Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult Annual Review
Transforming healthcare with advanced therapies
The Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult (CGT Catapult) is an independent innovation and technology organisation specialising in the cell and gene therapy industry.
It delivers powerful collaborations which overcome challenges to the advancement of the sector.
Our Vision A thriving industry delivering life-changing advanced therapies to the world
Our role
Our role is to create powerful collaborations which overcome challenges to the advancement of the sector.
How we work
We are a team of experts covering all aspects of advanced therapies. Applying our unique capabilities and assets, we collaborate with academia, industry and healthcare providers to develop new technology and innovation.
Our impact
Our outputs leverage research, transform barriers into industrial advantage and attract investment for our collaborators. We help people acquire new skills, organisations establish new capabilities and policymakers develop new perspectives.
To advance the industry, we collaborate with...
academia and researchers,
to increase the flow and speed of translation of promising research into new therapies and supporting technologies...
industry,
to bring down the cost of goods and increase the capacity to meet the upcoming demand for advanced therapies...
healthcare services,
to increase access to clinical trials, uptake of approved products and bring down the cost of use.
The partnerships we have developed have helped to position the UK as a global leader in the development of advanced therapies. They continue to drive growth and investment in the development of advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) and realise value for the UK economy.
2023/24 Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult Outputs and Outcomes
- 124collaborative projects
- 22university and research institute collaborators
- 25international collaborators
- 79companies collaborated with on ATMP innovation (56% of which are UK SMEs)
- £656min financing raised by our UK collaborators including £453m by our collaborators in Stevenage
- 11companies supported that are conducting clinical trials
- 26collaborators in the UK that are ATMP developers
- 15collaborators in the UK with GMP manufacturing capability
- 19collaborators in the UK that provide supply chain technologies or services
UK ATMP industry growth and CGT Catapult impact
- Annual investment in ATMPsInvestment raised by companies active in the ATMP sector£1.7b2022£0.77b2023£0.97b2024
- Total ATMP GMP manufacturing facility space40,000m²202252,733m²202351,862m²2024
- Phase III clinical trials carried out each year442022412023412024
- Employment in advanced therapies and bioprocessing industries3,03320206,95620226,2322024
- Approved and reimbursed therapies in the UK based on indication102022112023142024
A statement from Our Chairman
The position of the UK as a global leader in the advanced therapy industry was demonstrated in November 2023 when the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory Agency (MHRA) approved Vertex’s Casgevy - the first licensure anywhere in the world for a medicine that uses the gene-editing tool CRISPR. The therapy, a treatment for sickle cell disease and transfusion-dependent beta thalassemia, is being manufactured in Edinburgh by RoslinCT, a company that I also chair.
This is one of various therapies that have potential to improve lives, alleviate pain and offer hope to individuals and their families.
Advanced therapies have potential to be life-changing for individuals and their families, significantly reduce costs for healthcare systems and bolster the UK economy. With coherent and concerted action, the UK can take the lead in demonstrating how to harness the potential of this sector.
Ian McCubbin, CBEChairman
Advanced therapies also represent a shift in how we should view healthcare. The future application of these therapies to many more common debilitating diseases, such as dementia and diabetes, will see them replace expensive existing life-long treatments with treatments that only need to be administered once. By reducing hospitalisations and the pressure on resources and long-term treatment costs, advanced therapies will help to create more sustainable healthcare systems.
A statement from Our Chief Executive
Firstly, there needs to be an acceleration in the emergence of new therapies, leveraging the outputs of research funding. To support this, there must be investment in early-stage ventures and a clear roadmap to help translate the world-leading discovery research taking place across the UK into commercial propositions.
Secondly, there must be a continued focus on the development of new technologies to reduce the cost of goods. For example, digital and automated technologies provide opportunities to improve efficiency and reduce costs across the development and manufacture of advanced therapies. Innovations like this are crucial to help reduce the cost of these transformative therapies to healthcare systems.
The advanced therapy industry is at an important moment in its growth. The proof of concept of cell and gene therapies has been established, for example with the success of CAR-Ts. There are four conditions that need to be met for the industry’s continued growth and success.
Matthew DurdyChief Executive
Thirdly, there needs to be sufficient infrastructure to ensure there is a strong ability to manufacture and supply therapies to meet demand. This includes the UK having sufficient manufacturing facilities, as well as a highly skilled workforce with the expertise needed to work with and apply automation and other new technologies.
Securing the benefits of advanced therapies in the UK The CGT Catapult is focused on building a thriving advanced therapies industry, with the health and economic benefits that the industry creates accruing to the UK.
Accelerating the emergence of new therapies from the research base
In the UK in 2023, four new cell and gene therapies, for conditions including heamatological malignancies and haemophilia A, received UK market authorisation. Meanwhile three of the CGT Catapult’s collaborators filed for Biological Licence Applications in the US. These therapies hold the potential to transform people’s lives, reducing the time they spend in hospital and providing unparalleled relief from their symptoms.
