New perspectives for patients: National strategy for gene- and cell-based therapies handed over to the BMBF
On June 12, 2024, the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité (BIH) presented the National Strategy for Gene- and Cell-Based Therapies to Federal Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP). Around 150 experts, including members of the NCT Patient Research Council and employees of the National Center for Tumor Diseases (NCT), drafted the paper and developed a roadmap for improving patient care and strengthening Germany as a location for gene- and cell-based therapies.
Promising prospects for patients with severe and very rare diseases for which there is currently no treatment: Gene and cell-based therapies (GCTs) are key technologies for innovations in biomedical research and patient care. They not only intervene to modulate disease or alleviate symptoms, but also directly address the genetic cause of the disease process.
In order to improve access to this type of therapy for patients and strengthen Germany as a location for research and innovation in international competition, the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF) commissioned the Berlin Institute of Health at Charité (BIH) in the fall of 2022 to coordinate and moderate the development of a national strategy for gene- and cell-based therapies.
The BIH is one of the sponsors of the NCT Berlin, one of the sites of the NCT, which is a long-term cooperation between the German Cancer Research Center (DKFZ), excellent partners in university medicine and other outstanding research partners at various locations in Germany. The aim of the NCT is to translate innovations in cancer research in Germany into studies in a targeted and rapid manner in order to successfully diagnose cancer and treat it with a high quality of life. Patients are research partners at eye level.
As early as 2019, the BMBF focused on patient participation in research as part of the "National Decade Against Cancer". The aim was to create a culture in Germany in which patients are intensively involved in research processes as research partners. With this in mind, the NCT was expanded from two to six locations in Germany. Markus Wartenberg, spokesperson of the NCT Patient Research Council, was directly involved in the development of the National Strategy for Gene- and Cell-Based Therapies, as were his NCT colleagues Rudolf Hauke and Johannes Förner, who are also members of the DKFZ's Patient Advisory Board for Cancer Research. He emphasizes: "The early involvement of patients in the conception and planning of research and clinical trials is of crucial importance for improving the diagnosis and treatment of cancer. The development of the GCT strategy was an interdisciplinary and exciting process that supported this important credo."
In addition to numerous experts from the supporting institutions at the various NCT sites, the following NCT experts were also involved in the development of the strategy: Dirk Jäger (Lt. Dept. Applied Tumor Immunity, Director NCT Heidelberg), Guy Ungerechts (Lt. Dept. Virotherapy, DKFZ and NCT Heidelberg), Martin Bornhäuser (University Hospital Carl Gustav Carus, NCT Dresden) and Wolfgang Herr (University Hospital Regensburg, NCT WERA).
When handing over the GCT strategy to the BMBF, Federal Research Minister Bettina Stark-Watzinger (FDP) stated: "The National Strategy for Gene- and Cell-Based Therapies is an important step towards securing and expanding Germany's position as a leading location for biomedical innovations. Our declared aim is to create new treatment options for patients in the long term. I am very pleased that we have succeeded in bringing together so many stakeholders from different areas and jointly developing the National Strategy. This collaboration between science, business, the public sector and society is an important key to success."