Midlands and Wales Advanced Therapy Treatment Centre

The Midlands and Wales Advanced Therapy Treatment Centre (MW-ATTC) consists of a large regional network with the necessary commercial and NHS infrastructure required to facilitate the delivery of advanced therapy treatments to patients. The centre includes a wide range of specialists in advanced therapy manufacturing including academic and commercial partners, logistics companies, specialists in clinical trial delivery and teams focused on IT solutions and health economics.




The MW-ATTC is looking to

  • Overcome the current challenges to trial recruitment to cell therapy trials by developing an empowered trials network. Building on the success of the national Haemato-oncology Trials Acceleration Programme (TAP), we will establish a trials hub and build new capacity and skills across our hospital network. This will enable us to rapidly deliver cell therapy trials
  • Establish best practice for the safe and effective delivery of ATMPs to patients by creating standardised SOPs and delivering training to staff across the hospitals network
  • Define best practice for ATMP near-patient preparation and therapy delivery by training hospital pharmacists, clinicians and technical personnel
  •  Set up robust connected supply chains for manufacture and delivery of ATMPs, including comprehensive data collection and analysis, leveraging the proven capabilities of our commercial partners
  • Develop and deliver comprehensive data systems that track and trace all samples and ATMPs, both along the manufacturing supply chain and within hospitals
  • Ensure best practice for patient follow-up and subsequent data capture. This will be critical for health-economic analysis, for verification of efficacy, and subsequently steer future prescription and clinical decisions

Location

The MW-ATTC covers the Midlands and Wales, with clinical sites based in Birmingham, Cardiff, Leicester, Nottingham, Swansea, Bristol and Cambridge

Leadership team

Prof Philip Newsome PhD, FRCPE
Prof Philip Newsome PhD, FRCPE
MW-ATTC Director

Director of Centre for Liver & Gastrointestinal Research
Deputy Director of NIHR Birmingham BRC
Professor of Hepatology & Consultant Hepatologist

Dr Mark Briggs
Dr Mark Briggs
MW-ATTC Deputy Director

Cardiff & Vale University Health Board

Nisha Sungum
Nisha Sungum
MW-ATTC Programme Manager

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

Contact Us

We are interested in hearing from industry or academic contacts who are looking to collaborate. We are also keen to hear from NHS Trusts who feel they may benefit from our support in either introducing or expanding the use of advanced therapies across their clinical sites. Please get in touch with the MW-ATTC team: MWATTC@uhb.nhs.uk

Our partners

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust

University Hospitals Birmingham NHS Foundation Trust (UHB) is one of the highest performing healthcare organisations in Europe with a proven international reputation for its quality of care, information technology, clinical education and training and research.

UHB is a regional centre for cancer, has the second largest renal dialysis programme in the UK and has the largest solid organ transplantation programme in Europe. It also provides a series of highly specialist cardiac and liver services and is a major specialist centre for burns and plastic surgery. The Trust is also a regional Neuroscience and Major Trauma Centre and is world-renowned for its trauma care. The Trust employs more than 9,000 staff and runs the largest single site hospital in the country.

Nisha Sungum
MW-ATTC Programme Manager
www.uhb.nhs.uk

University of Birmingham

The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions. Its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers, teachers and more than 5,000 international students from over 150 countries.

Dr Parini Mankad
Inflammation and Advanced Therapy Programme Lead
www.birmingham.ac.uk

Welsh Blood Service (Velindre University NHS Trust)

Velindre University NHS Trust provides specialist cancer and blood services across South and Mid Wales through Velindre Cancer Centre and the Welsh Blood Service.  Delivering quality, care and excellence to our patients and donors is at the heart of our organisation. The Welsh Blood Service collects voluntary, non-remunerated blood donations from the general public. The Velindre Cancer Centre provides specialist cancer services to over 1.5 million people in South East Wales and beyond. Additionally, Velindre University NHS Trust is ‘Host’ to a number of external organisations: NHS Wales Informatics Service (NWIS), NHS Wales Shared Services Partnership and Health Technology Wales (HTW).

Debbie Bees
Pathway Development Manager
www.welshblood.org.uk

Nottingham University Hospitals

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust

Nottingham University Hospitals NHS Trust is one of the biggest and busiest acute hospitals in England, employing over 16,000 staff. We provide care to over 2.5million residents of Nottingham and its surrounding communities and specialist services to a further 3-4million people from neighbouring counties.

