If your application is for ethical approval of a gene therapy clinical trial you must apply to the Gene Therapy Advisory Committee (GTAC).

GTAC is the UK national REC for gene therapy clinical research according to regulation 14(5) of The Medicines for Human Use (Clinical Trials) Regulations 2004.

You may book applications to the following RECs:

Once a booking is accepted, you must electronically submit your application and supporting documentation on the same day. If your application is valid, you will be sent an acknowledgement within five days of receipt and arrangements subsequently made for you to attend the REC meeting.

Historically, GTAC would send applications for external peer review. In future, as with all other RECs, the responsibility for providing peer review will rest with the sponsor.

We will seek to work in partnership with other organisations to determine whether it is possible to develop some agreed standards. More information can be found here.

You are no longer required to seek pre-application regulatory advice from GTAC. The MHRA will continue to provide this service to commercial companies, and will consider requests for advice from academic researchers.

Members of the research community have requested clarity on the type of application that needs to be submitted to GTAC.

Legally, all gene therapy applications must be submitted to a GTAC that is able to transfer to other designated RECs.

To make it easier for researchers and sponsors to identify other studies needing review, other applications that involve cell therapy and/or that are submitted to the MHRA Clinical Trials Expert Advisory Group must also be submitted to GTAC.

All gene therapy and cell therapy applications for Clinical Trials Authorisation will be assessed by the MHRA and, where appropriate will now be submitted to the MHRA Clinical Trials Expert Advisory Group for review. This review will assure the RECs that appropriate scrutiny of the safety of the application has been carried out.

The REC will raise any concerns directly with the MHRA.

See original here:
Gene Therapy Advisory Committee - Health Research Authority

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