New info hub for online gene and cell therapy

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Gene and cell therapies have the potential to treat many debilitating diseases and conditions. However, experts agree that more work is needed before safe and effective treatments can be made widely available.

EuroGCT (The European Consortium for Communicating Gene and Cell Therapy) will be based at the University of Edinburgh and brings together 47 leading cell and gene therapy-related organizations and research labs across Europe. Experts in product development, ethical, legal and societal issues, as well as in the evaluation of clinical outcomes, patient advocates and science communicators will also be involved in the project. 

"The Stem Cell Network NRW was involved in the application for this project, and we are pleased that in future we will be able to network the promotion of knowledge and science in the field of stem cell research even better across Europe. Congratulations to the Euro GCT team on the funding," states Dr. Sira Groscurth, Managing Director of the Stem Cell Network NRW.

The 2 million Euro initiative will develop an online hub to provide accurate data on the use of cells and genetic material to treat disease, along with evidence-based material to counter misinformation surrounding the therapies. The five-year project will coordinate information from EuroGCT partners to develop a multilingual website that will give patients, healthcare professionals, the public and other stakeholders reliable scientific, legal, and ethical information related to cell and gene-based therapies.

Knowledge and expertise will be contributed by leading cell and gene therapy organizations, 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.

Further information will be available under http://www.eurogct.org/ in due course.