We have national and international reputations for specialist services such as stroke, renal, spinal, breast, neurosciences, cancer services and trauma.

We are one of the most research-active Trusts in the country with world-leading clinical research delivered across our hospitals and through our NIHR Nottingham Biomedical Research Centre which is translating research discoveries into new treatments for common diseases including asthma and arthritis. Central to our research is our expertise in Magnetic Resonance Imaging.

Prof Poulam Patel
Professor of Clinical Oncology
www.nuh.nhs.uk

NHS Blood and Transplant

NHS Blood and Transplant

NHSBT provide a blood and transplantation service to the NHS, looking after blood donation services in England and transplant services across the UK. This includes managing the donation, storage and transplantation of blood, organs, tissues, bone marrow and stem cells, and researching new treatments and processes.

Our Cellular and Molecular Therapies facilities provide a comprehensive range of services to support haemopoietic stem cell transplantation and offer a range of established and innovative cell therapies for the treatment of inherited and acquired haematological disorders. Our Clinical Biotechnology Centre manufactures DNA-based therapeutics for clinical application.

Dr Ceri Roberts
Scientific Training Manager – Cellular and Molecular Therapies
www.nhsbt.nhs.uk

Cytiva

Cytiva

Cytiva is a global life sciences leader with over 7000 associates across 40 sites who are dedicated to our vision to improve access to life-changing therapies that transform human health. As a trusted partner to customers that range in scale and scope, Cytiva brings efficiencies to research and manufacturing workflows, ensuring the development, manufacture and delivery of transformative medicines to patients.

Dr Bill Shingleton
Department Director, Biology – Cell & Gene Therapy
www.cytivalifesciences.com/en/gb

Thermo Fisher Scientific

The success of a cell therapy clinical trial rests on the ability to deliver a viable, potent product – the direct result attributable to the strategy. Thermo Fisher Scientific is positioned with resources and global expertise to support customers on the path towards commercialization. Our global infrastructure enables customers to conduct clinical trials across multiple geographies while providing patients with access to life changing therapies. Cryogenic storage and logistics allow us to configure each site to meet specific requirements of individual clinical trial. We can help navigate many of the unforeseen challenges associated with cell therapy clinical development and commercialization.

Luke Wilson
Head of BioServices & Specialty Logistics, EMEA & APAC
www.fisherbioservices.com/celltherapy

Ixaka

Ixaka is a cell and gene therapy company focused on the natural power of the body to cure disease. Our proprietary technologies enhance the inherent therapeutic power of cells by targeting curative cells to the site of disease, and by directly modifying cells within the body to improve their therapeutic action.

Ixaka’s technologies – concentrated multi-cell therapies and nanoparticle therapeutics – demonstrate potential for the treatment of a broad range of serious diseases across oncology, cardiovascular, neurological and ocular diseases, and genetic disorders.

Joe Dupere
Chief Operating Officer
www.ixaka.com

Instil Bio

Instil Bio (UK)

Instil Bio, Inc is a global, clinical-stage cell therapy company developing tumor infiltrating lymphocytes (TIL) for the treatment of cancer. We are building on the decades-long foundation of TIL efficacy in treating solid tumors, applying our cell therapy experience and TIL manufacturing platform to bring the promise of TIL therapy to patients in need.

Instil Bio has research and cell therapy manufacturing facilities in Los Angeles, CA and Manchester, UK, with corporate offices in Dallas, TX.

Amu Wang, PhD
Sr. Manager Business Operations, Tech Ops
Instil Bio (UK) Limited
www.instilbio.com

Orbsen Therapeutics

Orbsen Therapeutics

Orbsen Therapeutics is a regenerative medicine company based in Galway, Ireland.
Using proprietary technology, we are developing ground-breaking stromal cell treatments to address some of today’s most challenging diseases.

Stromal cells hold great promise as an alternative to drugs and surgical procedures for treating a wide range of medical conditions including heart disease, arterial disease of the limbs, diabetes complications, arthritis and other inflammatory conditions. The treatment potential is linked to the cells’ natural capacity to dampen inflammation and promote healing, repair and regeneration of damaged tissues.

Orbsen has discovered and patented a unique method for purifying these rare, therapeutic cells and developing them for clinical use. The cells can be selected from a single donor, expanded and frozen to generate many doses of a high-margin, “off-the-shelf” therapeutic product.

