HSC R&D Division provides support for the Cell Based Therapy Facility (CBTF) on the Belfast Trust site.
In 2015-16, Northern Ireland’s first CBTF was established, with support from the UK Medical Research Council (MRC), Department of Health NI (DoH) and Queen's University Belfast (QUB).
Cell-based therapies represent the cutting edge of research into new treatments for a variety of conditions such as respiratory failure in the critically ill, renal failure in patients with diabetes, and vision loss. Establishment of the CBTF in Northern Ireland has addressed a disparity in terms of the availability of novel and innovative cell-based therapies to Northern Ireland patients, through cutting edge research trials. It is only through the provision of this specialist fully equipped unit, with appropriately trained staff, that Northern Ireland researchers, and thereby patients, are enabled to participate in this type of trial. The CBTF is located in the existing Victoria Pharmaceuticals unit on Belfast Trust, RVH site.
It is expected that the facility will be fully operational by mid-2017 and that it will be key to delivering novel phase I/II trials of stem cells which will be led from Northern Ireland for clinical indications including lung, kidney and eye disease.