Working towards the next big idea in cell and gene therapies

At Cell Therapy Manufacturing & Gene Therapy Congress we asked a number of our industry leading speakers to give advice to those already in the field and developing medicines, and to those looking to enter into it.

Alec Orphanidis, Senior VP at uniQure, explained: “I think one of the most important things would be to pick your diseases well and where you really can make an impact; where there’s an unmet medical need and your drug has a potential to cure, if not long term, then at least for several years”. He added that “If you can do that and if you can provide a substantial benefit to the patients who require these drugs the most, let the science speak for itself and I would like to hope that the rest of the hurdles will fall into place.”

Howard Sinclair, Strategic Director at The Prime Medical Group, focussed instead on the importance of an effective communication plan. This is something that is sometimes overlooked by the smaller biotechs, especially on the commercial side of their operations, and is something that he believes needs to be addressed.