MedImmune Expands R&D Capacity with New Research Facility in Cambr...( - Building Named After 1982 Nobel P...)

- Building Named After 1982 Nobel Prize Winner for Chemistry, Sir Aaron

Klug -

CAMBRIDGE, England, Oct. 16 /PRNewswire/ -- MedImmune today announced the opening of a new, biologics research and development (R&D) facility in Cambridge, the United Kingdom. Named after the 1982 Nobel Prize Winner for Chemistry, the Aaron Klug Building is a major expansion of MedImmune's existing Granta Park site, further cements the region as a major R&D centre for the company, and provides additional laboratory space for MedImmune's growing scientific staff in Cambridge.

The Aaron Klug Building is a 92,000-square-foot facility containing state-of-the-art laboratories. The facility provides MedImmune with capacity to significantly increase the number of candidate drugs that it can develop each year in order to meet R&D goals.

The expansion forms a key part of MedImmune's growth strategy. Following its acquisition by AstraZeneca in June 2007, MedImmune was consolidated with the former Cambridge Antibody Technology business, along with other areas of biological research being conducted elsewhere within AstraZeneca. Now as AstraZeneca's global biologics unit, MedImmune plays a significant role in AstraZeneca's strategic growth plans -- the aim is to deliver an average of one new biologic product per year from 2013.

Jane Osbourn, site leader and vice president of research, Cambridge, said: "Today, MedImmune has one of the largest and most diverse biologics product pipelines in the biotech and pharmaceutical industries. We want to maximise our potential to develop new and better medicines, so adequate space and resource for R&D is a real priority for us.

"Our experience and expertise in Cambridge means the U.K. team plays a central role in MedImmune's global research activity. The Aaron Klug Building is critical to allowing us to fulfill this role and to achieve our goal of significantly increasing our drug develop
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