Daresbury is New Home to Global Mission Against Tuberculosis

The prospect of early, low-cost detection of tuberculosis (TB) on a global scale has taken a step forward. US based Global BioDiagnostics is the latest international high-tech company to locate its strategic R&D unit at the Daresbury Science and Innovation Campus (Daresbury SIC), with a view to taking its research to the next level by designing and launching an affordable and portable test for TB that could have a huge humanitarian impact worldwide.

Global BioDiagnostics Ltd, a spin out biotechnology company of the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, has chosen Daresbury SIC to locate its new European headquarters over stiff competition from science parks across Europe, citing the Campus’ powerful scientific network and ready access to centres of international expertise as key elements in the decision to locate to the Campus.

With the focus of its European activity being the diagnosis of infectious disease, particularly TB, the move brings together a number of key partners, including Campus stakeholder, the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC). Through its Futures Programme, STFC sets out to address the government’s grand challenges, with infectious disease high on the healthcare agenda. STFC’s Innovations Technology Access Centre (I-TAC) at Daresbury, which provides unrivalled access to more that £3million cutting edge scientific research facilities and a unique ‘from-conceptto- development’ service, was also a key attraction to the Campus for Global BioDiagnostics.

With research originally funded by a prestigious $2.1million grant from the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, Global BioDiagnostics, whose technology measures light produced by a chemical reaction between the company’s proprietary chemical substrate and a naturally occurring TB enzyme, is embarking on an ambitious market development strategy in Europe. The company will use the Campus as its key European base to take its basic research and develop it into a test that will be useful globally and will potentially offer the capability to be used in undeveloped countries by doctors with an electronic, hand-held device that could work from the back of a van, with results in 30 minutes, instead of several weeks.

John Manwell, Director of Business Development at Global BioDiagnostics, said: “We are very excited to have centred our R&D base for Europe at Daresbury SIC. In 2006, the World Health Organisation identified a significant and largely untapped global market for more effective and affordable ways to diagnose Tuberculosis. Our goal is to take our research and to develop it into an inexpensive and easy to use product that can be used to change the lives of millions of people across the world in the fight against this deadly disease. Moving to the Campus at Daresbury means that we can work in partnership with experts at STFC enabling us to further develop our technology to fit the needs of the market, identify any additional new and valuable uses for it, and to thrive in a competitive and increasingly global business environment.”

Professor Colin Whitehouse, Deputy Chief Executive of STFC, added: “This is fantastic news for Daresbury. Global BioDiagnostics is a growing, innovative and forward thinking company and we welcome them to the Campus. Moving to the Innovation Centre at Daresbury has given Global BioDiagnostics access to a unique blend of facilities, scientists and specialists as well as positioning them amongst a number of innovation networks, most significantly, TrusTECH, part of the NHS Innovations Network.”

Dr Paul Hanmer of TrusTECH said: “Global BioDiagnostics is another good example of a high quality biomedical company locating at Daresbury. NHS Innovations North West are keen to engage with them in order to understand how they could help the NHS.”

Bionow and the Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) were delighted to assist Global BioDiagnostics in situating their European base in the Northwest. Dr Geoff Davison, Biomedical Sector Head at NWDA & Director of Bionow, said: "The decision of this highly innovative company to locate in the region reinforces the Northwest’s reputation as a centre of world-class scientific and research-intensive industries. It demonstrates the attractiveness of the region for biomedical investment and moreover, is an exciting addition to the growing biomedical community at Daresbury SIC."

The company is the latest inward investment success story for Daresbury, and is one of the growing number of international bio-diagnostics companies based on the Campus, which is now home to over 100 companies in total.