The Cell Therapy Catapult: Growing a U.K. Cell Therapy Industry Generating Health and Wealth

In a recent report on the regenerative medicine sector, the U.K. House of Lords made several recommendations to enable the United Kingdom to become a global leader in this important industry. Its recommendations in this regard were many and various, covering the regulatory system, clinical trials, manufacturing, funding, approval, and reimbursement. In its mission to tackle what it sees as three main types of barriers to the development of the cell therapy industry in the United Kingdom, the Cell Therapy Catapult is tackling many of these issues. Established as a center of excellence in the United Kingdom in 2012, the Cell Therapy Catapult is a research organization expected to grow to a team of around 100 experts. Its core financing of £ 70 million over the next 5 years is provided by the Technology Strategy Board, the United Kingdom's innovation agency, and with additional contract research income and access to collaborative funds, the Catapult expects to build up to annual revenues of around £ 30 million. Along with its sister Catapult programs in other areas of the economy, the Cell Therapy Catapult was established after identification of the massive early-stage expertise the country has, as well as an acute market failure-the lack of expertise to translate early-stage cell therapy research into commercial success. In this article, in addition to showing our progress so far, we will discuss the hurdles the industry faces-grouped into business, manufacturing/supply chain issues, and clinical/regulatory issues-and what we are doing to help the United Kingdom leap over them.