QMB welcomes ADC Therapeutics as latest tenant
Novel cancer therapy company’s arrival means QMB is almost full
The Queen Mary BioEnterprises (QMB) Innovation Centre, London’s 39,000ft2 facility for both early and late stage science start-ups, has welcomed Switzerland-based ADC Therapeutics (ADCT) as its latest tenant.
Through the combination of its initial infrastructure design and the subsequent overlay of commercial lab fit-outs, QMB can offer both chemistry and biology laboratory and adjacent office suites. This has allowed ADCT and its partner Spirogen to co-locate to QMB.
ADC Therapeutics, which was set up in 2012, develops proprietary Antibody Drug Conjugates (ADCs) based on monoclonal antibodies specific to particular types of tumour cells conjugated to a novel class of highly potent warheads, called pyrrolobenzodiazepine (PBD) dimers. ADC Therapeutics' partner Spirogen, which moved into QMB in 2012, was later bought by MedImmune.
'The arrival of ADC Therapeutics means that QMB is now nearly full,' said Ramsay Richmond, Executive Manager of QMB.
'We have reached our occupancy targets in just three years at a challenging economic time, showing the on-going need for commercial lab space inside London. I am very pleased to welcome the team at ADC Therapeutics in joining the growing number of innovative companies based at QMB.'
Michael Forer, CEO of ADC Therapeutics said: 'QMB provides excellent facilities in a convenient location. This, along with the fact that our strategic partner, Spirogen, was already based there, made the decision to move to QMB very straightforward.'
The QMB Innovation Centre is a wholly owned company of Queen Mary, University of London. It is the culmination of a four-year capital investment partnership between Queen Mary and the Greater London Authority (formerly London Development Agency).