13th December 2005: The Northwest is playing host to the world’s largest human research project, in a unique undertaking to study life-threatening illnesses and develop new and better ways to prevent, diagnose and treat them. In an announcement today, Bionow, the Northwest Regional Development Agency’s (NWDA) biotechnology group, revealed that it is investing £500,000 towards a new storage facility for UK Biobank. 

Information on the health and lifestyle of half a million volunteers, aged between 40-69 will be gathered by Biobank in a unique scheme that will revolutionise research into genetic and environmental factors that impact on human health. The development of illnesses such as cancer, heart disease, diabetes and Alzheimer’s can be better scrutinised by fully approved researchers as UK Biobank evolves over the next 20 to 30 years.  

Dr Linda Magee, Head of Bionow at the NWDA, said:  

"The UK Biobank is unique in its scope and resources, being the single largest initiative of its kind in the world. The location of both the hub and the facility within the region will help keep the Northwest at the forefront of clinical genetics and informatics. We are delighted to host UK Biobank in England's Northwest and that we can support this tremendously important project for understanding human disease."  

Tim Peakman, executive director at UK Biobank said:  

"We are grateful to Bionow and NWDA for this generous support and see this as further strengthening the biocluster network in the Northwest." 

This announcement serves to further strengthen the Northwest’s leadership in scientific and medical research. The Northwest is no stranger to scientific innovation and some of the world's leading edge ideas and breakthroughs have originated from the region, from the manufacture of penicillin by fermentation, through to the splitting of the atom and the birth of the world's first test tube baby.  

Ends 

Other key projects taking place in the Northwest include: 

Medical Research 

Ø       Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine: A £25 million new Centre for Tropical and Infectious Diseases is to be built at the renowned Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. This funding has helped to lever in an additional $50.7 million from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation to fund an international research programme and means that the LSTM will be one of the world’s leading institutions dedicated to developing treatments for infectious and tropical diseases such as malaria.

Ø       Nowgen: Nowgen in Manchester is one of six Genetic Knowledge Parks across England and Wales established to help ensure that the outcomes of genetics research are successfully applied. The centre is home to a team of clinicians, scientists and communicators dedicated to bringing research in medical genetics and the social sciences to the benefit of patients and society. 

Biotechnology 

Ø      National Biomanufacturing Centre (NBC): The £34 million National Biomanufacturing Centre (NBC) based in Speke, Merseyside is scheduled for completion 2006. The cutting-edge facility will carry out the initial development and manufacture of biopharmaceutical medicines for early-stage clinical trials, focusing on the development of their potential for SME growth. A £2.7 million Access Fund will provide grant support to companies who cannot afford the services of the NBC, enabling them to access the state of the art facilities.

Ø      Core Technology Facility: The £25 million Core Technology Facility, based in Manchester, is providing grow-on space and specialist service provision for biotechnology companies moving on from the Manchester Biotechnology Incubator. 

Science 

Ø       Daresbury International Science and Technology Park: Investment in Daresbury International Science and Technology Park (DISTP) was increased from £25.7 million to £50.3 million this year. A significant part of this new investment is to part fund the Cockcroft Institute, the UK’s National Centre for Accelerator Science, which will be located at Daresbury. The expansion of the science park will reaffirm Daresbury’s reputation as a centre of excellence for scientific research and development, and will attract significant investment to the region.

Ø       Westlakes Science and Technology Park: Westlakes Science and Technology Park houses a nationally significant cluster of businesses and organisations providing support services to the Nuclear Industry and recently became home to The Nuclear Decommissioning Authority (NDA). 

Notes to editors 

• UK Biobank is centrally managed from its headquarters, based at the Manchester Incubator Building, and hosted by the University of Manchester. It is currently under construction and the full project will get underway in 2006.

• The headquarters has overall responsibility for delivering the project, including participant recruitment, data and sample collection, data management and quality assurance, computing, financial management, and formal custodianship of the data and biological samples.
• The project is funded by the Department of Health, the Medical Research Council, the Scottish Executive and the Wellcome Trust medical research charity.
• The Northwest Regional Development Agency (NWDA) is responsible for the sustainable economic development and regeneration of England's Northwest and has 5 key priorities: Business Development, Regeneration, Skills & Employment, Infrastructure and Image. 

For further information please contact Charmaine Colvin or Rachel Bull at redheadPR on 0870 2405536 or e-mail charmaine@redheadpr.co.uk  

To view previous press releases visit www.nwda.co.uk