Pharma business opens new HQ with plans to recruit dozens of staff
A cancer drug specialist has opened a new HQ at Sci-Tech Daresbury, with plans to grow to a 60-strong workforce.
Imagen Therapeutics is a global provider of services to the pharmaceutical cancer drug development industry. It was founded by two ex-AstraZeneca cell-biologists, leaders in the field of high content screening who pioneered research in systems biology and applications in personalised medicine.
The company’s vision of finding the most effective treatment for each cancer patient led to the development of its predictRx – a patient screening platform with the power of more than 150,000 treatment response datapoints and, shortly after, of predictTx, the company offering for biopharma to accelerate and de-risk drug development.
Sci-Tech Daresbury will provide Imagen the facilities and resources to scale rapidly and sustain the growing demand for services from biopharma. The company has relocated from its former base at Manchester Science Park.
It has been supported by a grant from the Inward Investment Facilitation Fund (I2F2) set up as part of the £75m Business Growth Package introduced by Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region.
Fifteen staff will be based in Sci-Tech Daresbury’s Vanguard House, with a view to growing the team to more than 60 over the next few years.
Imagen CEO, Geoff Muckle, said: “Our expansion into Sci-Tech Daresbury marks a significant step in our growth journey.
“We started as a small assay development company, and our passion for implementing personalised oncology has driven our ambition to become a world class research organisation that will support the acceleration of discovering new cancer treatments and cures.”
He added: “Sci-Tech Daresbury combines cutting edge science with a beautiful landscape that will offer our team an ideal balance of inspiration and natural beauty. We also look forward to fostering new relationships and forging new partnerships with like-minded organisations on campus and in the region.”
John Downes, CEO of site owner Langtree and director of Sci-Tech Daresbury, said: “We are recognised internationally for world class science, innovation and enterprise – it’s an inspiring place to be and the ideal environment to foster success.
“Moving to Sci-Tech Daresbury will expose Imagen to the talent pool, facilities and collaborative opportunities that the Liverpool City Region and Sci-Tech Daresbury boasts. This will be critical to help them deliver their growth ambitions.”
Steve Rotheram said: “The Liverpool City Region is home to a thriving ecosystem of world leading health and life science innovation, so it’s little wonder that ambitious businesses want to come here. Not only does our region offer world class facilities and unrivalled business support, it also offers companies the chance to be associated with our impressive global reputation.
“My £75m business support package was the largest investment of its kind in a generation. We’re seeing it bear fruit now with companies like Imagen. These are not just investments in supporting successful businesses, they are investments in our people, too.”