Dr Stephen Elliman
Chief Scientific Officer
https://orbsentherapeutics.com/

TrakCel

TrakCel is a cloud-based Cellular Orchestration Platform (COP) that enables the streamlined delivery of advanced therapies to patients. The platform can be configured to processes defined by the cell therapy manufacturer and records all critical data across the supply chain in a FDA 21 CFR Part 11 and EU Annex 11 compliant manner.

TrakCel is a software platform that delivers:

  • End-to-end Chain of Identity (COI) management
  • Full collection to administration visibility and Chain of Custody (COC) reporting
  • Automated scheduling of activities between patient facing clinical and manufacturing sites
  • Integration capabilities with ERP, CRM, and other similar systems
  • Workflow-driven consistent processing
  • Role-based functionality and information access for physicians, nurses, & supply chain partners
  • Cloud hosted multilingual platform

Dr Matthew Lakelin
VP Business Development and Scientific
www.trakcel.com

World Courier

World Courier is a global specialty logistics company that designs world-class logistics and supply chain programmes in complete alignment with our customers’ business goals. Pharmaceutical companies rely on us because they value the peace of mind that comes with our unsurpassed knowledge, global reach and flawless supply chain execution. Each trusted partnership we form with a customer is deeply rooted in our shared vision of improving global health. With 2,000+ associates in more than 140 offices across the globe, we offer solutions that instil confidence in the on-time, on-temperature delivery of critical products. When trust is absolutely essential, there’s only one choice: World Courier.

Kelly Frend
Speciality Services Manager
www.worldcourier.com

Miltenyi Biotec

Miltenyi Biotec

Miltenyi Biotec is a global provider of products and services that advance biomedical research and cellular therapy. Our innovative tools support research at every level, from basic research to translational research to clinical application. Used by scientists and clinicians around the world, our technologies cover techniques of sample preparation, cell isolation, cell sorting, flow cytometry, and cell culture. Our 30 years of expertise spans research areas including immunology, stem cell biology, neuroscience, and cancer. Today, Miltenyi Biotec has 2,500 employees in 28 countries – all dedicated to helping researchers and clinicians make a greater impact on science and health.

Michele Giroux
Country Manager UK &Ireland
www.miltenyibiotec.com

Birmingham Health Partners

Birmingham Health Partners is a strategic alliance between the NHS and University of Birmingham, which sits at the centre of a regional population of over five million people. Accelerating patient access to new, innovative medicines and technologies is at the heart of what the organisation does.
Excellent academics and clinicians working together, along with a very large and diverse catchment area, give Birmingham and the broader West Midlands a comparative advantage in translational research, in particular clinical trialling.

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust

University Hospitals of Leicester NHS Trust is one of the biggest and busiest NHS trusts in the country, employing over 15,000 staff and serving the one million residents of Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland.

We pave the way for future treatments and care pathways through pioneering research for the benefit of all patients – from the youngest to the oldest. Our nationally and internationally-renowned research in cardiovascular and respiratory diseases, diabetes, cancer and renal disorders has a proven track record of making a real difference to patients’ lives through new medicines, innovative devices and techniques, clinical education and changes to best practice guidelines.

Cambridge University Hospitals

Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust

Cambridge University Hospitals is a family of hospitals comprising Addenbrooke’s and The Rosie. As part of the NHS, we deliver expert care for patients – locally, regionally and nationally – while our vibrant teaching community equips and empowers our staff for the future. We also benefit from and contribute to some of the most important biomedical research in the world today.

We bring together our daily experiences of patient-led care, our renowned teaching hospital and our ground-breaking research programmes to deepen our understanding of medicine as a science and a practice. We learn as much from our dedicated staff and the patients they care for as we do from our scientists and research partners. Every member of our community is part of the effort. Everything we do, we do together.

Oxford University

Oxford University

The University of Oxford is one of the world’s leading academic institutions and one of the oldest, with a unique heritage that dates back to the 11th century. Today its reputation, like its longevity, reflects a deep and abiding commitment to excellence in every area of teaching and research.  As a result of that commitment, the University enriches international, national and regional communities in countless ways: through the fruits of its research and the skills of its alumni, through sharing academic and cultural resources, and by publishing outstanding materials in many formats for learning and study.

