CUHK has entered into a new partnership with the Hong Kong Science and Technology Parks Corporation (HKSTP) to build a world-class Good Manufacturing Practice (GMP) facility in Hong Kong to accelerate the development of life-saving cancer therapies, regenerative medicine and related biomedical technologies.

Ensuring the Quality of Pharmaceutical Products
GMP is a system for ensuring that products are consistently produced and controlled according to quality standards. It is designed to minimise the risks involved in pharmaceutical production and covers all aspects of production from the starting materials, premises and equipment to the training of staff.

Advancing Medicines
Hong Kong’s biomedical sector is undergoing accelerated growth, and as a result there is increasing demand for supporting facilities that comply with the Pharmaceutical Inspection Co-operation Scheme GMP standards required for the development and manufacture of Advanced Therapy Products (ATPs). ATPs are an emerging class of medicines that include those for stem cell therapy, gene therapy and immunotherapy. They can potentially provide new and life-saving treatments for patients with illnesses including cancers and cardiovascular and neurological diseases, where there are limited or no treatment options currently available.

Connecting Hong Kong’s Expertise to the World
This new facility will bring top researchers from academia and promising startups to advance Hong Kong’s international position in biomedical technology and better connect it with the international healthcare sector. It provides a space for researchers with expertise in cell therapy and regenerative medicine in Hong Kong to implement clinical trials in cell-based cancer therapies such as chimeric antigen receptor T-cell, as well as deliver support in research and professional training. An ideal environment for collaboration, the facility is expected to deliver breakthroughs in cell therapy in the future to benefit more cancer patients. The GMP facility will be in operation in early 2021 and is located inside the Hong Kong Institute of Biotechnology, a CUHK subsidiary which is strategically situated between CUHK campus and the Hong Kong Science Park.