EMD Serono to invest $50m in US research centre

Merck Serono and its US affiliate EMD Serono, both part of Merck KGaA, are planning a US$50m (Euro 31.4m) expansion of EMD Serono's Billerica facility northwest of Boston, Massachusetts.

The investment will support the construction of a centre of excellence in discovery, creating critical mass in research with a common goal of finding new treatments for unmet medical needs. It is expected to create more than 100 new jobs in Massachusetts.

Construction at the new site will begin early next year and is expected to be complete in 2010. It will increase the total area of the Billerica campus to approximately 210,000ft², including more than 160,000ft² of lab space.

Once complete, the new site will accommodate approximately 200 scientists with expertise in cancer biology, cancer immunotherapy, oncogene signalling, manufacturing cell lines, medicinal chemistry, molecular modelling, protein engineering, and therapeutic antibodies, across the research areas of cancer and fertility. It will also be home to approximately 50 employees in technical operations who specialise in process development and protein production.

The company's protein production facility in Billerica, which manufactures products for early stage clinical testing, is a significant reason why the site was selected for expansion; the close proximity of protein production to research drives collaborative interactions and supports the rapid transition from research to manufacturing.

"This announcement reflects Merck KGaA's strong commitment to expand EMD Serono and anchor our US operations in Massachusetts," said Elmar Schnee, member of the executive board of Merck KGaA and head of pharmaceuticals. "We recognise the significant value of augmenting our research capabilities in Boston, a region with tremendous life sciences influence not only across the US, but also globally."

The US headquarters of EMD Serono will remain in Rockland.