S. Kili (Shrewsbury, GB)

Presenter Of 1 Presentation

Extended Abstract (for invited Faculty only) Others

2.0.3 - Innovating Joint Preservation - An Industry Perspective

Presentation Number
2.0.3
Presentation Topic
Others
Lecture Time
13:40 - 14:00
Session Type
Plenary Session
Corresponding Author

Abstract

Introduction

The cartilage repair field was the pioneer of biological approaches in the re-attainment of joint homeostasis, including the use of cells and tissue in joint surface repair. Why then are we still trying and failing to attain our goal whilst the rest of medicine surges ahead in harnessing the power of cells and genes in all areas of medicine from opthalmology to immunology and cancer? Was John Hunter correct in 1743?

Content

From the groundbreaking work of early pioneers in the cartilage repair field to the latest crop of therapies, we as a field are trying, and mostly not succeeding in our goal of repairing and regenerating cartilage. Cartilage repair pioneers led the way in understanding how cells and even tissues might be harvsted safely from living patients and stored or reused in the repair of cartilage defects.

This talk will explore the current state of the art in cell and gene therapies being developed globally for a variety of diseases and how the cartilage repair and joint preservation field might be able to learn from some of these developments and breakthroughs. The rapid expansion in the development of cell and gene therapies has allowed us to look at how therapies are developed and to make some fundamental changes to the way we think about collaboration between the various actors in this ecosystem. By starting with autologous products, we have brought the scientific, clinical and manufacturing steps much closer together with a common focus - the patient. This has allowed knowledge and experience to spill over from one group to the other, creating new ways of working to the benefit of our patients.

It is not just these groups that have had to change the way they work. Regulators, previously the keepers of the developmental and scientific application knowledge have had to lean into companies and academics in order to understand the rapidly developing field of Regenerative Medicine and the multitude of scientific adavnces being made at a blistering pace. By companies and academics assuming a new role of educators to the regulators, we have managed to build a much stronger relationship of trust with them and in so doing helped to advance their understanding, but also our ability to propose new approaches and therapies at a much faster rate with more uncertainties than previously before. By bringing the regulators on our journey of scientific discovery, we have empowered them to generally take a more risk balanced approach to regulation and review of advanced therapies, allowing patients to access them sooner than previously.

The relationship between academia and industry has also shifted thanks to the unique challenges of advanced therapies. No longer are the large pharma giants the masters of drug discovery and development. They have come to realise that the true innovation engines are in academia. Academia is the fertile ground of scientific breakthrough, but industry is the sunlight that allows it to blossom into therapies from which thousands of patients will benefit. Regen med has allowed industry and academia to find new ways of innovating in partnership. We will explore some of these examples and how patients have benefitted from this new found mutual understanding and respect.

Only by all players in the ecosystem working together to innovate for patients will we be able to improve how we address the challenges of repairing and regenerating the joint, and soon perhaps even preventing the degeneration occuring in the first place. This is an exciting time for our ecosystem and only by collaborating will we truly prove John Hunter wrong.

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Meeting Participant of

Lord Byron - ICRS Meeting Room (20) ICRS Committee Meeting