New £10 million robotic AI laboratories to ‘supercharge’ infection R&D activity at iiCON
Summary
The new facility will be completed in the next two years, and will support iiCONs activity in propelling innovative infection R&D.Led by LSTM with core partners LifeArc, Unilever, Evotec, Liverpool University Hospitals Foundation Trust, University of Liverpool, and Infex Therapeutics, iiCON brings together industry, academia, and clinicians to accelerate the discovery and development of new products for infectious diseases.The 260 million GBP consortium launched in 2020 with 18.6 million GBP in funding from UK Research & Innovations flagship Strength in Places programme. It works with over 800 companies worldwide and has already created over 560 jobs and supported over 36 new products to market, saving and improving thousands of lives says the school.The new laboratories will enable iiCON to increase the commercialisation of two of its R&D platforms led by LSTM: Organoids, and its Bio-Actives Library. LSTM says the new facility will support cutting-edge industry innovation and streamline and expand activity across the two platforms to drive forward new treatments and products, opening this specialised offering to a wider range of companies nationally and internationally.Research using human organoids offers new ways of shaping treatments and products to respond to some of the most challenging and deadly infections according to the school.As part of the Investment Zone plans, iiCON and LSTM will also develop RIBA Stage 2 plans for a new facility in Liverpool which will provide increased specialist biotech and high-containment Category Three laboratories to house the expansion of iiCONs existing R&D platforms.Professor Janet Hemingway, Founding Director of iiCON said: From the outset, iiCON was structured to develop innovative R&D platforms using cutting-edge technology and approaches that would allow companies to bring their products through to market more effectively.Were pleased to have secured this important funding as part of the Liverpool City Region Life Sciences Investment Zone programme. This funding is an important next step which will enable us to continue to develop and expand our operational pipeline - opening out our highly specialist offering to industry partners of all sizes to support their innovation and save and improve lives worldwide.As a place-based initiative, our location in the heart of the Liverpool City Regions thriving health and life sciences ecosystem has been key to the success of the programme. I want to use our status as a force for good, to connect our residents up to secure, well-paid jobs and training opportunities, and attract transformational investment into our communities.Becoming an innovation superpower is a lofty ambition, but I firmly believe that, if anywhere has the potential to achieve it, then it is the Liverpool City Region.