK will be ideally positioned to gain a substantial share of this young industry due to its leading position in the science of stem cells and regenerative medicine, the supportive regulatory environment, the NHS as a potential lead market, access to mature capital markets and established pharmaceutical, biotechnology, medical device and blood transfusion industry sectors”.
The Cell Therapy Catapult has agreed terms for a lease agreement with Guy’s and St Thomas’ NHS Foundation Trust. An interim facility has been arranged for the Catapult, while the designated 12th floor is being prepared, situated within the Trust’s NIHR Biomedical Research Centre (BRC) making use of facilities that are currently available as part of the BRC and wider Experimental Medicine Hub.
The Cell Therapy Catapult, expected to open later this year, will build strong relationships with teaching hospitals, medical research centres and academic institutions throughout the UK when established.
Notes to Editors:
1. Cell therapies are best defined as the use of living cells as, or incorporated into, a medicinal product and they can have numerous uses including:
· Enabling regeneration of cells tissues or organs (regenerative medicine)
· Delivery vehicles for other treatments (e.g. gene therapy)
· Modulating the immune system to treat cancers and infections.
2. Source: Evers P: Advances in the Stem Cell Industry. Global Business Insights (2009).
3. The Technology Strategy Board is the UK’s innovation agency; its goal is to accelerate economic growth by stimulating and supporting business-led innovation. Sponsored by the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the Technology Strategy Board brings together business, research and the public sector, supporting and accelerating the development of innovative products and services to meet market needs, tackle major societal challenges and help build the future economy. For more information please visit: http://www.innovateuk.org 
4. Catapults, formerly known as technology and Innovation centres, are centres of excellence that bridge the gap between business, academia, research and government. They are a powerful new element in the UK economy, helping businesses develop relevant and exciting ideas in receptive and invigorating environments. The Technology Strategy Board will oversee the Catapult programme. Seven centres have been announced in this current phase of funding. These include; high value manufacturing, cell therapy, offshore renewable energy, satellite applications, connected digital economy, future cities and transport systems.
5. Guy's and St Thomas' is one of the biggest NHS Foundation Trusts in the UK. The Trust provides acute and community care, and are a research-active NHS organisation. The NIHR Biomedical Research Centre is a partnership with King’s College London, and also benefits from being part of King’s Health Partners Academic Health Sciences Centre (AHSC). The AHSC is a pioneering collaboration between King’s College London, and Guy’s and St Thomas’, King’s College Hospital and South London and Maudsley NHS Foundation Trusts. It brings together an unrivalled range and depth of clinical and research expertise, spanning both physical and mental health. Together the AHSC partners aim to expedite the ‘translation’ of scientific discoveries into improvements in treatment for patients in London and the south east across a wide number of diseases and conditions. In 2011 King’s Health Partners launched its Experimental Medicine Hub at Guy’s, spanning five floors of the Guy’s Tower. More information can be found at:
http://www.guysandstthomas.nhs.uk
http://www.biomedicalresearchcentre.org
http://www.kingshealthpartners.org
6. Media enquiries only should be addressed to the Technology Strategy Board’s media relations team: David Hulmes, Media Relations Consultant - Mobile: 07799 777921, Email: david.hulmes(at)tsb(dot)gov(dot)uk or Claire Cunningham, Media Relations Manager - Tel: 01793 442901, Mobile: 07554 115745 Email: claire.cunningham(at)tsb(dot)gov(dot)uk
7. Companies and other organisations seeking information about the Technology Strategy Board and the Catapult centres should visit the website: http://www.catapult.org.uk
Links:  Full news story
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