UK MHRA announces new collaboration in the development of advanced therapies

The UK’s National Institute for Biological Standards and Control (NIBSC), a center of the Medicines and Healthcare Products Regulatory Agency, has signed an agreement with University College London to maximize and further promote scientific collaboration in the field of advanced therapies.

Advanced therapies are new medical products based on genes (gene therapy), cells (cell therapy) and tissues (tissue engineering). As part of the agreement NIBSC and UCL will collaborate and share knowledge and resources to help support the development of safe and effective advanced therapies. The agreement also recognizes the roles that both organizations play in providing the research community with knowledge and research materials and standards that will aid the development of advanced therapies.

Mary Collins, head of the Advanced Therapies unit at NIBSC, said: “Advanced therapies such as stem cell treatments have huge potential in directly targeting and treating a range of conditions. Closer working with University College London will greatly help to take forward studies that focus on therapeutic areas of gene and cell therapies. It will help to develop a group of world-class UK scientists to underpin the development of the UK as a center for research and manufacture in gene therapy, stem cell therapy and tissue engineering.”

Professor Sir John Tooke, UCL Vice Provost (Health) and head of the UCL School of Life and Medical Sciences, added: “This link up with NIBSC will help to promote scientific collaboration in the fields of gene therapy, stem cell therapy and tissue engineering to facilitate studies into the properties and potential clinical applications of advanced therapies. Mutual staff exchange visits and secondments will also help to develop research collaboration and share best practices. We are delighted that UCL Professor Mary Collins will now go on to lead the NIBSC Division of Advanced Therapies and are confident that she has the vision to drive the field forward.”

Image: Stephen Inglis (left), director of NIBSC, and Professor Sir John Tooke, UCL Vice-Provost (Health) and Head of the UCL School of Life and Medical Sciences.