The Central European Advanced Therapy and Immunotherapy Centre (CREATIC) aims to address the significant unmet medical needs of patients with rare diseases and high-risk cancers. Approximately 30 million EU citizens suffer from one of over 6000 recognized rare diseases, with 80% of these being genetic and often life-threatening. Despite the European Commission's efforts through the Orphan Medicinal Product Regulation and Paediatric Regulation, 95% of rare diseases still lack approved therapeutic options. This gap represents a substantial economic burden and a critical need for innovative treatments.
CREATIC's vision is to become a flagship institution in Central and Eastern Europe, providing cutting-edge research and development in gene and somatic cell therapies. The project is coordinated by Masaryk University in Brno, Czech Republic, in collaboration with leading European research institutions such as Fraunhofer, Leipzig University, and the University of Copenhagen.
The main project objectives are as follow:
1. Strengthen Multidisciplinary Expertise: Enhance research and innovation (R&I) capabilities in advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs), focusing on both gene and somatic cell therapies.
2. Build a Role Model Institution: Establish CREATIC as a sustainable, autonomous center of excellence with robust governance, infrastructure, and human resources.
3. Create an Ecosystem for ATMP Delivery: Develop a comprehensive ecosystem involving stakeholders from academia, industry, healthcare, and regulatory bodies to facilitate the translation of research into clinical practice.