The Northern Alliance for Advanced Therapies Treatment Centre (NA-ATTC) has added three new partners into its set-up. The additions will support the centre’s acceleration of advanced therapies.

The ATTC is coordinated as part of the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, and operates within the NHS framework.

Achilles Therapeutics, VascVersa and pHion Therapeutics join the NA-ATTC, with the centre now extending to Northern Ireland. Formed in 2018, NA-ATTC is a consortium of 20 industry, NHS and academic organisations with the purpose of bringing advanced therapy medicinal products (ATMPs) to the North of England and Scotland, before bringing them to the national level.

Achilles Therapeutics is a clinical-stage biopharmaceutical company, which develops precision T cell therapies that target clonal neoantigens – protein markers unique to an individual’s cancer cells. It currently has two ongoing Phase I/IIa trials for advanced non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) and metastatic melanoma.

The Belfast-based pHion Therapeutics is a drug delivery technology company, which is developing two cellular entry methods including nanoparticles, while VascVersa is a new regenerative company spun out of Queen’s University Belfast focused on providing solutions to chronic wounds.

The centre also includes collaborations with Chiesi Limited, Cytiva, NHS Blood and Transport and the University of Edinburgh, among others.

This latest announcement comes as the NA-ATTC joined forces with iMatch (Innovate Manchester Advanced Therapy Centre Hub) to scale up the activity and improve access to ATMPs for patients. iMatch has commercial partners such as Aptus Clinical, AstraZeneca and Formedix.

The ATTC also has a Midlands and Wales treatment centre, MW-ATTC.

British biotech company Scancell has expanded its research and development capabilities at one of the UK’s leading parks for science and technology companies – the Oxford Science Park (TOSP).

In a statement, Scancell revealed it had taken new laboratory and office space in the Bellhouse Building at TOSP, allowing the company to further the development of its immunotherapy portfolio.

Scancell is currently developing novel immunotheapies for the treatment of cancer, including ImmunoBody, Moditope and AvidiMab.

The new laboratories at TOSP, which complement Scancell’s labs in the Biodiscovery Institute at the University of Nottingham, will support the company’s clinical trial activities.

The TOSP space will also provide Scancell with analytical and formulation facilities for future product development.

“TOSP is the perfect location for Scancell’s expansion, with access to an excellent local talent pool as we grow the business. We are excited to be part of the creative and collaborative group of companies located in the Park and look forward to further developing our innovative products at this new site,” said Lindy Durrant, chief executive officer at Scancell.

“We are delighted that Scancell has chosen to locate its new R&D facility at The Oxford Science Park, the Company’s first laboratories outside of the university setting. Scancell joins Enara Bio, MoA Technology and Sitryx in the Bellhouse Building. With its leading research in cancer and infectious disease, the Company is a great addition to the innovation community here. This is exciting news for TOSP, following the announcement of our partnership with GIC to accelerate development of the Park,” added Rory Maw, CEO of TOSP.