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Gantt

Gipuzkoa Advanced New Therapies Territory (GANTT) is a collaborative project with which we want to consolidate Gipuzkoa as an international benchmark in the development of cell, gene and RNA therapies with an industrial orientation.

The aim is to generate an eco-system during the next few years to develop the value chain linked to these therapies, in which Gipuzkoa has some important strengths and capacities.

 

 

1.Creating an industrial value chain.
2.Promoting the development of current businesses.
3.Designing a specific training plan.
4.Designing an ad-hoc funding plan.

 

 

What are advanced therapies?

Advanced therapies are highly innovative medicines that are based on the use of genes, cells or tissues to prevent or treat diseases.

Some of these strategies been in development for years and are already being applied in clinical practice, such as for example in the treatment of certain blood diseases or in tissue regeneration.

Due to their potential it is also possible to think abourt future applications for other pathologies, as is the case of neurodegenerative muscular disorders and other complex diseases.

 

 

Why are advanced therapies important?

Advanced therapies owe their importance to the high potential that they have to provide personalised treatment.

They are also revolutionising medicine as they are being put forward as new therapeutic strategies for the treatment of diseases that up to now have no other effective treatments.

All over the world, public and private bodies are making efforts, through clear strategies and by investing millions to establish a significant strategic position in this field.

 

 

Main courses of action

The commitment by Gipuzkoa Provincial Council is rooted on the creation of an eco-system to develop advanced therapies, based on the existing capacities and the realities of the region and technology.

Taking advantage of the presence of the industrial sector in Gipuzkoa, an academia-public sector-industry collaboration process is being launched to help the region to grow.

The aim is to launch funding models and specific actions, as use cases, adapted to the region that will make it possible to boost the current eco-system.

 

 

GANTT strategy

Various agents in the historical terrritory of Gipuzkoa have made an effort coordinated by the Provincial Council to define a strategy that will allow them to make the territory a benchmark in the field of advanced therapies.

The strategy focuses on the development of a contract development and manufacturing model (CDMO) that positions the region as an agent in charge of production (e.g. viral vectors) in the supply chain for Advanced Therapies, that also include research services (CRO).

 

 

Value proposal

Promoting an entire ecosystem based around Advanced Therapies that enables the development of manufacturing (CDMO) and research (CRO) services with a global scope, by integrating the development of knowledge, specific infrastructures, boosting the value chain (support for dynamic firms and entrepreneurship) and the attraction and retention of talent.

 

 

Focus of the initiative

The first key point of GANTT is the creation of an industrial value chain, by improving production processes through the digitisation and automation of processes.

  • Approach based on a “regional CRO and CDMO” model.
  • Focus on production, integrating this in the value chain of already existing companies or dynamic firms, opening up opportunities for entrepreneurship and boosting training in Advanced Therapies.

 

 

Strategic lines

To do this, six main strategic guidelines have been identified and an action plan defined based on five blocks with the aim of making Gipuzkoa and its region a benchmark.

  • Positioning Gipuzkoa as a benchmark in the field of Advanced Therapies with a niche strategy in Gene Therapy and Cell Therapy.
  • Creating an industrial value chain that provides services for Advanced Therapies companies.
  • Boosting the development of currently existing companies so that they can act as dynamic firms.
  • Making Gipuzkoa a specialised region in clinical trials in advanced therapies.
  • Designing a specific training plan to create the required talent .
  • Designing an ad-hoc financing plan in Advanced Therapies.

 

 

More questions

This is a project in which we have involved all these actors that represent the capacities that have been mentioned: the business value chain, the generation of knowledge, the education system, infrastructures... We have two dynamic firms with acknowledged prestige like Viralgen y VIVEbiotech, that specialise in gene therapies and viral vectors. OSI Donostialdea and Biodonostia are key actors for everything to do with clinical trials, through the Advanced Therapy Unit that is currently being created by Osakidetza. As far as the generation of knowledge is concerned, we also need to mention the participation of EHU/UPV, Ikerbasque, BRTA, CIC BiomaGUNE, CIC BioGUNE, and CIC NanoGUNE, not forgetting BIC Gipuzkoa as a dinamizador of the entrepreneurial side and Mondragón Corporación as the main partner/industrial agent.
The medium-long-term aim is to consolidate international business projects and specialised investment funds in Gipuzkoa, in order to scale companies that form an industrial eco-system. In this way, we would develop an auxiliary industry and specialised suppliers would be created, and this would improve people’s quality of life, and make innovative treatments possible based on these therapies in Gipuzkoa, and also generate new economic activity and quality jobs.
We are really pleased with the steps taken so far to boost the foundations of the project and with the positive attitude shown by the agents involved since we launched this last year. After analysing the most advanced international experiences and our main strengths, we have defined the segment of advanced therapies in which Gipuzkoa has most options to be competitive, with a niche strategy in gene therapy complemented by one in cell therapy. We have also agreed with the agents on the main action guidelines to be carried out, which include the creation of an industrial value chain that provides services for advanced therapy companies; the creation of an eco-system to manufacture the materials required to develop these therapies, boosting the development of currently existing companies; making Gipuzkoa a specialised area in carrying out clinical trials; designing a training plan to attract the required talent; and designing a specific funding plan.