AROUND BRITAIN ALPHA BIOLABORATORIES
Since 2001, eight British scientists have been awarded the Nobel Prize for Medicine
The UK produces the highest number of science, mathematics and computing graduates annually in the EU, and is home to two of the world’s top four universities in medicine and biological science rankings.
A WARRINGTON-BASED DNA testing laboratory is exporting its services across Europe with the help of UK Trade & Investment. Alpha Biolaboratories, which employs 24 people, tests around 5,000 samples each year, mainly for legal cases. Since enrolling on UK Trade & Investment’s Passport to Export programme, the company has gained important clients in Denmark and Ireland, helping to boost its turnover to £1.2m in 2010, more than 20 per cent of which was exports. Managing director David Thomas says: “We are still growing our business in the UK, but saw Denmark as an alternative market. The turnaround for tests there used to be around 10 days because samples were sent to US testing companies. We can now do the legal DNA paternity tests within an industry-beating timeframe.”
alphabiolabs.com
BRISTOL-MYERS SQUIBB
Sciences is Europe’s largest.” Other specialist research institutes and organisations based in the North West include the Manchester Cancer Research Centre (MCRN), which together with the Christie NHS Hospital Trust forms Europe’s largest combined cancer research and treatment facility; the Northwest Institute for BioHealth Informatics (NIBHI) and the Nowgen Centre for Genetics in Healthcare, closely linked to the adjacent European Clinical Genetics Reference Laboratory. The North West is also home to the UK Biobank, a unique project designed to better prevent, diagnose and treat a wide range of serious and life-threatening illnesses. Specialist bioincubation facilities offer a comprehensive range of space for the region’s life sciences fi rms.
SECTOR SUPPORT UK Trade & Investment, which organises regular life science events and trade missions, and Bionow, which champions
and delivers strategic infrastructure programmes and hosts an active network community, offer valuable support. UK Trade & Investment’s strategic marketing events showcase the region’s capabilities. It also offers assistance to SMEs to enter or grow their business in the life sciences sector internationally. UK Trade & Investment can also help overseas companies from the sector looking to invest in the region by offering them impartial advice, information on funding, fi nance, staffi ng and operations (including tax, visas, property and R&D options), introductions to key contacts and professional advisers as well as practical help on the ground, including visits to suitable locations. ■
LET’S DO BUSINESS
TO LEARN MORE about life sciences, contact Mike Connor on 07966 308454 or email
mike.connor@
uktinorthwest.co.uk
SUPPORT FROM UK Trade & Investment played a key role in US drugs giant Bristol-Myers Squibb (BMS) deciding to expand its presence in the North West, safeguarding more than 100 jobs. In 2009, the company announced that it would spend $6m on its 11-acre research and development laboratory in Moreton, Wirral, providing new specialised laboratories for developing dosage forms and delivery systems for emerging medicines. Dr Peter Timmins, executive
director, Drug Product Science and Technology at BMS, said the quality and availability of skilled staff, the innovative spirit of the pharmaceutical community, the world-class universities, networks and transport links, and the support of local government agencies were all factors in its decision.
b-ms.co.uk/www.bms.com
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