Phacilitate’s Advanced Therapies Europe event promised to “educate and inspire advanced therapies professionals currently working in Europe, as well as those looking to enter the European market” and CGT Catapult was at the heart of the discussions. Key speakers Jonathan Appleby, Chief Scientific Officer, Jaqueline Barry, Chief Clinical Officer and Ben Mosley, Director of Skills Growth, delivered their own expertise and insights on some of the challenges facing the ATMP industry as well as identifying key opportunities for future growth
We were pleased to be invited to the Plenary session on the first day of the programme, where Dr Jacqueline Barry, Chief Clinical Officer of Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, led a panel highlighting the unique regulatory pathway for ATMP development and any post-Brexit regulatory changes. The discussion provided a variety of perspectives on the arising opportunities, and we were able to offer support for anyone looking to ensure regulatory compliance in their advanced therapies studies through the CGT Catapult regulatory affairs team.
Later in the day, Jonathan Appleby, Chief Scientific Officer at CGT Catapult, was part of a London Advanced Therapies partner session emphasising how multidisciplinary collaborations are key for overcoming key bottlenecks in successful translation of cell and gene therapies. The session explored the importance of leveraging external process development and innovation knowledge, which is where Jonathan was able to provide particular expertise within in the panel, highlighting our early-stage development and process technologies capabilities, and opportunities to collaborate with event attendees.
Additional roundtables at the event continued under four key focus areas: patient access; healthcare and people; automation; commercializing exceptional science; manufacturing and supply chain logistics. Within this framework, CGT Catapult was able to highlight key pillars of its growth strategy when working with its partners in the UK: accelerating the translation of their research into clinical development and investible opportunities; making ATMP processes more cost-efficient, scalable, safe and robust; accelerating bioprocessing solutions for their advanced therapies; providing access to specialised skills development.
In terms of the latter, CGT Catapult used the event to throw the spotlight on its widely respected talent acquisition and development programmes underpinned by our bi-annual Skills Demand Survey which supports the industry in planning for expanding manufacturing. Backed by funding from Innovate UK and the Department for Business, Energy & Industrial Strategy we have established training programmes, tools and content to guide and upskill people throughout the UK. This was highlighted during a session led by Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult’s Director of Skills Growth, Ben Moseley, entitled 'Attracting & Retaining Talent to Develop the Workforce of the Future' with the aim of demonstrating how to address workforce shortage and build a strong community of CGT experts.
Our on-site stand featuring CGT Catapult representatives also showcased the invaluable work being done to guide and upskill those who are keen to advance their careers in the CGT sector, signposting towards and inviting attendees to get involved with the Advanced Therapy Apprenticeship Community (ATAC), an enabling network for new entrants to the industry, educational opportunities within the Advanced Therapy Skills Training Network (ATSTN) and the associated Career Converter - a tool that assists users in identifying roles, opportunities, and career development paths in the ATMP sector. These initiatives are vital in underpinning the huge growth in employment the CGT sector is now experiencing in the UK, and expected to continue into the next decade.
A massive thank you to everyone at Phacilitate for hosting a brilliant event and providing us with a fantastic platform to share and discuss, learn and inform. We look forward to the next one!