Cutting-edge Clinical Biotechnology Centre opens in North Bristol
The state-of-the-art facility is officially opening its doors today with the site set to contribute to the UK's ability to make new gene and cell therapies
Today, a brand-new state-of-the-art facility is opening in Bristol.
It's hoped the facility - called the CBC, or Clinical Biotechnology Centre - will provide a great contribution to the UK's ability to develop and manufacture new gene and cell therapies.
It will manufacture products for the development of potentially curative therapies for currently incurable diseases, such as some forms of cancer, sickle cell disease, and cystic fibrosis. Some of these will be personalised therapies, aimed at treating just one person.
The CBC - based in Filton - has been built thanks to a near-£10 million from the Government, and will allow for the expansion of the production for clinical grade products which are needed for the research and development of new cell and gene therapies.
It will also support early phase clinical trials and pre-clinical work, and help give patients quick access to the latest treatments, all the while helping with the development and roll-out of them too.
The therapies being developed at the brand-new Clinical Biotechnology Centre
Cell and gene therapy is a cutting-edge area of medical development - and it'll be these which will be produced at the brand-new facility in Bristol.
Therapies are based on the idea that living cells or genetic material can be used to cure a wide range of acquired and inherited diseases, by altering their DNA or using them as a vehicle to deliver treatments.
Gene and cell therapy can be used to treat illnesses such as leukaemia, haemophilia, autoimmune disorders, cancer, HIV, melanoma, and cystic fibrosis.
Gene therapy works by fixing a genetic problem at its source - and is used in the treatment of conditions such as spinal muscular atrophy or metachromatic leukodystrophy.
Cell therapy - such as CAR-T therapy - sees cells often genetically modified to recognise and attack cancer cells, while stem cell transplants and blood transfusions are long-established treatments used in cases where these cells aren't modified. This kind of therapy provides patients with a more therapeutic benefit.
The CBC - funded in part by a Government grant of £9.43 million - has been built at NHSBT’s base in Filton, in North Bristol, and replaces a smaller, ageing unit in nearby Langford.
The UK currently has limited capacity to make the DNA plasmids and viral vectors used in the manufacture of gene therapies and genetically modified cell therapies which means long delays for developers of gene therapies while they wait for production slots.
Researchers often need to seek the services of overseas manufacturers, which inevitably delays clinical trials and patients’ access to much needed innovative therapies, and often increases costs. The new CBC will change that by expanding the UK’s ability to make its own plasmids and viral vectors.
Nitya Raghava, 22, from Gloucester, had lifesaving CAR-T cell therapy for acute lymphoblastic leukaemia and will speak at the opening.
She was diagnosed through blood tests in 2016 after experiencing more than a month of fevers and headaches.
Nitya had treatment including chemotherapy and a stem cell transplant but after a relapse CAR-T was “pretty much a last resort.”
Nitya went on to become the first person to receive CAR-T therapy at the Bristol Haematology and Oncology Centre in February 2019.
Nitya has now been free of the disease for four years. She is studying Spanish and Dutch at University College London.
She said: “I felt really excited to be able to receive CAR-T cells given they were new to the NHS.
"It was very much a case of, 'what are we going to do now if things that we're trying aren't working?'
"Well, very luckily, I was the first person in Bristol to get CAR-T.
“CAR-T was absolutely lifesaving for me. Without it, I don’t think I would be here. It's a lot more gentle on the body, and I think that's a really goof this for quality of life.
“I think it’s just so exciting to see other new cell and gene therapies being developed at the CBC that can help other people too.
“I now feel great, I’m at university and I am living my life as normal. four years on from receiving CAR-T cells, because I’m in complete molecular remission with no evidence of disease now.
“I feel lucky that I got it when I did, and I hope more people also now get the chance to have new treatments. I hope the new CBC can help other new treatments to reach patients faster.
"And now, it's really great people are paying attention to these new technologies that the amazing researchers in the NHS are working on to, ultimately, make our lives easier."
Dr Lilian Hook, NHSBT’s Director of Cell, Apheresis and Gene Therapies said: “The CBC is basically a factory – it manufactures the building blocks (or components) needed to produce gene therapies. Researchers and developers can ask us to manufacture the specific components they require.
“This will enable cutting edge research with the potential to develop cures for some critical diseases which can currently only be treated and often ultimately prove fatal. We’ll be supporting delivery of these curative treatments into the NHS, so patients can access them more quickly.
“The CBC will help the UK grow its cell and gene therapy industry in a rapidly growing international market. We won’t be designing the treatments but we will be manufacturing them to the right scale and clinical grade. Cell and gene therapy is growing area for the healthcare sector and of part of our direction of travel as an organisation.”
Steve Barclay, Health and Social Care Secretary, said: “The government is backing new gene and cell therapy which uses living cells or genetic material such as DNA to cure diseases.
“The investment in this new centre will continue to develop this area of research and help provide patients the best possible care.
“We announced our ambitious Life Sciences Industrial Strategy to tackle cancer and life-changing illnesses and ultimately save lives.
“This works best when we work collaboratively and this new centre is the perfect example of the government, NHS and those in research and manufacturing collaborating to eventually deliver new transformative treatment to NHS patients.”
Steve Bates, Chief Executive Officer of the UK BioIndustry Association, said: “NHS Blood and Transplant is something of a hidden secret in the UK ecosystem in terms of its capability to manufacture cell and gene therapies. This fantastic new centre will enable their capable team to better partner with companies in this key growth area of our life science economy.”