Sharon Brownlow – VJRegenMed

Building collaborative relationships to overcome challenges in the CGT industry

Simon Ng — Thu, 03 Feb 2022 12:25:11 +0000

Sharon Brownlow, PhD, Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, London, UK, talks on the importance of collaborating between different stakeholders across academia, healthcare and industry in order to overcome barriers in the cell and gene therapy (CGT) space. Dr Brownlow comments on a consortium created by Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult to help maintain confidentiality, and supporting companies in their manufacturing process. Dr Brownlow additionally highlights the benefits of harnessing the power of pre-competitive collaboration. This interview took place at Advanced Therapies Week 2022.

Achieving operational excellence in CGT through automation

Simon Ng — Mon, 31 Jan 2022 17:59:03 +0000

Sharon Brownlow, PhD, Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, London, UK, discusses the challenges in achieving operational excellence in the cell and gene therapy (CGT) field and strategies to overcome these challenges. Achieving operational excellence is necessary as the timeframe to release a product is very limited, but is challenging due to the highly complex process of manufacturing CGTs. Whilst automation will have a dramatic impact in improving operational excellence, many of the systems currently used in CGT are not tailored to early product development. Dr Brownlow additionally highlights how many companies are integrating processes together and developing more configurable systems, as well as ‘factory-in-a-box’ technologies which can manufacture multiple CGTs simultaneously in a fully automated fashion. This interview took place at Advanced Therapies Week 2022.

Increasing recruitment in the cell and gene therapy sector

Simon Ng — Fri, 28 Jan 2022 15:31:40 +0000

Sharon Brownlow, PhD, Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, London, UK, comments on the growing skills gap in the cell and gene therapy (CGT) industry and strategies to alleviate the issue. The industry, particularly in the manufacturing sector, is currently going through a labor shortage and apprenticeships and tax incentives have encouraged school leavers and graduates to join the industry. National training centers have also been established to equip workers with the necessary skills. Dr Brownlow additionally highlights the use of technologies such as virtual and augmented reality, which have already been used in the development of the COVID-19 vaccine, as well as outreach programs in schools and academia. This interview took place at Advanced Therapies Week 2022.

Educating and training clinicians on advanced therapies

Simon Ng — Fri, 28 Jan 2022 12:04:05 +0000

Sharon Brownlow, PhD, Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, London, UK, discusses the need for healthcare professionals to be sufficiently trained and educated on cell and gene therapies for their adoption into the healthcare system. Collaboration between the NHS, manufacturers, and supply chain companies in dedicated treatment centers has enabled clinicians to successfully deliver these therapies and universities have additionally developed training courses for healthcare professionals to gain the necessary skills. This interview took place at Advanced Therapies Week 2022.