€2m funding for gene therapy research led by UCD Professor Niall Barron

A gene therapy research project led by (opens in a new window)Professor Niall Barron from the UCD School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering has received €2 million in funding.

The investment came from Research Ireland and APC Ltd, an Irish biopharmaceutical process development and manufacturing company.

TRANS-AM (Transformation of Advanced Medicines Manufacture) will aim to identify more efficient and effective ways to produce and analyse gene therapies. Gene therapies modify a person’s genes to treat or cure a disease.

Researchers aim to address current challenges in gene therapy production, lowering treatment costs and increasing the accessibility of these therapies to the general public. This would also represent a significant opportunity for the biopharma sector in Ireland.

The five-year project is a collaborative research partnership between UCD, APC Ltd and the National Institute for Bioprocessing Research and Training (NIBRT).

It will translate practical research outputs toward production pathways with the support of VLE Therapeutics, APC Ltd’s sister company.

“In recent years, several examples of a new class of medicines – gene therapies – have been approved for use in Ireland and internationally,” said Professor Barron, who is also the Principal Investigator at NIBRT.

“These medicines are revolutionary in that they are designed to replace faulty genes within the patient. In some cases, the patient is effectively cured. These gene therapies are delivered most efficiently by viruses, which are made using living cells grown in large vessels. This manufacturing process contributes to their high cost. 

“Our research, in partnership with APC Ltd and VLE, aims to identify more efficient and effective ways to produce and analyse these therapies to reduce the cost of manufacturing them. It’s a challenge we are looking forward to.”

The co-PIs on the project are (opens in a new window)Dr Jessica Whelan (UCD School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering), Dr Jonathan Bones (NIBRT), (opens in a new window)Dr Ioscani Jimenez del Val (UCD School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering) and Dr Colin Clarke (NIBRT).

“In a relatively short time, gene therapy has delivered extraordinary medical advances and, in many cases, life-changing outcomes for patients,” said James Lawless TD, Minister for Further and Higher Education, Research, Innovation and Science, announcing the funding.

“Through research partnerships like this, we are deepening collaboration with industry, an approach that can be instrumental in delivering groundbreaking research with real benefits for Irish society, our economy, and our international reputation at the forefront of discovery.”

By: Rebecca Hastings, Digital Journalist, UCD University Relations