New translational medicine facility for Manchester, UK

Provider of outsourced development services, ICON plc, is to help build a new translational medicine facility in collaboration with the Central Manchester University Hospitals Foundation (CMFT).

The new facility is part of an expansion plan being undertaken by CMFT to develop the existing Manchester Royal Infirmary (MRI) campus. This re-development plan has already delivered Britain's largest children's hospital, due to open later in 2009. The remainder of the campus development is due for completion by April 2012 and will house a Translational Medicine Unit designed by ICON.

In the interim period ICON will transfer its current clinical pharmacology services into dedicated clinical research facilities on the Manchester Royal Infirmary site.

Dr Thomas Frey, president, ICON Development Solutions, said: 'We are delighted to be collaborating with the CMFT and the Manchester Academic Health Centre to continue to develop the region as an international centre of excellence in translational medicine. Moving to a hospital-based setting also meets the needs of our customers who are increasingly looking to run their first-in-human studies in hospital environments.'

CMFT is a member of the Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, which is one of only five centres designated by the UK Department of Health as a centre of excellence in applying health research and education into healthcare.

Dr Allison Jeynes-Ellis, medical and innovation director at the Association of the British Pharmaceutical Industry (ABPI) said: 'This is an example of the type of collaboration between industry, academia and the NHS that the ABPI is seeking to encourage and which we believe will help drive forward translational medicine, building on the strength of the pharmaceutical, science and clinical base in the UK.'

ICON specialises in the strategic development, management and analysis of programs that support clinical development - from compound selection to Phase I-IV clinical studies.