Dynamic biotech sector exploding in Wales
The Welsh Development Agency had a high profile stand at Bio 2004.
The Welsh Development Agency had a high profile stand at Bio 2004.
Wales is home to more than 230 bioscience companies worldwide: 'We are proud of the truly amazing advances being made in biosciences thanks to the talent in our universities and to entrepreneurial innovations generated daily in hundreds of businesses whose successes make Wales a prime location for biosciences,' said Chris Davies, the Welsh Development Agency's (WDA) International Project Manager for Biotechnology.
The Welsh Development Agency delegation included leaders from Cardiff University Research, home of Sir Martin Evans, the Lasker Award winner and brilliant discoverer of embryonic stem cells. Representatives from Marix Drug Development Ltd and Simbec Research Ltd, who are involved in critical European clinical drug trials, and the Institute of Grasslands and Environmental Research (IGER). The Welsh Development Agency, together with the Welsh Assembly Government, is committed to developing Wales' burgeoning biosciences sector by attracting companies from around the world to invest and locate in Wales. The WDA offers a spectrum of initiatives to assist companies, and networking groups are facilitated by MediWales and Wales Trade International. The WDA has set up incubator and growth facilities that include specialist laboratories, while the Wales 'Technium' program provides state-of-the-art business innovation for start-up companies and delivers a broad range of on-site technical and business support.
A major development is projected on the Cardiff Bay waterfront, where the Wales Gene Park will in-clude a new 40,000ft2 commercial biosciences facility in one of theworld's largest life sciences park. In addition, a 50-acre site has been set-aside for a proposed new Bioparc, a biomanufacturing centre close to the new training centre at Swansea University.
Bioscience highlights in Wales today include:
• Cardiff University Bioscience Research. Viewed as a powerhouse of bioscience research in Wales, with growing global influence, Cardiff boasts the discoverer of embry-onic stem cells, Sir Martin Evans, Professor of Mammalian Genetics and Director of the School of Biosciences at Cardiff University. With American research collaborators Professor Mario Capecchi of the University of Utah and Professor Oliver Smithies of the University of North Carolina, Sir Martin successfully used gene therapy to correct the faulty gene that causes cystic fibrosis - research that earned the prestigious Lasker Award, and which has major impact in fields as diverse as cancer, immunology, neurobiology, human genetic disorders and endocrinology.
Cardiff University is renowned as one of the United Kingdom's leading research universities, whose contributions to scientific knowledge will be further enhanced in August 2004 with its merger with the University of Wales College of Medicine, itself an international research leader in life sciences. Other world-class research in biosciences includes major advances in the understanding of memory and emotion, and clinical development of polymer-based therapeutics leading to innovative cancer treatment, as well as pioneering work on new treatments for cancer and infections.
• In Vitro Diagnostics. Wales is a stronghold for development and manufacturing in an area that combines micro-technology expertise and digital networks for important improvements in healthcare. For example, Molecular Light Technology, acquired less than a year ago by San Diego-based GEN-PROBE, specialises in the production of environmental and human health diagnostic test systems using proprietary technology. Another company, Euro/DPC, also is manufacturing and distributing medical immuno-diagnostic test kits, which are being used to manage an array of medical conditions, such as allergy, bone metabolism, cancer, diabetes, substance abuse and thyroid disorders. Tepnel Biosystems Ltd also is a global leader in meat species' testing and in checking for genetic modified organisms (GSM) in foodstuffs and in allergen tests such as peanut, milk, gluten and soya, using DNA probes.
• Clinical Trials. Wales hosts a number of companies, such as Marix, and Simbec Research, which specialise in clinical research services in early phase drug development, as well as clinical and bioanalytical services to the pharmaceutical and allied industries. The presence of nearby cancer clinical trials' expertise, Wales Cancer Trials Network, and trials of new treatments for chronic wounds, Wound Healing Research Unit, provides an important part of the critical path for drug development.
• Medical Devices. Wales offers extensive technical skill sets responsible for the development of more than 100 medical device companies. Activities range from product design and development to specialist manufacturing in dedicated facilities that meet stringent quality control regulations. Biomet Merck, for example, designs and develops orthopedic implants and instruments required for related surgery, and Huntleigh Diagnostics produces ultrasonic diagnostics and Doppler monitors.
About the Welsh Development Agency
The Welsh Development Agency is a government body committed to helping existing businesses expand and thrive and to encouraging inward investment, the expansion of business opportunities and the creation of jobs. Its success has transformed Wales into the best business climate in Europe and positioned the country at the leading edge of innovation and technology.