eXmoor Pharma and Royal Free London Forge End-to-End Cell and Gene Therapy Pathway
eXmoor Pharma and the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust have announced a strategic collaboration designed to create a seamless, end-to-end pathway for cell and gene therapy development and manufacturing in the United Kingdom.
Unveiled simultaneously in Bristol and London on 26 November, the partnership links the Royal Free’s Cell and Vector Innovation Centre (CVIC) with eXmoor’s later-phase clinical manufacturing capabilities and its plans for a commercial manufacturing licence.
At its core, the collaboration aims to reduce complexity, accelerate development timelines and reinforce the UK’s position as a global leader in advanced therapeutics. By joining forces, the two organisations intend to smooth the journey from early academic discovery to full commercial launch, ensuring that promising therapies have a clear, practical route from lab bench to bedside.
The strategic link between CVIC and eXmoor is designed to bridge a gap that has traditionally challenged the sector: the transition from early-phase, hospital-based manufacturing to robust, scalable and commercially viable production.
CVIC, based within the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust, is focused on early-phase GMP manufacturing and first-in-human activity. eXmoor brings later-phase clinical manufacturing expertise and an active programme towards securing a commercial manufacturing licence.
Together, they aim to provide a joined-up, UK-based pathway that supports academic, clinical and commercial innovators from proof of concept through to first-in-human trials and, ultimately, commercialisation.
To achieve this, the partnership will focus on aligning technical transfer processes, quality systems and regulatory expertise so that therapies can move more smoothly between early and later stages of development.
Rather than treating each stage as a separate challenge, the collaboration is intended to create a continuum – giving innovators greater confidence that the manufacturing choices they make early on will remain viable as their therapies progress.
Joint priorities for the collaboration include harmonised technology transfer protocols that are designed with downstream scalability in mind, and shared expertise in Qualified Person responsibilities to ensure consistent release standards across sites.
The organisations will also work together on regulatory strategy and quality management, looking to build coherent, end-to-end frameworks that can withstand scrutiny from regulators in the UK and internationally.
Collaborative process development and staff training programmes will further ensure that knowledge, standards and good practice are not siloed, but flow between teams and locations.
A key ambition is to establish a trusted model for academic-industry collaboration in advanced therapies. By giving early-stage innovators clearer visibility of long-term commercial feasibility, the partnership hopes to de-risk decision-making at the very start of the journey.
At the same time, it aims to demonstrate to international stakeholders – from global biotechs to investors and partners – that there are robust, UK-based manufacturing routes capable of supporting advanced therapies from first-in-human trials to full commercial supply.
The Founder & Executive Chair of eXmoor Pharma described the collaboration as a powerful example of how the UK’s strength in early research can be matched with long-term manufacturing foresight.
CVIC, they noted, is undertaking vital work in early-phase GMP, while eXmoor’s focus on development and commercialisation can ensure that these early breakthroughs are not left without a scalable route forward. By connecting the two, the partnership seeks to create a clearer, more supportive route to bring promising therapies to patients – strengthening the UK ecosystem so that innovation stays here and thrives here.
From the NHS side, the Director of CVIC at the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust emphasised that for the UK cell and gene therapy sector to truly thrive, key learnings must flow freely across institutional and commercial boundaries.
This collaboration, they explained, has been deliberately designed to make that flow possible: connecting NHS early-phase experience with eXmoor’s development and commercial manufacturing expertise.
By sharing practical know-how, aligning standards and building mutual understanding, they believe the partnership can catalyse the manufacturing pathway for the next wave of innovators and help create a stronger, more resilient United Kingdom ecosystem for advanced therapies.
In Conclusion
Taken together, the collaboration between eXmoor Pharma and the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust signals an important step in maturing the UK’s cell and gene therapy landscape.
By joining early-phase GMP capability with later-stage and future commercial manufacturing under a shared strategic vision, the partners aim not only to accelerate individual projects but to reshape how innovation flows through the entire system.
If successful, this new pathway could serve as a blueprint for how the UK turns its world-class science into accessible, advanced therapies – keeping cutting-edge innovation, and its benefits for patients, firmly rooted on home soil.
News Credits: eXmoor Pharma and Royal Free London link to strengthen UK gene therapy
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