Acquisitions Signal Steady Growth Phase for Lab Supplies Company


UK equipment, chemicals and consumables provider Scientifi c Laboratory Supplies (SLS) has announced the acquisition of two businesses, West-Yorkshire-based Gem Scientifi c and Gateshead located Northern Balance. Both companies will continue to operate as independent entities and retain all employees.


As a distributor of high quality laboratory products, including hygiene testing devices and consumables to sectors such as the food and beverage industry, for Gem Scientifi c the move will bring reinforcement of its supply chain as well as access to additional operational support from SLS.


Northern Balance, a provider of weighing solutions focusing on calibration, servicing and maintenance, brings to the group a team of highly experienced, customer-facing engineers, providing an exciting opportunity for SLS to develop a designated service business to enhance its current operations. These acquisitions signal the start of a long-term growth period for the parent company with plans for further acquisitions and recruitment to broaden its portfolio into a wider geographical area, including the UK, Ireland, East Africa and beyond.


Justin Welton, Managing Director at Gem Scientifi c, commented: “We are committed to providing clients with high quality and innovative products, backed by fi rst-class service and support. The new partnership with SLS will help to accelerate our growth, enhance our capabilities and expand our product portfolio. This is truly a great outcome for all our employees, partners and valued customers.”


Gem Scientific joins SLS


Daniel Egan-Sheath, Managing Director at Northern Balance, added: “We share a similar mission with SLS and have closely tied values, focusing on delivering high quality products with the best possible customer service. This new working relationship with SLS will help us expand our capabilities and national footprint to provide a more thorough service to our customers.”


Ian Roulstone, Managing Director at SLS, said: “These new additions to the SLS Group provide further opportunity to serve more customers with a broader range of products and fi rst-class service. The move


SLS and Northern balance join forces


also secures the roles of all existing personnel and will provide further development and recruitment opportunities within a growing organisation that is completely customer focused. This is an important milestone for the SLS Group, and keeping the customer at the centre of our strategy will continue to drive us forward as we increase our product offerings and expand into new markets and geographies.”


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Smart support for Peptide Drug Discovery Platform


UK invests in World class Research and Innovation Structure


UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) has announced a £481 million investment in major research and innovation infrastructure over the next three years to help power groundbreaking work across a spectrum of disciplines and help tackle a range of societal issues, from the impacts of climate change to adolescent mental health.


Major projects include:


A transformative upgrade for the UK’s national synchrotron (Diamond-II), one of the UK’s largest science facilities. The vast 561 metre ring-shaped at Diamond Light Source on the Harwell Campus harnesses the power of electrons to produce an intense beam of light that can be used to study atoms and molecules in incredibly fi ne detail.


Dr Neil Butt


Biopharmaceutical company Orbit Discovery has been awarded a £472,000 Smart grant by Innovate UK, to facilitate the implementation of droplet-based microfl uidics for cell-based functional screening to advance the discovery of peptide therapeutic candidates.


The company’s high-throughput screening platform will directly address diffi cult-to-access drug targets in key areas of biological interest, with a focus on multi-membrane spanning proteins, such as G-protein-coupled receptors. Orbit’s proposed interfacing of cell-based functional screening models with peptide display technologies will rapidly identify molecules which generate a therapeutically-relevant functional response earlier in the drug discovery process. This will avoid polluting screening outputs with non-functional binders often observed with other platforms.


Anthony Pitt, Chief Technology Offi cer, Orbit Discovery, commented: “This Innovate UK Smart Grant will help us further cement our technical leadership in functional screening. The microfl uidic platform can elevate our current functional screening capabilities from tens of thousands to millions of peptides. This throughput will help us identify rare functional binders that are typically missed with more traditional screening platforms.”


Dr Neil Butt, Chief Executive Offi cer, Orbit Discovery, said: “This is an exciting opportunity for Orbit to increase its commitment to R&D and create additional high value service offerings to our customers. Our current functional screening platform is market leading and the conclusion of this work will be transformational in expanding the throughput and library size that can be screened within the platform.”


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To date, Diamond has enabled ground-breaking scientifi c achievements, including:


• time-critical data and resources for improved public understanding of COVID-19


• research of an enzyme that degrades plastic


• a new synthetic vaccine for the virus causing foot-and-mouth disease.


£81.5 million is to be invested over the next three years in Diamond- II, which when complete will open up new pathways for materials research and drug development; offer real-time insights into processes such as advanced manufacturing and the performance of next-generation batteries.


The UK’s Facility for Airborne Atmospheric Measurements (FAAM) is also a recipient of funding. The fl ying laboratory enables scientists to track and evaluate pollution, severe weather and the effects of climate change, with analyses conducted on the atmosphere and air pollution levels over the UK and international skies monitored.


It has tracked:


• dangerous gases caused by volcanic eruptions • surveyed drought in Africa.


£37 million will be invested in upgrading the aircraft’s scientifi c equipment which will continue to support environmental scientists for the next 18 years.


CoSTAR, a new creative facility for the UK’s renowned screen, gaming and performance sectors receives funding of £24 million


Diamond Light Source aerial view (Credit: Diamond Light Source)


and will support fast-growing creative industries to develop new products and experiences.


Comprising a central hub and experimental studio fi tted with real- time digital technologies such as motion and volumetric capture, the viewer is able to rotate or move around in what appears to be a three-dimensional space.


The central hub will be enhanced by a network of regional labs across the UK.


UKRI Chief Executive Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser said: “From drug discovery to advances in digital arts, advances in research and innovation depend on access to cutting edge equipment and facilities and the UK is home to world-renowned facilities in a wide range of fi elds, which act as global hubs for research and innovation.


“We must ensure that we renew and upgrade that capability to keep pace with technological advances, empowering our researchers and innovators to go further faster.


Today, we are investing £481 million across the UK that will ensure our talented people, teams and innovative businesses have access to the world-class infrastructure they need to unlock their full potential.”


The three-year £481 million investment is made from UKRI’s Infrastructure Fund.The lifetime UKRI Infrastructure Fund investment in this portfolio is estimated to be £1.6 billion.


Many of the investments will be subject to business case and further approvals.


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