Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾

The Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ CAR T-cell programme is centered at the Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ Cancer Institute where researchers focus on developing CAR T-cell therapies for adult cancers.

Key researchers in the cancer institute are Dr Martin Pule, , , and . The CAR T-cell programme also includes researchers working in paediatric oncology at the Institute of Child Health (ICH) which is part of Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ and is affiliated with Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾H. Key researchers in ICH are ProfÌýPersis Amrolia, Dr Sara Ghorashian and Dr Karin Straathof.

Clinical grade cell manufactureÌý

A crucial part of the CAR T-cell programme is clinical grade CAR T-cell manufacture. Dr Owen Bain, Director, and Qualified Person atÌýCell Gene and Tissue Therapeutics the GMP facility at the Royal Free NHS Foundation TrustÌýis director of the main GMP facility at Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾. Working with Dr Claire Roddie, CAR T-cell products are manufactured at this facility for academic clinical studies. Some CAR T-cell products made in collaboration with Autolus are manufactured at the UK facility in Stevenage.

Vector Manufacture

Vector production for the CAR T-cell programme is provided through the most important collaboration of the programme outside Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ with at KCL.

Regulatory / Clinical affairs

The (Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ CTC) develops and conducts clinical studies. The Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ CTC has a unit specialized in delivery of ATIMP clinical studies headed by .

Research and Development links with industry

The CAR T-cell field is becoming increasingly commercialized with considerable contributions to the field being made by industry. The Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ CAR T-cell programme has a track record of collaborating with industry.

In 2013. an industrial collaboration between Dr Martin Pule, Prof. Karl Peggs with the genome-editing company Cellectis led to the development of the first allogeneic 'off-the-shelf'ÌýCAR T-cell approach. This collaboration led to licensing of technology to and the first gene-editing CAR T-cell to be tested in human subjects.

More recently, the Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ CAR T-cell programme has spun-out a company called ,Ìýwhich has licensed several technologies from Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ and also collaborates extensively with the programme.

The Â鶹´«Ã½ÊÓƵÍøÕ¾ CAR T-cell programme is ranked 2nd in 2019 for CAR T-cells patented among Universities and research institutes.