BSI enhances industry understanding of cell therapy technologies with new glossary of terms
Press release - 14th May 2012
Today BSI and the London Regenerative Medicine Network announce the publication of the much anticipated 2nd Edition of the Cell therapy and regenerative medicine glossary (commonly known to the industry as PAS 84 or the ‘Little Purple Book’) to ensure that the sector is kept up to date with current terminology and industry best practice.
The Glossary will be available both on the BSI website and in print and online as a Supplement to the May 2012 issue of Regenerative Medicine
The revised glossary commissioned by the UK Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), is intended to provide a standardized list of terms for everyone involved in cell therapy or regenerative medicine, both within the UK and across the globe.
Regenerative medicine - the pursuit of regeneration by drugs, biomaterials, devices and/or cells - originated in the 1980s and today is an expanding multibillion pound industry. Likewise, the emerging cell therapy industry is predicted to grow from £1 billion in global revenue in 2011 to over £3 billion by 2014, with even greater growth expected to follow.
The revised glossary published by BSI is aimed at helping industry representatives:
- Prepare for legal, commercial and societal issues
- Facilitate a common understanding of the science of cell therapies and regenerative medicine
- Improve communication and understanding of advances in the field
- Demonstrate best practice and product quality
- Reduce language barriers in the cell therapy industry supply chain
It provides a complete set of definitions for regenerative medicine and stem cell research – from ‘allogeneic’ to ‘zygote’ – in clear, non-technical language, in an enhanced format and with many new definitions.
Rt Hon David Willetts MP, Minister of State for Universities and Science, Department for Business, Innovation & Skills said: “Cell therapy is evolving at a phenomenal rate and unless certain barriers are removed, these ambitious growth projections will not be met. There is an imperative for all stakeholders – patients, researchers, clinicians, entrepreneurs, manufacturers, press, public and politicians, to share a common language. This signals an urgent need for a universally agreed set of terms and definitions.”
Professor Chris Mason at University College London said: “Scientific breakthroughs, innovation and the overall pace of progress for both regenerative medicine and cell therapy has greatly increased over the last four years and as a result, a great many new terms have come into existence. We therefore welcome the second edition of what has become a highly popular and much used glossary.”
Shirley Bailey-Wood, Director of Publishing at BSI said: “The revision of PAS 84 demonstrates BSI’s ongoing commitment to supporting the development of innovative products and technologies in the UK through standardisation. Together with related specifications such as PAS 83 (publication expected June 2012) and PAS 93, BSI has produced an authoritative range of documents for a potentially sensitive market that can be used by organisations looking to successfully and ethically commercialise cell therapy products. We look forward to continuing to support developments in this field.”
