UCB invests in UK with cutting-edge robotics
Belgium-based biopharma UCB has selected the UK for the home of a £3.3 million investment in innovative robotics, designed by British experts, to automate antibody discovery.
The technology enables a highly automated process for four major steps - the generation, selection, production and evaluation - in the development of new human antibody-based medicines.
The announcement today, Wednesday, has been cited by prime minister David Cameron among new examples of investment into UK pharmaceuticals, announced as he hosts the G8 summit on dementia in London.
The cutting-edge technological investment in the UK from UCB comes as investment of large monetary value has also been announced today by GlaxoSmithKline, which will invest a further £200 million in the country. The pharma giant says the money will create an innovative new manufacturing centre and that the investment was enabled by UK tax breaks dubbed the "patent box".
Mr Cameron will claim at the G8 summit that Britain's strategy against dementia has attracted £2 billion in private sector investment for the UK's life sciences.
See the G8 dementia summit website at http://dementiachallenge.dh.gov.uk.
Yesterday also brought news of investment in UK science - see our story J&J nestles into five UK 'excellence' cities
Related news:
UK researchers urged to lead world (London Evening Standard)
"Patent box" encourages GSK to invest $330 million more in UK (Reuters)
Reference links:
G8 dementia: PM calls for UK to lead world in research (UK government press release)