A NORTH-EAST bioscience centre has been selected to deliver cutting-edge training in cell and gene therapy and vaccine manufacturing.

Teesside University’s National Horizons Centre (NHC) has been selected as the National Training Centre for the Advanced Therapies Skills Training Network (ATSTN).

The move, which further cements the Tees Valley’s growing reputation as a global hub for the bioscience sector, follows last months' news a Covid vaccine will be manufactured on Teesside.

Alongside RoslinCT in Edinburgh and the University of Birmingham, the NHC is one of three training centres that will deliver high impact courses as part of the growing ATSTN programme.

The NHC, which is based at the university’s Darlington campus at Central Park, opened in 2019 to deliver research, education and collaboration to help grow the UK’s bioscience sector.

ATSTN is a nationwide skills development programme driven by industry and coordinated by the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, funded by £4.7m as part of the Government’s commitment to expand the country's expertise in advanced therapies and vaccine manufacturing.

A core aim of the ATSTN is to develop a coordinated network of centres to deliver on-site courses including those using virtual reality, providing learners with the hands-on expertise and experience to succeed in the advanced therapies and vaccine manufacturing sector.

Dr Jen Vanderhoven, director of the National Horizons Centre, said: “Collaboration is the key to success and I am delighted that the NHC has been chosen as one of the national ATSTN centres to provide the vital training of the future advanced therapies and vaccines workforce.

“The NHC, with its leading expertise, state-of-the-art bioprocessing and virtual reality capabilities, is perfectly positioned to up-skill and cross-skill hundreds of people in the coming months.

“We will deliver the necessary technical hands-on training to create the workforce needed to manufacture vaccines and advanced therapies, to overcome Covid-19 and any future pandemics and diseases.

“We look forward to working with the other centres and the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, to create a truly world-class offering that puts the UK at the forefront of advanced therapy medicinal products and vaccine manufacturing.”

Matthew Durdy, chief executive of the Cell and Gene Therapy Catapult, welcomed the news.

He said: “We are looking forward to collaborating with the National Horizons Centre which will bring its expertise, industry-leading bioprocessing and virtual reality capabilities to this programme.

“This is a significant step in driving the effective development and rollout of state-of-the-art and impactful training courses which can rapidly upskill and attract talent within the advanced therapies and vaccine manufacturing industry.

“The involvement of the National Horizons Centre will enable the ATSTN to provide users with a wide variety of exciting training resources which are at the forefront of innovation. I look forward to witnessing the impact which the NHC will make as part of this valued collaboration over the years to come.”