Advanced Therapies Network of Catalonia launches seven work groups to accelerate development of new drugs

Four months after it was officially presented, the Advanced Therapies Network of Catalonia has launched seven work groups to drive research and development of new advanced therapies. This initiative, led and coordinated by Biocat, is working to get these innovative drugs to patients faster and position the BioRegion of Catalonia as a global benchmark in the field of advanced therapies.

Currently, more than 50 Catalan companies and organizations have joined the Network, in the following work groups:

1. Training and retaining talent
2. Public-private partnership models 
3. International projection and positioning of the Network 
4. Market and patient access 
5. Emerging therapies 
6. Gene therapies 
7. Cell therapies

Each of these groups is tackling key issues to promote development of advanced therapies in Catalonia and make it easier to roll them out.

Below is an explanation of the main goals of each group:

1. Training and retaining talent: Study advanced therapies training available in Europe to identify shortcomings and areas for improvement.
2. Public-private partnership models: Identify ways to facilitate scaling up from basic research to applied solutions, promoting collaboration between the public and private sectors.
3. International projection and positioning: Design an action plan to raise awareness of the Network worldwide, reinforcing Catalonia’s role as a benchmark hub.
4. Market and patient access: Come up with training sessions to help startups and emerging projects tackle challenges associated with market access.
5. Emerging therapies: Define the limits of what is considered an advanced therapy, establishing a clear, agreed on definition.
6. Gene and cell therapies: These two groups will work in parallel to identify the specific needs and opportunities in each of these areas.

Each work group is coordinated by two or three experts who will be in charge of leading its activities and setting goals and deadlines. They will meet periodically to generate documents and materials to show their progress and achievement of the goals set.