Tech Transfer, the winning formula

We continue to witness the evolvement of new solutions at a remarkable pace. Factors like advanced communication, new technologies, and variable transportation are vital. They have played an essential role not only in making an ever-evolving technology a possibility, but also in speeding up this possibility. As a result, technologies are emerging on a faster rate, and are also adopted fairly quickly around the globe.

Technology transfer is another factor that many sectors benefited from, including the cell and gene therapy. These sectors benefit from many technology transfer features such as:

1. No re-invention: innovations are the fruit of long years of research, trial and error, and proof of concept. By transferring a proven technology, the new team saves years-worth of effort and cost. Rather, it allows the new team to compare their capacity with the technology originators by reproducing the study results.
2. Short time to clinic: by moving directly to implementation of an approved technology, the new team can focus on their production and on their patients. They can make the new technology available to patients in a relatively short time.
3. Easier review: transferred technology also benefit regulators; by reviewing a study with a record of pre-clinical and clinical data on top of the proof-of-concept data. Reviewing a copy of an approved study is much easier for all hurdles had been worked out.
4. Extra data: technology originators would also get more data of how their technology is performing among another patient community, another processing facility, and another clinical team. Technology originators can utilize these data to fine tune or improve on the existing technology.

These are all supportive features of technology transfer. But there are conditions for these features to be realized:

• Trusted source: a technology is as strong as its design. This would be reflected on the preclinical performance, as well as the intended clinical performance, although initial. Researchers should carefully select the technology they want to transfer to be (1) coming from a reliable team with track record of achievements. The transferred technology should also (2) have a record of regulatory approval, and (3) initial clinical data, if possible.
• Supportive environment: the new home of the technology should be open and supportive to technology transfer for the transfer to be fruitful. Specifically, regulators where the technology is being transferred to should be clear about what technology transfer they support, and under what requirements. They also need to clarify what original studies would they consider referable and need not be repeated.

Technology transfer presents a win-win-win-win situation for technology originators, transferors, regulators, and consumers; you can’t beat it. Let us utilize it and make it even better.

Let us know if we missed anything, or if you would like a specific subject to be discussed, write to us. 

About the author

Naseem Almezel, earned his MSc degree in Cellular Therapies in 2010, since then his career focus is to support Bone Marrow Transplant and Oncology programs. Naseem likes to work in the lab doing translational research, or in the cleanroom doing GMP production. When he is not working, Naseem likes to read and to spend time outdoors. Find more about Naseem here