Regulatory and commissioning approvals are major milestones towards the end of a lengthy process for these therapies. However, the development of a therapy starts much earlier, with research being undertaken by academic institutions, spinout companies and large corporations. For the pipeline of investigational products to continue to expand, there needs to be an environment that enables the commercialisation of this research, including a flow of investment into the industry to support early-stage research and innovation.
49 Phase II/III or Phase III clinical trials in the UK9% of all global ongoing ATMP trials with representation in the UK
Developing new technologies
The industry has recognised the need to deploy digital technologies, automation and control systems within the development and manufacture of advanced therapies. These technologies can collate real-time data and enable real-time control of processes. Ever-improving sensor technologies, called Process Analytical Technologies (PAT), are key to helping therapy developers better understand biological processes and apply that knowledge to improve therapy production.
The most significant benefits will be realised when these technologies are used to analyse data from multiple processes and sources at once, allowing for a cohesive overall understanding of how discrete stages, processes and equipment interact. Continuing to develop and apply new technologies will help make product development and manufacturing processes more efficient and reduce waste. In turn, this progress should lead to a decrease in the cost of manufacture. This is essential to make therapies as affordable as possible for healthcare systems.
Ensuring there is infrastructure for delivery
Over the past year, there has been an increase in flexibility within manufacturing, with more collaborative models arising where therapy developers work closely with partners to manufacture their products, rather than investing in their own manufacturing facility.
The provision of extra capacity for the future needs to be planned for now, as establishing and gaining licensure for a facility is a lengthy process.
There is also a need for manufacturing facilities to adapt to new technologies that make the process faster and more efficient and sustainable. With this, there is an important role for pilot or testbed facilities which bring together technology, equipment and software providers with the owners of manufacturing sites, to work together to identify the best way to bring these innovations into their sites.
Alongside manufacturing capacity, there is a skilled workforce in the UK which supports the continued growth of the sector. The size of the advanced therapy workforce in the UK doubled from 2019 to 2023, from 3,033 to 6,232. It is important to ensure that there is comprehensive access to training and upskilling across the sector to ensure this workforce is equipped with the latest industry knowledge and technical expertise.
45 companies holding licences for ATMP manufacturing in the UK51,862m² total ATMP GMP manufacturing facility space
Skills and training in 2023/2024
The CGT Catapult continues to address the skills gap in the cell and gene therapy industry to ensure that talent is available to meet the needs of this growing industry.
73 companies worked with on upskilling and training5,332 people upskilled and supported with training248 ATAC apprentices employed at 38 companies
Enabling high volume uptake across the UK
With the number of clinical trials and approved therapies continuing to rise, there is a vital need to ensure that healthcare systems across the UK are supported to deliver these therapies to patients at an increasing scale.
As advanced therapies substantially differ from conventional medicines, new processes, skills, and infrastructure need to be developed and introduced across the UK to enable healthcare systems to deliver these treatments to the patients who need them. By developing the necessary specialised skills, work methods, and infrastructure for ATMPs, patients throughout the UK can access these potentially life-altering therapies.
Looking to the future
Advanced therapies offer the potential to treat an array of diseases and are now being applied to both rare and more highly prevalent conditions. With coherent and concerted action, the UK can take the lead in demonstrating how to harness the potential of these therapies and deliver benefits to patients and reduced costs for healthcare systems.
For this full potential to be realised, the advanced therapies industry and healthcare systems need to continue to grow and adapt and there needs to be: an acceleration in the emergence of new therapies from the research base; continued development and application of innovative technologies; sufficient infrastructure for manufacturing and delivery; and the systems and skills in place to enable high volume uptake across the UK.
The CGT Catapult will continue to work with its partners across the advanced therapies ecosystem to address these challenges and maximise the healthcare and economic benefits that this new class of therapies offers to the UK.
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Download the full Annual ReviewA quick look at the Financial Highlights
Income
| For year ended 31st March 2024 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
| Innovate UK core grant funding | £16,000,000 | £19,400,000 | £14,500,000 | £14,200,000 | £15,800,000 |
| Third-party grant funding | £24,100,000 | £26,200,000 | £34,500,000 | £34,500,000 | £8,100,000 |
| Industrial Income | £22,000,000 | £23,600,000 | £25,300,000 | £21,200,000 | £14,900,000 |
| Total | £62,100,000 | £69,200,000 | £74,300,000 | £69,900,000 | £38,800,000 |
Balance sheet
| For year ended 31st March 2024 | 2024 | 2023 | 2022 | 2021 | 2020 |
| Fixed assets | £75,000,000 | £82,500,000 | £81,800,000 | £74,600,000 | £56,300,000 |
Net current assets | £37,500,000 | £30,400,000 | £34,400,000 | £28,300,000 | £12,500,000 |
| Creditors | (£18,200,000) | (£11,600,000) | (£17,600,000) | (£17,100,000) | (£7,000,000) |
| Provision for liabilities | (£20,100,000) | (£20,300,000) | (£19,900,000) | (£13,600,000) | (£10,300,000) |
| Net assets | £74,200,000 | £81,000,000 | £78,700,000 | £72,200,000 | £51,500,000 |
Capital and reserves | £74,200,000 | £81,000,000 | £78,700,000 | £72,200,000 | £51,500,000 |
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