Today, the University of Sheffield announced their upcoming gene therapy innovation centre.
The Sheffield Gene Therapy Innovation and Manufacturing Centre (GTIMC) will be one of three cutting-edge centres spread across the UK. The other two are based at King’s College London, and NHS Blood and Transplant in Bristol.
Currently, the only way to receive gene therapy is by participating in a clinical trial. Far more research is needed before treatment can become widespread.
Professor Koen Lamberts, President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sheffield, said: “We are delighted that our University is at the forefront of research in this pioneering field of medicine, and that this new centre will build on our reputation as an international centre of excellence for gene therapeutics.”
Gene therapy is promising as a potential treatment option for over 7000 rare diseases that currently don’t have a cure, such as cancer, diabetes, heart disease, and AIDS. The centres aim to treat these conditions by engineering a new gene to replace, deactivate or change a faulty gene.
Professor Mimoun Azzouz, Director of the GTIMC and Chair of Translational Neuroscience at the University of Sheffield, said: “The Gene Therapy Innovation and Manufacturing Centre will tackle major challenges in gene therapy development for some of the most devastating diseases”.
Each of the three specialised sites will run together as part of a network, sharing resources to collectively advance gene therapy research.
“This is a momentous milestone for revolutionary medical advances,” Professor Azzouz said: “not only for Sheffield and South Yorkshire, but also for the UK.”
The hub network has been awarded a total of £18m in funding from LifeArc and the Medical Research Council, with support from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council.
The GTIMC is planned to be built in the University of Sheffield’s Innovation District, meaning it will be close to its other existing research centres.