European Consortium for Communicating Gene and Cell Therapy Information (EuroGCT)
Completed| Project lead | Prof Clare Blackburn |
| Organisation | University of Edinburgh |
| Partner organizations & collaborators | The project – EuroGCT: The European Consortium for Communicating Gene and Cell Therapy – is led by the University of Edinburgh’s School of Biological Sciences and brings together 47 partner organisations and institutions from across Europe. DEBRA Austria as EB Resnet member is part of this Consortium. |
| Project budget | EUR 2 000 000.00 |
| Start date / Duration | 01. Jan 2022 / 60 months |
| Funder(s) / Co-Funder(s) | European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme |
| Research area | Molecular therapy, Cellular therapy |
Project details
Short lay summary
This EU-funded project is set to provide accessible and reliable information about cell and gene-based therapies. The initiative will develop an online hub to provide accurate information on the use of cells and genetic material to treat disease, along with evidence-based information to counter misinformation surrounding the therapies. Gene and cell therapies have the potential to treat many debilitating diseases and conditions. However, more work is needed before safe and effective treatments can be made widely available, experts say.
The project – EuroGCT: The European Consortium for Communicating Gene and Cell Therapy – is led by the University of Edinburgh’s School of Biological Sciences and brings together 47 partner organisations and institutions from across Europe. DEBRA Austria as EB-ResNet member is part of this Consortium.
Strategic relevance
Online resources
The five-year project will coordinate information from EuroGCT partners to develop a multilingual website that will give patients, healthcare professionals and the public reliable scientific, legal and ethical information related to cell and gene-based therapies. It will also provide the research community, regulatory and healthcare authorities with information on the practical steps required for cell and gene therapy development. The project builds on the success of Edinburgh’s EuroStemCell public engagement project, whose website focusses on engaging the public, patients and educators with stem cell research and regenerative medicine.
Common goal
Knowledge and expertise will be contributed by leading cell and gene therapy organisations, European research labs, experts in advanced therapy development and specialists in legal, ethical and societal issues. Science communication specialists will also collaborate with representatives of the target audiences to co-develop relevant material. EuroGCT aims to support better informed decision-making by practitioners and patients as well as provide engagement opportunities for patients, the public and other stakeholders.
The initiative also aims to contribute to improved therapy product development, through resources accessible to the research and regulatory communities.
Gene and Cell therapies are also highly relevant in the field of EB research. EB will be presented as an application example in the field of rare diseases.
EuroGCT has received funding from the European Union's Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme.