LONDON--(BUSINESS WIRE)--To help address the challenges surrounding supply chain management for cell and gene therapy around the globe, Thermo Fisher Scientific, the world leader in serving science, today announced a collaboration with the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult (CGT Catapult) to provide developers with both the manufacturing capability and distribution, logistics, and storage capacity needed to create a seamless supply chain to accelerate cell and gene therapy development and commercialsation.
As part of the collaboration, Fisher BioServices will expand its CryoHub solution by co-locating it with Catapult’s new large-scale cell and gene therapy manufacturing centre based in Stevenage, U.K., due for completion in summer 2017. Combining the two offers centralised manufacturing, storage, distribution and logisitics, resulting in a seamless supply chain.
“The U.K. is becoming a cluster for cell and gene therapy commercialisation and the CGT Catapult is at the forefront of this evolution,” said David Meadows, vice president and general manager, Fisher BioServices. “The co-location of our CryoHub with the CGT Catapult will support collaborators within the manufacturing centre and the broader U.K. community. Combined with our existing capabilities in Asia and the US, it enables us to more easily support our customers’ global trials as they develop and commercialise their therapies.”
The CryoHub is a complete cryogenic storage, distribution and logistics solution consisting of configurable, modular components. Each module can be outfitted to meet the specific needs of a clinical trial, regardless of volume or geographic location. The CryoHub solution can accommodate early phase trials where only a few shipments are received, stored, and eventually distributed, as well as large-scale operations where many shipments are received and processed daily. This flexibility, combined with the close proximity to the CGT Catapult’s manufacturing centre, enables advanced therapy developers to conduct clinical trials across multiple geographies and provide patients around the world with access to life changing therapies.
"The U.K. has a thriving life sciences sector. Government has made a commitment to advanced therapies through the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, and the highly anticipated manufacturing centre opening later this year. When I visited Thermo Fisher Scientific in San Diego, I experienced firsthand the global impact of the company on life sciences enterprise. This new investment in a CryoHub will be a strong complement to the role of the CGT Catapult, enhancing the attraction for U.K. and international companies to develop, manufacture, and export their cell and gene therapy products from the U.K.,” said Greg Hands MP, Minister of State for Trade and Investment.
“Delivering successful industry-led trials in this innovative area of research is dependent on creating a robust and reliable supply chain of their most vital ingredients, the cells themselves,” said Keith Thompson, chief executive officer of the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult. “This collaboration with Thermo Fisher Scientific is supporting our goal to build a world-class cell and gene therapy manufacturing cluster in the U.K. that will underpin clinical studies and ultimately early commercial supply. It reflects our mission to build the U.K.’s position as a world leader in the development and commercialisation of cell and gene therapies, and creating a centre which transforms frontier-pushing science into medicines for patients.”
About Thermo Fisher Scientific
Thermo Fisher Scientific Inc.
is the world leader in serving science, with revenues of $18 billion and
more than 55,000 employees globally. Our mission is to enable our
customers to make the world healthier, cleaner and safer. We help our
customers accelerate life sciences research, solve complex analytical
challenges, improve patient diagnostics and increase laboratory
productivity. Through our premier brands – Thermo Scientific, Applied
Biosystems, Invitrogen, Fisher Scientific and Unity Lab Services – we
offer an unmatched combination of innovative technologies, purchasing
convenience and comprehensive support. For more information, please
visit www.thermofisher.com.
About the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult
The Cell and Gene
Therapy Catapult was established as an independent centre of excellence
to advance the growth of the U.K. cell and gene therapy industry, by
bridging the gap between scientific research and full-scale
commercialisation. With more than 120 employees focusing on cell and
gene therapy technologies, we work with our partners in academia and
industry to ensure these life-changing therapies can be developed for
use in health services throughout the world. We offer leading-edge
capability, technology and innovation to enable companies to take
products into clinical trials and provide clinical, process development,
manufacturing, regulatory, health economics and market access expertise.
We aim to make the U.K. the most compelling and logical choice for U.K.
and international partners to develop and commercialise these advanced
therapies. Regenerative medicine is one of the U.K. government’s eight
great technologies that support U.K. science strengths and business
capabilities. The Cell Therapy Catapult works with Innovate U.K. For
more information go to ct.catapult.org.uk
or visit www.gov.uk/innovate-uk.
