In January 2022 the consortium launched a website at www.eurogct.org with sections targeted for patients and the public, and for the research and regulatory communities. This is the digital framework on which the remainder of the project will build.
The ‘Discover Gene and Cell Therapy’ section is targeted to patients, people affected by conditions, healthcare professionals and citizens. Content can be filtered by condition or theme, searched by keywords or browsed in sections on Cell and Gene Fundamentals, Methods and Tools, Current and Potential Uses, and Clinical Trials and Patient Involvement. Published resources include an initial set of new fact sheets addressing topics identified as a priority by the consortium and through discussion with target audience members. These include conditions that can currently be treated, CAR-T Therapy, clinical trials and unproven therapies. For a range of specific conditions, introductory text has been prepared about the state of play. The information hub also integrates selected collated resources developed or recommended by project partners. These include a suite of fact sheets about how stem cell research may benefit specific conditions, which will be brought up to date to reflect the latest developments across the field of gene and cell therapy in the next stage of the project.
The ‘Research Pathways’ section is tailored information for the research and regulatory communities on the development of gene and cell therapy from lab to patients. Introductions and links to resources are available for each of the subsections: Research and Innovation, Therapy Classification, Manufacturing, Commercialisation, Actors and Networks, and Public Involvement and Data. A nested tree structure is in development for detailed entries within each subsection covering the regulatory aspects and practical steps at each stage along the development pathway. These entries will include what happens at the relevant stage, stakeholders involved, terminology definitions, challenges, opportunities and incentives, interactions with regulators, practical steps, and information on regulations, including applicable binding texts, guidelines and other support.
