The Cell Therapy Catapult, focused on the development of the U.K. cell therapy industry to increase the nation's health and wealth, has published its database of ongoing clinical trials in this area in the U.K.

The database details 21 studies and will be used by the organization to identify potential programs for development or partnership, as well to provide a key indication of progress in the U.K. cell therapy industry.

The database will be updated regularly and input from the cell therapy community is welcome to ensure it remains comprehensive and accurate.

Key findings from the Cell Therapy Catapult U.K. Clinical Trials Database include:

• Roughly 75% of U.K. clinical trials are sponsored by a research institution
• Diverse cell types are being investigated, although bone marrow cells predominate
• Transplant/oncology indications dominate, although there is also significant activity in cardiovascular and neurological indications
• The majority of cell therapies are in phase I/ll or II trials, highlighting the translational gap the Cell Therapy Catapult is looking to address.

The database includes all current academic and commercial trials in the U.K., regardless of the nationality of the sponsor, and covers those involving cells as therapeutic agents (excluding established stem cell transplants and gene therapy delivery systems).

Later this year, the Cell Therapy Catapult plans to publish a database of cell therapies likely to enter clinical development in the next few years.

“The U.K. Clinical Trials Database is one of our early outputs, and an important part of our engagement with the community, whose input and comments we welcome,” said Keith Thompson, CEO of the Cell Therapy Catapult. “It's encouraging to see the quality of the early- stage work ongoing in the U.K., although the need to convert this into late-stage and commercial products is clear. The Cell Therapy Catapult is working to address this translational gap, and we will be using the database to help monitor our progress.”