It is time we got more personal with advanced therapies- How do we create the right ecosystem for more effective ATMP development in Europe?

Over the past few years, Advanced Therapy Medicinal Products (ATMPs), especially cell and gene therapies, have brought about a remarkable transformation in the field of therapeutics. ATMPs have the potential to be tailored to individual patients based on their distinct molecular characteristics, making them a crucial aspect of personalized medicine (PM) strategies. Unlocking the full potential of ATMPs is crucial for them to become the treatments of the future. Despite their immense promise, their success is hindered by significant complexity, as evidenced by various systemic bottlenecks in the realms of science, clinical implementation, and regulation. Presently, ATMPs face challenges such as a limited understanding and predictability of in vivo cell fate specific to each patient, regulatory issues caused by rapid technological advancements, inadequate standardization in data acquisition, limited reproducibility during preclinical development, and insufficient knowledge exchange among key stakeholders. Addressing these aspects is essential to fully harness the benefits of ATMPs in healthcare. EATRIS, the European Research Infrastructure for Translational Medicine, is actively enhancing its capabilities in the field of PM through a series of key initiatives. These efforts aim to support also ATMP development and are focused on delivering novel and innovative scientific tools for the scientific community. The final aim is to create the right ecosystem for more effective ATMP development in Europe, by better serving academia and industry in the translation of ATMPs for patient benefit.