As per their news release, Oxford Gene Technology (OGT), A Sysmex Group Company, has celebrated the opening of its new facility in Cambridge, UK. The opening ceremony, which took place on 3rd June at the company’s new premises on the prestigious Cambridge Science Park, was attended by the Department for International Trade (DIT) and local media as well as top-level representatives from OGT and its parent company, Sysmex Corporation.
The new facility boasts impressive, state-of-the-art refitted laboratories and is approximately three times the floorspace of the previous site. OGT acquired fluorescence in situ hybridisation (FISH) probe manufacturer Cytocell in February 2014 with 30 employees. Since then the company has significantly increased its portfolio, including launching the largest FDA-cleared in vitro diagnostic (IVD) FISH probe range for AML (Acute myeloid Leukaemia) and MDS (Myelodysplastic syndromes) on the market. The number of employees based in Cambridge has increased to 53 and continues to grow, driven by strong double-digit sales growth. As a result, Sysmex has demonstrated its confidence in OGT and the Cytocell brand by expanding operations with the opening of this new facility to cope with increased volume of product manufacture and shipment. In addition, OGT plans to create a training and demonstration facility where customers can benefit from the company’s renowned FISH expertise.
As well as demonstrating its support for OGT, Sysmex also affirmed its confidence in the UK’s life science industry, by confirming that it will set up a global R&D facility within the OGT laboratories—similar to other sites in Hamburg and Chicago. This facility will serve to evaluate new technologies in the life sciences field and pursue collaborations with key opinion leaders, delivering innovative new products to the market. The facility will also be a hub for networking within the life sciences community, Cambridge University and global healthcare companies