University Hospitals Bristol and Weston

University Hospitals Bristol and Weston NHS Foundation Trust (UHBW) is the newly merged Trust comprising University Hospitals Bristol NHS Foundation Trust and Weston Area Health NHS Trust.

Bringing together a combined workforce of over 13,000 staff, the new Trust delivers over 100 different clinical services across 10 different sites serving a core population of more than 500,000 people.

With services from the neonatal intensive care unit to care of the elderly, we provide care to the people of Bristol, Weston and the south west from the very beginning of life to its later stages.

Our staff are the lifeblood of our Trust. They provide general diagnostic, medical and surgical services to the populations of central Bristol, south Bristol and North Somerset. These services are delivered from our Bristol city centre campus and Weston General Hospital with some services delivered in community settings such as South Bristol Community Hospital.

We also provide specialist services such as children’s services, cardiac and cancer services, and other smaller specialist services that are nationally commissioned, to a wider population through the south west and beyond.

Joining together as one provides us with an exciting and unique opportunity to take everything that’s good about Weston and University Hospitals Bristol, to create something even better, which is seen as a beacon for outstanding education, research and innovation.

Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust

On 1 February 2017, Birmingham Women’s Hospital and Birmingham Children’s Hospital joined to create Birmingham Women’s and Children’s NHS Foundation Trust – the first of its kind in the UK. Our united team works to provide the best possible care to our women, children and families.

We are home to 63 specialised and highly specialised services, 31 wards with more than 500 beds across two hospital sites and 6000 dedicated members of staff.

Aston University College of Health and Life Sciences Research

Aston University College of Health and Life Sciences Research

Founded in 1895 and a University since 1966, Aston is a long established university led by its three main beneficiaries – students, business and the professions, and our region and society. Aston University is located in Birmingham and at the heart of a vibrant city and the campus houses all the university’s academic, social and accommodation facilities for our students. Aston University was named University of the Year 2020 by The Guardian and the University’s full time MBA programme has been ranked in the top 100 in the world in the Economist MBA 2021 ranking. The Aston MBA has been ranked 12th in the UK and 85th in the world.

The College of Health and Life Sciences Research conducts internationally recognised research with exploitable outputs that change lives. Its research outcomes deliver on its strategic aim to ‘improve well-being across the lifespan and contribute to public policy and economic prosperity’ through a collective focus on translation and impact.

The college specialises in four key multidisciplinary themes of cellular and molecular biomedicine, health and disease across a lifetime, clinical and systems neuroscience; and vision, cognition, and language.

Its advanced therapies research includes industrialisation and scaled up approaches to advanced therapy production and also undertakes teaching and training for students and sector employees in NHS and industry.

FourPlus

FourPlus are an immersive technology company offering end-to-end software solutions for the life sciences sector.

The recent emergence of advanced therapies creates novel workforce and manufacturing challenges. Immersive technology such as Virtual and Augmented Reality (VR & AR) is transforming business practice across a range of major sectors, optimising tech transfer and offering innovative visualisation tools across the operational spectrum.

FourPlus combine expertise in life sciences and immersive technology to build solutions that will bring about a step change in the manufacturing of advanced therapies. Our approach unlocks the potential of revolutionary medicines and helps accelerate their delivery to the patients who need them.

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (UHS)

University Hospital Southampton NHS Foundation Trust (UHS) is one of the largest acute teaching trusts in England, with a staff of 13,000 providing services to 1.9 million people in Southampton and south Hampshire. UHS is one of only two major trauma centres in the South of England for both adults and children and is a commissioned site for CAR T-cell therapy delivery. It is a regional centre for cancer care, neurosciences, cardiac services and children’s intensive care for more than 3.7 million people in central southern England and the channel islands.

UHS has invested heavily in dedicated infrastructure for the delivery of advanced therapy clinical trials, through the creation of the Southampton Emerging Therapies and Technology (SETT) Centre. UHS is consistently one of the UK’s highest recruiting trusts of patients to clinical trials, with world leading clinical research being delivered through our NIHR Southampton Clinical Research Facility, JACIE accredited Wessex Blood and Marrow Transplant Unit and NIHR Southampton Biomedical Research Centre.

UHS also works closely with University of Southampton and our regional partners to develop novel clinical grade viral vectors for early phase clinical trials, and to translate tissue engineering techniques into regenerative cell therapy treatments.

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