OREANDA-NEWS. GE Healthcare Life Sciences, a global provider of tools, technologies and services for life science research and for the manufacturing of biopharmaceuticals, today announced the opening of a Technology Laboratory at Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst, the UK’s first open innovation bioscience campus. The GE Healthcare Life Sciences Technology Laboratory, which is equipped with the company’s latest tools and technologies for drug discovery, protein science, and bioprocessing research, was officially opened by Sir William Castell, Chairman of the Wellcome Trust.

Staffed by technical specialists, the new 1000 sq ft laboratory will allow GE Healthcare’s UK and European customers to evaluate the company’s technologies as well as benefit from the advanced technical training facilities. The facility will also be open to researchers who are based at Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst, and makes GE Healthcare a significant new part of the open innovation network at the Stevenage campus. This use of GE technologies in an active multi-disciplinary scientific environment will help the company drive the development of new innovations and technologies for life sciences research.

Co-located with GlaxoSmithKline on the Stevenage campus, SBC is a joint venture between the Department of Business, Innovation & Skills, GlaxoSmithKline, the Wellcome Trust and the Technology Strategy Board.

Highlighting the significance of the new laboratory, Dr. Martino Picardo, CEO Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst said, “The opening of the GE Healthcare Life Sciences Technology Laboratory here at Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst is an exciting development for us, providing a state-of-the-art facility for use by our tenants, partners and GE. We are delighted to welcome the company, with its expertise in technology development and commitment to open innovation, to the fast-growing Stevenage campus, and believe the new facility is a great boost to our interest in cell technologies.”

Guests at the opening ceremony included representatives from Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst, GE Healthcare, the Cell Therapy Catapult, and other life sciences organisations. Mr. Kieran Murphy, CEO of GE Healthcare Life Sciences, welcomed the guests on a tour of the new facilities.

Speaking at the event, Kieran Murphy said, “Many of the future advances in medicine will be driven by advances in our understanding of cellular mechanisms at the molecular level. I’m delighted that our new laboratory is at the heart of the Stevenage Bioscience Catalyst, where we can both demonstrate our latest thinking in technology to the life sciences research community, and share knowledge that will help shape future innovation. ”