Question to the Department of Health and Social Care:

To ask the Secretary of State for Health and Social Care, what steps they are taking to encourage clinical trials for cell and gene therapy.

The National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) provides investment to support multiple organisations in encouraging clinical trials across all specialities. This includes 20 NIHR Biomedical Research Centres and 28 NIHR Clinical Research Facilities across England which have the capacity and expertise to deliver clinical trials for cell and gene therapies.

NHS Blood and Transplant also operate three advanced therapy units to support cell therapies and are building a new Clinical Biotechnology Centre to increase the United Kingdom’s ability to develop new gene therapies. Innovate UK has also established the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult to help companies, researchers and innovators throughout development, manufacturing and clinical adoption, to accelerate the process of cell and gene therapies coming to market