Agreement will accelerate the development of innovative cell therapies to improve the lives of patients.
Blood cancer charity Anthony Nolan’s Cell & Gene Therapy Services and the Medical Technology Innovation Facility (MTIF) have entered into a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) to accelerate the development of innovative cell therapies to improve the lives of patients.
Together, they provide a centralised hub of knowledge and development capability that can guide researchers and companies working at the cutting edge of cell and gene therapy from early stage concept to commercialisation.
The Anthony Nolan Cell Therapy Centre and Cord Blood Bank are co-located alongside the MTIF site at Nottingham Trent University’s Clifton Campus – which provides the ideal environment in which to collaborate on projects and capitalise on the combined expertise and facilities of each organisation.
Anthony Nolan Cell & Gene Therapy Services provides ethically-approved, high-quality starting materials to clients, helping them to source the right cellular material at the right time. The Anthony Nolan Cell Therapy Centre has the facilities and infrastructure to facilitate the process, characterisation and delivery of materials, compliant to global regulatory requirements.
MTIF offers a broad range of research and development services for medical technologies, including medical devices, cell & tissue therapies and pharmaceuticals. With ISO 13485 certified facilities MTIF can design and deliver end-to-end development projects, technology evaluation reports and expertise consultancy services to product design, biocompatibility and preclinical manufacture.
By aligning capabilities and ambition with the signing of this agreement, the parties bring together their extensive experience in cell sourcing, regulations, bio-variability, product design, biocompatibility testing, preclinical and clinical testing. In doing so they will deliver benefit to clients by helping to successfully navigate the complexities of the cell & gene therapy landscape.
The collective expertise of Anthony Nolan and MTIF will support the cost effective development of new cell and gene therapies by offering a complete ‘bench to bedside’ service. This partnership will expedite the availability of much needed new lifesaving cell therapies.
Henny Braund, Chief Executive of Anthony Nolan says: “At Anthony Nolan we are delighted to collaborate with the MTIF, strengthening our ability to support our clients from early stage development to commercialisation. Drawing on each of our strengths, we can help clients to advance their therapeutic pipeline.
“Our mission, as always, is to improve and save the lives of patients around the world independent of their background. In partnering with the MTIF, we hope to be one step closer to this.”
Professor Mike Hannay, Managing Director of the Medical Technologies Innovation Facility (MTIF) says: “This is an exciting collaboration that will accelerate the development of innovative stem cell and gene therapies improving the lives of patients around the world.
“Antony Nolan and MTIF together provide an unmatched capability right from sourcing high quality starting material through to the development and characterisation of your new medicine improving your chances of bringing a life changing medicine to patients.”