A proposed flagship pan-European programme supported by the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult and designed to accelerate the clinical availability of advanced, regenerative medicines has taken a major step forward in its bid for funding.
RESTORE, a potential flagship initiative in Future and Emerging Technologies (FET) under the European Commission’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation plan, has passed the first stage of assessment for funding and is now preparing for a second stage proposal to be submitted in September 2018.
The initiative brought its Steering Board together on 30 July to review best practice in unlocking the full potential of advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) and biologised medical devices (bio-MDs) across European healthcare services. The goal of RESTORE is to transform health services from treatment of disease to regeneration of health under a unique competition framework funded by the European Union.
The RESTORE initiative is one of the most exciting, forward-looking developments in regenerative medicine. It recognises that ATMPs have the potential to be a genuine game-changer in healthcare services by delivering significant patient benefit and in some cases curative therapies. We are thrilled to be associated with the programme alongside over a hundred academic, industry and leading healthcare providers.
Keith Thompson, CEO, Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult
The RESTORE Steering Board identified a series of challenging bottlenecks for the introduction of advanced therapies into mainstream healthcare, spanning regulatory hurdles and the mechanics of clinical adoption. These insights will form part of the RESTORE bid for funding under the FET banner.
We are delighted that RESTORE is receiving endorsements from across the board, So far, more than 120 institutional stakeholders and individual associates have signed letters of support. We believe this response underlines the potential of advanced therapies, the urgency of co-ordinated action in Europe and the strength of our proposal.
Professor Hans-Dieter Volk, Programme co-ordinator
Horizon 2020 is the biggest EU research and innovation programme in history with nearly EUR 80 billion in funding available over seven years, in addition to private investment. It promises major scientific breakthroughs and discoveries by taking innovative ideas from the lab to the market. Its goal is to ensure Europe delivers world-class science, reduces barriers to innovation and improving the ability of the public and private sectors to collaborate.
Alongside the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, the founding partners of the RESTORE consortium comprise world leaders across academia, clinical research and industry, including Charité Universitätsmedizin Berlin (Germany), INSERM – Institut National de la Santé et de la Recherche (France), University of Zurich (Switzerland), Miltenyi Biotec GmbH (Germany), TissUse GmbH (Germany), Pluristem Ltd (Israel), Fondazione Telethon (Italy), University Minho (Portugal) and Innovation Acta S.r.l. (Italy).
RESTORE welcomes the support of all stakeholders and associates who are committed to transform healthcare by enabling the regeneration of health.
Please visit the RESTORE website (www.restore-h2020.eu) for more details on the activities of the initiative and to become a supporter.