A life science company which focuses on early cancer therapy and women's health has taken space in MediCity Nottingham.
ValiRx PLC has taken a lease on laboratory and offices at the Beeston medtech incubator as it embarks on the next stage of its growth strategy.
ValiRx has a background as a virtual biotech company, until now outsourcing testing to external partners.
The new labs will allow it to carry out its own in-house testing, with the aim of creating a more efficient and effective drug development service for itself and its clients.
MediCity, part of Pioneer Group, provides tenants with flexible lab space as well as access to a local and national biotech community and new talent from nearby universities.
Its new facilities include 910 sq ft of laboratory space which will accommodate up to eight lab-based staff.
Chief executive Dr Suzy Dilly said: “Nottingham offers the ideal base for the new lab, having established itself as a hub for life science companies and affording access to a strong pool of local scientific skills and talent.
“Work now begins on building a first-class scientific and operational team and implementing testing techniques that will help to improve biological understanding of ValiRx’s collaborative development pipeline and, in due course, third party services.
“Setting up our own laboratory will enable us to carry out more science, more quickly, efficiently, and cost-effectively, and provides us with a strong framework to identify additional capabilities and technologies to acquire and incorporate into the business in the longer term.”
Dr Cathy Tralau-Stewart, who recently joined ValiRx as chief strategy officer said: “ValiRx is progressing an innovative portfolio of projects to address the important areas of oncology and the unmet need for treatments in the women's health space.”
