Left to Right: Euan O’Sullivan (President and Chief Executive Officer LGC Group), Dame Sarah Gilbert DBE , Mark Dearden (Managing Director, LGC Biosearch Technologies) Teresa Lambe OBE, Nicholas Roesen, (COO The Native Antigen Company), Bharathi Anekella (Executive VP ＆ GM, LGC Clinical Diagnostics)
LGC has opened a state-of-the-art facility at the Oxford Technology Park (OTP), which will serve both as the new home of The Native Antigen Company (TNAC), part of LGC Clinical Diagnostics, and as the host site of an advanced workflow applications laboratory for LGC Biosearch Technologies.
The laboratory was officially opened by Dame Sarah Gilbert DBE and Teresa Lambe OBE, creators of the Oxford AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine.
This new site offers TNAC significantly expanded manufacturing capacity for the production of infectious disease reagents, antibodies and assays, which are vital to the development of clinical diagnostics and the study of infectious diseases.
Euan O’Sullivan, President and Chief Executive Officer, LGC, said, “We are delighted to be opening this new, purpose-built facility in Oxford Technology Park which both expands our manufacturing capacity and provides an enhanced platform for developing new capabilities to serve our fast-growing customer base.
“Our larger manufacturing capacity, greater development of new products and larger scale production will prove vital for our customers, as it gives us greater ability to move into new areas such as BSL-3 or GMP production. The additional space and resource will enable us to look at new custom projects specialising in our areas of expertise, assisting our customers with complex and challenging work.
“In addition, this new site is our most sustainable yet, and the investment supports our effort to reduce our carbon footprint whilst growing our business and delivering on our core purpose of Science for a Safer World.”
Dame Sarah Gilbert DBE, Professor of Vaccinology at the University of Oxford, said, “I am so pleased to be able to officially open this exciting facility. Following on from the pandemic, I know full well the importance of producing infectious disease reagents, antibodies and assays, and research into diagnostic tests and treatments – and the work that will be carried out here will continue to impress.”
LGC’s new site in Oxford consists of 36,000 square feet. The site is currently in the process of applying for BREEAM certification – an internationally recognised standard for best practice in sustainable buildings, with criteria covering energy and water use, health and wellbeing, building materials and waste management. For example, the energy used on site generates zero carbon emissions, supporting LGC’s net zero target. In addition, 10 EV charging points have also been provided for employees.
The site will continue to maintain its ISO9001:2015 accreditation. The TNAC team now based on this site was one of the first companies globally to offer antigens for SARS-COV-2 and continues to play an important role in supporting the global response to the COVID-19 pandemic. It produces more than 900 viral and infectious disease products, with strengths in Coronavirus, Dengue, Cytomegalovirus, Zika, Chikungunya and Clostridium difficile (C. diff).