scholarly journals Accelerating Innovation in the Creation of Biovalue

2017 ◽  
Vol 42 (5) ◽  
pp. 925-946 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Gardner ◽  
Andrew Webster

The field of regenerative medicine (RM) has considerable therapeutic promise that is proving difficult to realize. As a result, governments have supported the establishment of intermediary agencies to “accelerate” innovation. This article examines in detail one such agency, the United Kingdom’s Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult (CGTC). We describe CGTC’s role as an accelerator agency and its value narrative, which combines both “health and wealth.” Drawing on the notion of sociotechnical imaginaries, we unpack the tensions within this narrative and its instantiation as the CGTC cell therapy infrastructure is built and engages with other agencies, some of which have different priorities and roles to play within the RM field.

2021 ◽  
Vol 66 (Special Issue) ◽  
pp. 62-63
Author(s):  
Dide de Jongh ◽  
◽  
Eline Bunnik ◽  
Emma Massey ◽  
◽  
...  

"The most effective treatment for type 1 diabetes is transplantation of either a whole pancreas from a deceased donor or islet cells derived from multiple deceased donors. However, transplantation has several limitations, including shortage of post-mortem donors and the need for post-transplant patients to use life-long immunosuppressive medication. In the last decade, the field of regenerative medicine has combined engineering and biological technologies in the attempt to regenerate organs. The European VANGUARD project aims to develop immune-protected bioartificial pancreases for transplantation into non-immunosuppressed type 1 diabetic patients. This project is creating a ‘combination product’ using cells and tissue from a variety of sources, including placentas and deceased donors. The clinical development of this complex product raises ethical questions for first-in-human (FIH) clinical trials. Under what conditions can bio-artificial organs safely are transplanted in humans for the first time? How can patients be selected, recruited and informed responsibly? In this presentation, we investigate the ethical conditions for clinical trials of bio-engineered organs, focusing inter alia on study design, subject selection, risk-benefit assessment, and informed consent. We present the results of a review of the literature on the ethics of clinical trials in regenerative medicine, cell and gene therapy and transplantation, and specify existing ethical guidance in the context of FIH transplantation trials of bioartificial organs. We conclude that this new and innovative area at the intersection of regenerative medicine, cell and gene therapy and transplantation requires adequate consideration of the ethical issues in order to guide responsible research and clinical implementation. "


Cytotherapy ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 15 (4) ◽  
pp. S52 ◽  
Author(s):  
E.J. Culme-Seymour ◽  
S. Edwards-Parton ◽  
J. Carmen ◽  
W. Folkerts ◽  
D. Smith ◽  
...  

2012 ◽  
Vol 2012 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iciar Aviles-Olmos ◽  
Zinovia Kefalopoulou ◽  
Thomas Foltynie

L-dopa is the most effective, currently available treatment for Parkinson’s disease (PD), but it leads to the development of involuntary movements known as L-dopa-induced dyskinesia (LID) in the majority of patients after long-term use. Both gene and cell therapy approaches are the subject of multiple ongoing studies as potential ways of relieving symptoms of PD without the complication of dyskinesia. However, the spectre of dyskinesia in the absence of L-dopa, the so-called “off-phase” or graft-induced dyskinesia (GID), remains a major obstacle particularly in the further development of cell therapy in PD, but it is also a concern for proponents of gene therapy approaches. LID results from nonphysiological dopamine release, supersensitivity of dopamine receptors, and consequent abnormal signalling through mechanisms of synaptic plasticity. Restoration of physiological circuitry within the basal ganglia loops is ultimately the aim of all cell and gene therapy approaches but each using distinctive strategies and accompanied by risks of exacerbation of LID or development of “off-phase”/GID. In this paper we discuss the details of what is understood regarding the development of dyskinesias with relevance to cell and gene therapy and potential strategies to minimize their occurrence.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
Moataz Dowaidar

Great advances in neurodegenerative disease, cell and gene therapy have been made in recent decades. Following the recent advancement of stem cell-based neuronal therapies, including managing their differentiation potential, research on cell sources for brain cell replacement methods has gained major importance. The objective is to obtain a certain neuronal cell fate to repair and restore the injured cell function. Several cell-based therapeutic techniques that show promise in animal HD models have failed to attain a similar degree of success in human patients. Despite its poor prospects, fetal transplantation has opened the door to a potentially intriguing new domain of regenerative medicine. However, many obstacles need to be overcome before pre-differentiated stem cells can be used in clinical trials, and, in particular, ensuring that the source of stem cells has optimal differentiation potential with full integration and functional enhancement, has measurable clinical benefits with minimal impact on the host immune system, and is tumor-free. New cell, molecular, and pharmacological approaches may assist enhance neuronal survival of transplanted cells, and consequently therapy for many fatal brain diseases. Molecular approaches, on the other hand, have looked into the idea of entirely eliminating HTT utilizing RNAi in the hopes of preventing the mutant protein that produced it in the first place. In contrast, HTT's physiological significance requires the application of procedures that specifically interfere with MHTHTT. The CRISPR/Cas9 approach gives researchers the ability to inactivate the mHTT allele by deleting or editing particular regions, leading to increased knowledge of how to prevent mutation-induced toxicity. Overall, despite their appealing ability to reverse mHTT-induced toxicity, these therapies may face difficulties due to the need to modify their design for individuals in order to ensure therapeutic safety.As clinical investigations are planned, genome editing already shows promise as a potent treatment to overcome clinical HD features. While there is no certainty that HD symptomatology can be fully eased, researchers must continue to hunt for ways to diminish it because it has such profound and life-threatening effects on patients and their families. These new treatments are supposed to bring a brighter future for HD sufferers.


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