Tropical disease research centre to open in Liverpool
pharmafile | October 31, 2005 | News story | Research and Development |
A new UK research centre specialising in the development of new tropical medicines has been given the go-ahead with £18 million in public funding.
The international institute, which will develop treatments and vaccines for some of the world's most deadly diseases, will be built at the renowned Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine.
Construction of the research facility at the school will double its size and make it one of the world's leading institutions dedicated to developing treatments for infectious and tropical diseases such as malaria.
The £18 million funding has come from the European Union and the UK's North West Development Agency with the aim of lifting the local economy and fostering a biotech network in the area.
Minister for Industry and the Regions Alun Michael said: "This is superb news for Merseyside, and it means that the region is stepping up to the frontline of the battle against some of nature's biggest killers. It is also strengthening its position as one of the leading international centres for biotechnology.
"That means better prospects for those faced with the threat of these deadly diseases, and better prospects for the local economy, which can expect to benefit by millions of pounds every year."
The project is a significant boost to Merseyside's emerging biotech sector, which already includes the National BioManufacturing Centre in Speke, the MerseyBIO Incubator and a number of bioscience firms. By 2015 the centre is expected to have worked with around 250 local biotech firms and helped create 640 new highly skilled jobs.
The four-storey building should be completed in 2007 and will house laboratories and research space to develop new medicines and carry out clinical trials with the potential to transfer new products to local bio-manufacturing specialists for commercial production and marketing.
The centre will also provide training for biotech graduates, recruit volunteers for clinical trials and build links with the international pharma industry.
An estimated 14 million people die every year from infectious diseases, with 90% of deaths in the developing world. Merseyside is already one of Europe's leading centres for the manufacture of biologics for the marketplace, particularly vaccines. Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine director Professor Janet Hemingway believes the new centre will put the region at the forefront of research into current and emerging infectious diseases threatening world health.
"The new centre is an integral part of our exciting plans to double the size of the School over the next five years," said Prof Hemingway.
"The School is a unique organisation – the only one capable of initiating, validating and trialling new drugs, vaccines and insecticides for current and emerging infectious diseases such as malaria, AIDS, tuberculosis and SARS. It already has an enviable track record in this area, having recently developed the first new anti-malarial for 25 years."
The Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine is already recognised as a centre for excellence in research into tropical diseases. It was founded in 1898 by Liverpool ship owners who wanted to find cures for the tropical illnesses that ravaged their crews on overseas voyages.
It has since pioneered much of the world's research into tropical diseases and helped to produce drugs to treat life-threatening diseases such as malaria and sleeping sickness, along with anti-venoms for snakebite victims. The school has also trained thousands of doctors and other health professionals from around the world in the specialised field of tropical medicine.
Dave Moorcroft, director of Economic Development at The Mersey Partnership (TMP) said: "Crucially, this new institute will create highly skilled jobs in our growing knowledge economy. Reinforcing the Liverpool city region as a major centre for life sciences research, learning and innovation is the key to growing an internationally competitive industry cluster which will bring economic benefits not just locally, but across the North of England."
Life sciences is one of the nine sectors targeted for support through the Merseyside sector development programme, managed by TMP.
