2022-02-23
The innovation milieu 'Sweden a world leader in advanced therapies 2030'
Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMP), or cell and gene therapies, as well as tissue engineering products, are a relatively new class of drugs. At several university hospitals, so-called ATMP centers are now being established to meet the new needs. The number of approved products and clinical trials in the field is increasing and is expected to increase at a higher rate in the coming years. This type of treatment places new demands on health care and creates a need for coordination between already established functions within the hospitals, but also coordination between hospitals. With this in focus, a network with representation from all university hospitals has been formed. The ecosystem where research, development, manufacturing and innovation of advanced therapies takes place is complex, changing and expansive. Therefore, ATMP centers need to continuously examine the needs going forward and be dynamic in their functions.
One of the network’s first tasks will be to clarify what resources and expertise are available at the university hospitals, for health care and for those who want to develop or implement ATMP. Achieving successful development in the area requires a common vision and coordinated, organized activities in health care. As these treatments are usually for small patient groups and expensive, there is a great need for collaborations and partnerships between the health care system and regions, patients and their relatives, authorities, academia and companies of various sizes. Through collaboration, the network will function as a unifying forum where needs and issues are handled.
In health care, several established, well-functioning platforms and great competence already exist in this field. Therefore, the network’s and centers’ main task will be to connect and contribute to communication between activities within the hospitals, but also to create visibility and accessibility to companies, patients and other stakeholders. The network of ATMP centers will enable collaborations around the development of products, systems and working methods where various stakeholders can be involved. In this way, healthcare can be involved in leading the development of new therapies based on patients’ needs.
The network of ATMP centers will contribute to the development of its own and others’ skills and learning by investigating and participating in future educational initiatives. Development of courses and other educational material with different target groups will be an important part of the centers’ work.
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