Hi-tech system developed in Wales designed to support clinical trials for cell therapy and regenerative medicine
23 Apr 2014 04:24 PM
A unique blend of
software and hardware technology has been developed in Wales by Bridgend-based
TrakCel to support the rapidly emerging cell therapy and regenerative medicine
sector
It is designed to meet the
highly specialised data management, reporting and analysis needs of complex
clinical trials.
It records and documents the
transport and temperature of personalised regenerative and cell-based therapies
following derivation from the patient, and coordinates logistics between
manufacturing sites and treatment sites in real time.
The system has been under
development for two years and incorporates technologies such as biometrics and
radio frequency identification to ensure the correct patient gets the correct
therapy at the correct time and location.
The Welsh Government has
provided £125,000 in repayable business finance towards work
required to support the development of the platform, which will also safeguard
five highly skilled jobs.
Under a collaboration agreement
with GSK, TrakCel is now evaluating the system alongside a paper based tracking
system to co-ordinate and record the supply chain of one of GSK’s cell
therapies.
A successful trial may see
TrakCel’s systems being adopted to manage other cell therapy products and
enable the company to commercialise its product next year.
The results will be disseminated
throughout the industry providing an opportunity for TrakCel to demonstrate
potential value to the industry. TrakCel is also working with Oxford BioMedica
on their manufacturing and supply chain project as well as other companies in
the UK and USA.
Economy Minister Edwina Hart
said:
"This is the latest in a
number of important developments in the stem cell arena in Wales which includes
the relocation of ReNeuron, GE Healthcare’s recent investment in cell
technology laboratories and GSK announcing its first office in Wales.
“It is an exciting time
for the life science sector in Wales which is one of our priority economic
sectors with high growth potential. Cell therapy is a rapidly growing field and
regenerative medicine is fast becoming an emerging area for Wales. This latest
news provides the opportunity for Wales to be at the forefront of developments
in this sector. I am pleased that Welsh Government support is helping to grow
the stem cell services business and that we are seeing the development and
growth of a scientific focussed regenerative medicine
cluster.”
TrakCel was founded in 2012 as a
joint venture between Biotec Services International, a clinical supply chain
service provider, AwenID, a Swansea University spin out specialising in
developing biometric based technology solutions and Scalaris Technologies,
which specialises in the delivery of secure, cloud based mobile technology for
the pharmaceutical and clinical industry.
TrakCel Chairman Karen Winmill
said:
”TrakCel’s launch
and accelerated development can be directly linked to the Welsh
Government’s commitment to the life sciences industry. Support from the
Welsh Government was pivotal in taking the TrakCel platform to this hugely
important stage of development.”
The cell therapy business has
seen revenues growing rapidly from $460m in 2010 to $900m in 2012 and is
forecast to grow to $5.1bn this year
Links
Life
Sciences sector