{"id":12411,"date":"2025-03-21T12:12:21","date_gmt":"2025-03-21T12:12:21","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/?p=12411"},"modified":"2025-03-24T09:20:48","modified_gmt":"2025-03-24T09:20:48","slug":"irelands-leadership-in-advanced-cellular-therapies","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/healthcare-innovations\/irelands-leadership-in-advanced-cellular-therapies\/","title":{"rendered":"Ireland\u2019s leadership in advanced cellular therapies"},"content":{"rendered":"\n<div style=\"background-color:#f2f2f2;color:#32373c\" class=\"wp-block-atomic-blocks-ab-profile-box round ab-has-avatar ab-font-size-14 ab-block-profile ab-profile-columns\"><div class=\"ab-profile-column ab-profile-avatar-wrap\"><div class=\"ab-profile-image-wrap\"><figure class=\"ab-profile-image-square\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"400\" height=\"400\" class=\"ab-profile-avatar wp-image-12412\" src=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2025\/03\/21120545\/vicky-1742558745-Fiona-Killards-Headshot.jpg\" alt=\"\" srcset=\"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2025\/03\/21120545\/vicky-1742558745-Fiona-Killards-Headshot.jpg 400w, https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2025\/03\/21120545\/vicky-1742558745-Fiona-Killards-Headshot-125x125.jpg 125w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 400px) 100vw, 400px\" \/><\/figure><\/div><\/div><div class=\"ab-profile-column ab-profile-content-wrap\"><h2 class=\"ab-profile-name\" style=\"color:#32373c\">Dr. Fiona C. Killard-Lynch<\/h2><p class=\"ab-profile-title\" style=\"color:#32373c\">Director of Research and Innovation, NIBRT<\/p><div class=\"ab-profile-text\"><\/div><ul class=\"ab-social-links\"><\/ul><\/div><\/div>\n\n\n\n<p><em>For patients with complex illnesses like cancer, autoimmune diseases, genetic disorders and neurodegenerative conditions, advanced therapies offer life-changing potential.<\/em><\/p>\n\n\n\n<hr class=\"wp-block-separator has-alpha-channel-opacity\"\/>\n\n\n\n<p>Advanced cellular therapies use living cells or genes to target and even cure diseases. A prime example is CAR-T cell therapy, where a patient\u2019s immune cells are extracted, reengineered to better recognise and attack cancer cells, and then reintroduced into the body. Unlike traditional medicines, these therapies are designed to work with a patient&#8217;s unique biology.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-ireland-falls-short-in-cell-and-gene-therapy-investment\"><strong>Ireland falls short in cell and gene therapy investment<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Globally, these therapies are transforming healthcare. In Ireland, however, access to such innovations is still limited. In 2022\u20132023, only 1.5% of the \u20ac2.6 billion invested in Ireland\u2019s biopharma sector was directed toward cell and gene therapies. Without expanded clinical trials, specialised manufacturing facilities and stronger connections between research and clinical care, Ireland risks losing its competitive edge in this rapidly evolving field.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>Ultimately, this means that Irish patients could face delayed access to innovative treatments, the financial burden of seeking care abroad or limited or no access to potentially life-saving therapies. There is hope, however, through IMPACT, a new all-Ireland research centre designed to position the country at the forefront of personalised advanced cellular therapeutics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote is-layout-flow wp-block-quote-is-layout-flow\">\n<p>In 2022\u20132023, only 1.5% of the \u20ac2.6 billion <br>invested in Ireland\u2019s biopharma sector was <br>directed toward cell and gene therapies.<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-hub-aims-to-advance-precision-healthcare\"><strong>Hub aims to advance precision healthcare<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>Supported by NIBRT, the cornerstone of Ireland\u2019s biopharmaceutical training and research, IMPACT will create a national innovation hub to connect research institutes, hospitals, manufacturing facilities and industry partners. This collaboration will accelerate the clinical translation of new therapies, making them more accessible and affordable for patients. IMPACT\u2019s personalised approach ensures that treatments are tailored to each patient\u2019s individual biological profile.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<p>This initiative aligns with both Ireland\u2019s new Life Sciences Strategy and the European Commission\u2019s push to strengthen biotechnology as a driver of competitiveness and strategic autonomy. With strong national support and partnerships across Europe, Ireland is well-positioned to lead in regenerative medicine and advanced therapeutics.<\/p>\n\n\n\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\" id=\"h-strengthen-ireland-s-position-in-advanced-medicine\"><strong>Strengthen Ireland\u2019s position in advanced medicine<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n<p>IMPACT\u2019s mission is clear: improve patient access; reduce treatment costs; and strengthen Ireland\u2019s healthcare ecosystem. By addressing these critical needs, Ireland can secure its place as a leader in regenerative medicine and precision healthcare.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For patients with complex illnesses like cancer, autoimmune diseases, genetic disorders and neurodegenerative conditions, advanced therapies offer life-changing potential. Advanced cellular therapies use living cells or genes to target and even cure diseases. A prime example is CAR-T cell therapy, where a patient\u2019s immune cells are extracted, reengineered to better recognise and attack cancer cells, &hellip; <a href=\"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/healthcare-innovations\/irelands-leadership-in-advanced-cellular-therapies\/\">Continued<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":91,"featured_media":12413,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"footnotes":""},"categories":[5973],"tags":[5972],"class_list":["post-12411","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-healthcare-innovations","tag-healthcare-innovations-2025"],"acf":[],"featured_image_src":"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2025\/03\/21120838\/vicky-1742558917-AdobeStock_962306144-600x400.jpg","featured_image_src_square":"https:\/\/s3.eu-north-1.amazonaws.com\/cdn-site.mediaplanet.com\/app\/uploads\/sites\/94\/2025\/03\/21120838\/vicky-1742558917-AdobeStock_962306144-600x600.jpg","author_info":{"display_name":"henryphillips","author_link":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/author\/henryphillips\/"},"vicky_index_order":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12411","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/91"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=12411"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12411\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":12414,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/12411\/revisions\/12414"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/12413"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=12411"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=12411"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.healthnews.ie\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=12411"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}