The Evolving Communication Landscape of CGT

By Neha Sobti, Managing Director, Global Network Life Sciences Industry Lead; Vaibhav Kayathwal, Consulting Manager, Global Network Life Sciences; and Dr. Sanjay Srivastava, Ph.D., Cell & Gene Therapy CoE Lead, Life Sciences Practice at Accenture

The cell and gene therapy (CGT) landscape is evolving from an exploratory experiment to a mainstream treatment. During the period between 2014-2021, the CGT landscape was predominantly dominated by autologous cell and gene therapies, also known as CGT 1.0. The challenges experienced and lessons learned from the first commercial autologous therapies have fostered an increase in positive attitudes towards CGT and paved the way for CGT 2.0, which focuses on allogenic therapies. We are amid a shift towards CGT 2.0 as the allogenic market expands and the discourse evolves. We aim to demonstrate the influence of communication landscape of CGT, evolution of the dialogue on CGT over time and how it can influence the public perception.

The discourse of CGT 1.0 shifted over time from viability to access and affordability. CGT 2.0 is also following a similar trajectory to 1.0 but at a much faster pace. Conversations around awareness, patient centricity, and accessibility of allogenic CGT therapies are happening at a much faster rate than autologous therapies, with a focus on cost-efficiency, safety, source of healthy donors, predictability, and high production volumes. Like CGT 1.0, today’s CGT 2.0 communication is strongly centered around promoting scientific platforms and technology. The prominence of allogenic discussions is on the rise, with a growing number of research articles and websites exploring the potential and various therapeutic strategies, costs, and manufacturing barriers associated with allogenic treatments. It is important to gauge how the public perceives the ongoing CGT discourse, and it falls upon the CGT firms to take responsibility for improving the perception.

Public Perception

Most of the studies on cell and gene therapy reported that the public perception of these therapies is low on acceptance. The major concern is around uncertainty of the sources of cell, cost of therapies, measures of safety and accessibility. To foster a comprehensive understanding of these therapies and to ensure transparency regarding what is achievable and what is not, it is essential for individuals to receive accurate information from reliable sources, which enables them to assess the associated risks and benefits effectively. The most trusted sources of information for the public are the ones coming from scientist’s, medical researchers, and ethicists whereas they consider media platforms as more sensational. For CGT firms to make sure that they create a positive perception among the public they need to build their communication strategy which should focus on the below three drivers of communication.

1. Sources of information: Not all sources of information are equal, and in an age of misinformation, awareness is not uniform in quality, which not only leads to potential confusion, but also potential harm might be done in the pursuit of unproven treatments. CGT-focused companies need to provide information coming from trusted sources like medical researchers and scientists. They need to reduce the sensationalism and focus on increasing the awareness of the public so that they can make well informed decisions.
2. Topic/nature of the information: The focus of the content of the information should be to provide accurate results coming out the trials, detailed information of the side effects in a simple way. This will enable them to take informed decisions about participation in trials/treatment. Companies should also provide more information around cost of the therapies, source of the cells, safety, and accessibility.
3. Reach: In addition to traditional media channels, CGT-focused companies can also leverage social media platforms and their own websites to engage with the public. This approach expands opportunities to raise awareness, foster discussions on CGT research, and amplify the reach, allowing for a greater ability to shape conversations in ways that were previously inaccessible to the public. To enhance trust among the public, companies can also partner with regulatory bodies and advocacy groups as they play a vital role in educating the individuals on CGT and its risks and benefits.

In the following sections, we have discussed the key themes of CGT that companies are focusing on, lexicons they are using, and which themes are less occupied.

Prominent themes around CGT communication

After conducting research on various CGT-focused companies in different categories, including biotech and pharmaceutical companies with products in the pipeline or already commercialized, we have identified that organizations primarily concentrate on six key areas within the communication space. These areas encompass their websites, social media platforms, videos, conferences, and other channels through which they engage with their target audience. Based on our research, the following themes are prominent around CGT communication.

1. Scientific collaboration/ partnership focus: Companies make sure to highlight the excellence of their collaborators, and how they are leveraging their expertise. In doing so, they often highlight the names and logos of the companies they have partnered with to enhance their own credibility. On the other hand, incumbent players do not usually show their partners’ logos as prominently.
2. Platform / technology focus: The space is rife with industry-centric messaging around scalability potential however, vocabulary is repetitive. Across the industry, we observe a notable prevalence of terms such as “Life-Changing,” “Cutting-Edge,” “Regenerative,” “Groundbreaking,” and “Transform.” While it is common for CGT firms to utilize these terms, an excessive use of certain keywords can potentially undermine credibility, particularly during the early stages.
3. Patient centricity: In the realm of messaging within the CGT field, companies are actively tapping into the emotions of "Hope" and "Hopefulness." These words are widely utilized and have been extensively explored. Common language utilized to emphasize patient-centricity includes phrases such as "Our Responsibility," "Our Primary Goal," "Our Commitment," "Together," "Understand," and "Connection."
4. Financial/ investor focus: CGT firms focus on the upfront cash they have and sources from where they can raise funds. They highlight the portfolio of investors on their website, post a great deal about their recent fundraising. They are highly focused on attracting investors through the promise of their platform and the future commercial viability of their platform.
5. Manufacturing focus: CGT firms focus on the keywords like “Scaling,” “Exponential,” “Mass-Production,” “High-Throughput” to showcase their capabilities in manufacturing. Other focused areas are on accessibility, off-the-shelf, safety, affordability, and treatment for all. Lots of visuals of bioreactors, technology is used in websites, social media, videos to showcase the manufacturing capabilities.
6. Societal focus: Companies mainly focus on two areas to convey their message for societal good.
   1. Aspirational: General societal impact, focused on advancing society and tackling healthcare challenges, making cell therapy accessible for all patients and difficult-to-treat diseases.
   2. Educational: Expanding the general societal knowledge around cell and gene therapy

Through our comprehensive internal research encompassing different company types within the CGT landscape, it has become evident that among the myriad of themes, the societal focus stands out as an untapped terrain brimming with immense potential for exploration and meaningful engagement.

In conclusion, stakeholders like patients and care givers need understanding of cell and gene therapies along with transparency on what is and is not possible. CGT-focused companies should play a prominent role in addressing the knowledge gap and educating stakeholders on cell and gene therapies. Companies need to improve their communication strategies, including the use of patient-centric messaging, leveraging patient advocates, and engaging with regulatory agencies and other stakeholders. They should be proactive in addressing patient concerns and communicating their commitment to patient safety. The key to successful communication will be to build a strong connection between this messaging and the disease area. To ensure maximum impact, the advantages of these therapies should be presented in a manner that genuinely resonates with the desires and priorities of stakeholders. The communication strategy should go beyond their platform to link back to the impact on patients and the greater good.  Companies can follow the following guiding principles to ensure communication consistency and resonance: play to strengths, steer discourse towards patient centricity, avoid saturated areas like platform/technology focus, scientific collaboration etc. and focus on untapped areas such as societal focus. All the guiding principles will help enable the companies to make their messaging unique and memorable, committed to the society by bringing quality treatments and being proactive and lead the curve.

Other Contributors:

Anuj Gupta, Consulting Senior Manager, Global Network Life Sciences, Accenture
Sakshi Guleria, Management Consultant, Global Network Life Sciences, Accenture
Sandeep Das, Management Consultant, Global Network Life Sciences, Accenture