Collaboration and partnership working are vital in progressing a gene therapy from bench research to commercialisation and patient benefit.

A new network of Innovation Hubs for Gene Therapies was launched in 2021 through an £18m investment from LifeArc and the Medical Research Council (MRC), with support from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC).

This session will explore the network’s collaborative approach to addressing a key bottleneck in the translation of novel gene therapies, namely academic access to GMP-grade viral vectors for early-phase clinical trials. In a complex and rapidly evolving industry, how can we build successful partnerships to ensure patients benefit from new therapies? From balancing competing interests to building trust, the panel we’ll discuss the challenges and benefits of collaborative working in this space, including:

• Building relationships with academic and industry partners
• Leveraging external knowledge for process development and innovation
• The importance of collaborative approaches to address the increasing demand for skills and talent in the advanced therapies sector