Alderly Park, near Manchester, UK, was sold off by AstraZeneca to Machester Science Parks – a public-private partnership – in 2014, and yesterday analytical equipment and technology firm Waters announced it has struck an agreement to launch an open access analytical laboratory there.
“This laboratory is a dedicated Open Access Laboratory, for the benefit of all companies located in the BioHub at Alderley Park [known as BioCity],” company spokesman Chris Orlando told this publication.
“Scientists on the site will gain access to cutting edge Waters capabilities through the Open Access facility which will be managed and run by BioCity, on a fee-for-sample/time/service basis. Support on the use of the facility, and the technology available, will be provided by an experienced laboratory manager.”
The firm already has its mass spectrometry headquarters and demonstration laboratory in nearby Wilmslow, but this new facility will focus on providing “cost-effective access to the kinds of cutting edge analytical technologies which underpin modern life and health sciences research,” he continued.
“Many, if not all, the companies at BioHub are engaged in cutting edge, and diverse, research and development. Close engagement with companies using the facility will give Waters a deeper insight into their needs and challenges.”
The firm’s Ultra Performance Liquid Chromatography (UPLC) systems, mass spectrometry (MS) and informatics technologies will be available at the new laboratory when it opens early this year, as will a nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) system provided by Manchester Science Partnerships.