Building an All-Island CGT Strategy: Ireland’s Opportunity to Deliver Cell and Gene Therapy
Last week’s Cell and Gene Therapy in Ireland conference underscored a pivotal moment for the Irish life sciences sector. The key takeaway? Ireland is in a strong starting position to deliver an ambitious all-island CGT strategy, leveraging its existing infrastructure, research expertise, and growing investment landscape to build a sustainable, patient-centric ecosystem.
Why Now? Ireland’s Readiness to Deliver in CGT
With capital continuing to flow into advanced therapies, Ireland has a unique opportunity to integrate its North-South partnerships, its biopharma expertise, and its strategic geographic positioning to drive a cohesive CGT strategy that delivers for patients across the island and beyond.
Currently, Ireland’s cell and gene therapy (CGT) landscape is still in its early stages compared to established hubs like the UK, Japan, Spain, and the US. However, this presents an advantage: a modern, efficient system can be designed from the ground up that avoids legacy inefficiencies seen in other markets.
The IMPACT initiative, introduced by Professor Sakis Mantalaris during the conference and highlighted in the BPCI budget recommendation, proposes an integrated ecosystem that spans research, clinical application, manufacturing, and distribution. A key lesson from successful CGT hubs —such as Spain and Japan’s focus on non-viral engineering, and the UK’s predominant use of Lentivirus and AAV vectors—is the critical role of platform technologies in creating a sustainable, scalable ecosystem. As Ireland builds its CGT infrastructure, how essential will it be for stakeholders—including government bodies, academic institutions, biopharma companies, and clinical networks—to align around specific platform technologies to drive efficiencies, de-risk investment, and accelerate progress across the ecosystem?
What is the Strategy?
Ireland’s CGT strategy is outlined under IMPACT (Irish Medicines Centre for Personalised Advanced Cellular Therapeutics), which aims to:
Develop a coordinated research and clinical ecosystem spanning both Northern Ireland and the Republic.
Leverage Ireland’s existing strengths in biopharma manufacturing to accelerate CGT production at scale.
Expand clinical trial infrastructure to position Ireland as a leader in early-stage CGT research.
Enhance regulatory and market access frameworks to ensure patient-centric delivery.
These steps align with ensuring Ireland remains competitive in the global CGT space and delivering for patients across the island.
The Benefits of an Early-Stage, All-Island Strategy
While Ireland is entering the CGT ecosystem later than the UK and US, this early-stage positioning offers several advantages:
Strategic Design from the Start – Unlike legacy markets that must retrofit infrastructure, Ireland can build a modern, integrated CGT system from the ground up.
North-South Collaboration – A joint approach ensures access to talent, resources, and patient populations across the entire island, creating a single innovation network.
Geographic and Demographic Advantages – With a relatively small, yet diverse population, Ireland is well-suited for early-phase trials and real-world evidence generation.
Existing Biopharma Expertise – Ireland’s strong pharma sector can be leveraged to accelerate CGT manufacturing and attract further investment.
Learning from Global Success Stories
To understand how Ireland can scale CGT efficiently, it’s worth reflecting on how other nations have built their infrastructure:
The UK Model: Public-Private Alignment
The UK’s success in CGT was driven by:
Government-backed initiatives (e.g., the Cell & Gene Therapy Catapult).
Strong academic and hospital manufacturing networks.
Regulatory adaptability, positioning the UK as a leader in AAV/Lentivirus vector production.
Spain’s Early Investment in Public Health Infrastructure
Spain built regional CGT hubs integrated with public healthcare.
Strong clinical trial networks positioned it as a European leader in CAR-T therapies.
The US Approach: Venture-Backed Innovation
A high-risk, high-reward model enabled rapid CGT development.
Strong links between academia, startups, and biopharma companies fostered an ecosystem of continuous innovation.
Key Challenges for Ireland
Despite its strong starting position, Ireland must address critical barriers to ensure its CGT strategy delivers long-term impact:
Limited Clinical Trial Infrastructure – Investment in trial sites and patient access programs is needed.
High Cost of CGT Treatments – Reimbursement frameworks must be carefully designed to ensure equitable access.
Skills and Talent Gaps – More funding is needed for CGT-specific education and workforce training programs.
Regulatory Complexity – Ireland must establish a streamlined, innovation-friendly regulatory framework to attract CGT developers.
The Path Forward: Positioning Ireland as a CGT Leader
If Ireland successfully aligns its CGT strategy across research, clinical development, and manufacturing, it can position itself as a global leader in next-generation therapies.
What’s Next?
The momentum from the CGT in Ireland conference highlights a critical window for action. As Ireland advances its all-island CGT strategy, Lonrú Consulting will continue to support industry leaders, startups, and policymakers in navigating the complexity of CGT innovation.
Want to be part of the conversation? Get in touch to explore how we can collaborate in shaping Ireland’s future in CGT.
CGT Ecosystems: Ireland Has The Opportunity To Build From The Ground Up.
