TRANSFORM Alliance’s Post

TRANSFORM prides itself on multistakeholder advocacy work for safe and timely access to advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs, or cell and gene therapies). As 2025 begins, we will introduce TRANSFORM members through a new series of interviews, TRANSFORMTalks, to showcase their work and perspective on how TRANSFORM supports ATMP research, development and patient access. Today, 'TRANSFORMtalks' with Giovanni Migliaccio from EPTRI about #collaborativeresearch. Giovanni is a member of the TRANSFORM Steering Group and represents academic researchers and developers active in the ATMP space. EPTRI is a research infrastructure designed to implement research strategies and access to key technologies, standardised models and analytical tools, and offer to public and private stakeholders qualified research services dedicated to the development of paediatric drugs, diagnostics, devices and clinical studies. EPTRI is pivotal in connecting academic research units with biotech and pharmaceutical companies, promoting tailored solutions for the paediatric population and implementing innovative collaborative models that lower the entry barrier for novel tools and practices. Paediatric research into innovative therapies faces several challenges. What is one of the primary hurdles, and how can TRANSFORM support the community in overcoming it? Most paediatric pathologies, apart from infectious diseases, are of genetic origin. These are the obvious targets for genetic diagnosis and therapies designed for the foetal and newborn populations, aiming to prevent the insurgence of degenerative traits and ensure a normal life for patients. In the rare disease field, targeted therapies are mainly driven by academic research institutions. Hence, there is an urgent need to secure support from public and private institutions to mitigate reduced interest and support from commercial partners. EPTRI has a pivotal role in connecting academic and biotech stakeholders to advance ATMPs, thus aligning with the TRANSFORM goal of facilitating discussions between stakeholders and policymakers to ensure timely access to cell and gene therapies. TRANSFORM has been a strong advocate for a collaborative R&D ecosystem in the EU. How important are the synergies between commercial and non-commercial ATMP researchers and developers? Many academic institutions do not have the capacity, expertise and funds to pursue existing regulatory pathways to drug development, and therefore the application for marketing authorisation remains largely outside their remit. EU-funded partnerships and many European Reference Networks supply some capacity and support. EPTRI's academic community further complements these efforts. However, as commercial sponsors have more significant experience with the intricacies of commercial development, bringing novel products to the market requires strong collaboration between industry, academia and public non-profit investors. #ATMP #cellandgenetherapy #orphandrugs

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