Last week, the Medicines and Healthcare products Regulatory
Agency (MHRA) hosted an event for the seven newly established
Centres of Excellence in Regulatory Science and Innovation
(CERSIs) to showcase how their projects will help drive
advancements in healthcare.
The event held in Westminster, London, brought together for the
first time the MHRA and its fellow funding partners – Innovate
UK, the Office for Life Sciences, and the Medical Research
Council (MRC) – MHRA project sponsors, and key representatives
from government, industry and academia to hear directly from the
CERSI leads about how their projects had developed since launch
at the beginning
of the year.
Discussions centred on:
- AI and MedTech – Making sure AI-powered tools are safely
developed and integrated into patient care and the wider
healthcare system.
- In silico trials – Exploring new approaches to streamline
development while maintaining safety.
- Pharmacogenomics and diagnostics – Shifting healthcare from
sickness to prevention.
- Cell and gene therapies – Developing laboratory approaches to
shared challenges in advanced therapies.
- Modernising manufacture – Using new digital tools to the full
in the production of medicines and medical devices.
The session also provided the opportunity to focus on
cross-cutting issues, covering:
- Data sharing – A fundamental enabler for all CERSI projects,
ensuring responsible and effective use of health data.
- Skills and expertise – Training regulatory scientists to keep
pace with rapid medical advancements.
- Patient and public involvement – Embedding patient
perspectives in innovation to understand and shape how it impacts
their experience of healthcare.
The collective impact of the CERSI initiative will help to ensure
patients benefit from innovation and new treatments sooner.
Science and Innovation Minister and MHRA Chief Executive
Dame June Raine led keynote speeches, highlighting the
programme's role in shaping the future of regulatory science.
June Raine, MHRA Chief Executive, said:
“At our CERSIs event this week, the depth of expertise was
impressive and there was real excitement about the progress being
made. The discussions highlighted a strong commitment to
improving access to innovation for patients, shared with our
partners Innovate UK, Office of Life Sciences and the MRC.
Through the CERSIs, we have a major opportunity to drive advances
in regulatory science in the UK – now is the time to turn that
potential into action.”
