100 Eastern Region Biotech Industry members gathered at Cambridge Research Park to learn more about how the collaboration between two biotechnology companies has paved the way for a successful breast cancer therapy.

The two speakers, Stephen Jones of DakoCytomation and Teresa Swift of Roche Products, explained that Roche’s drug Herceptin has improved the survival rates of breast cancer sufferers. Teresa Swift told the ERBI audience that the drug is effective in 20% of cases, with those whose cells carry a protein called HER-2, and that Roche didn’t want the wrong patients to receive the drug because it only benefits those with an excess of this protein.

In order to identify which patients carry the HER-2 protein, DakoCytomation developed a specific pathology test, which means that the treatment can be specifically targeted to those patients who will benefit from it.

This joint venture has paved the way for further collaboration within the biotech industry and although one of the first, it will surely not be the last.

Business powers up

Occupiers can count on a substantial 33KV supply, fed via twin underground circuits to a 30MVA primary substation within the Park. In addition, a dedicated 11KV ring main serves plots within the site, with plenty of power in reserve for both present and future requirements.

Most local power supplies are delivered by overhead cables which are vulnerable to gale damage and have a negative impact on the environment. In contrast the Park’s underground supply provides greater security against power failure and is an environmental bonus. The supply is reinforced by back-up cables and transformers in case the primary circuit should fail.

“Security of supply is vital to our occupiers and we have done our best to guarantee this with a dependable supply from the National Grid. It’s made us a power base for high-tech business in every sense of the word,” says Alan Holland of developers, Slough Estates.

There have been warnings that capacity in Cambridgeshire has already been reached and that large areas may face power cuts unless a plan for a new 10km dual circuit line is approved. According to a report by the Regional Electricity Company, failure to increase capacity could lead to widespread loss of supply for extended periods and equipment failure at this voltage can take months to resolve.”

The occupiers at Cambridge Research Park can count themselves fortunate that they are very unlikely to suffer the power supply problems that look set to trouble many of the businesses in the area.

A WINNING COMBINATION

Award-winning laboratories take pride of place at Cambridge Research Park The Amec FlexiLab, which was voted Laboratory of the Year in the Laboratory News Industry Awards 2002, is also the laboratory of choice at Cambridge Research Park.

“Biotechnology and pharmaceutical research are the growth industries of the 21st century,” says Alan Halland, Development Manager at Slough Estates, “and the sheer pace of progress in this sector means that dedicated laboratory space needs to be highly sophisticated, yet totally adaptable to the market’s evolving needs.

“FlexiLabs fit the bill beautifully. To date, they have been used for biology, synthetic chemistry, analytical chemistry, spectroscopy and automation. Their layout can be readily adapted to satisfy different research techniques, including the automated processes used in modern research projects.”

A typical FlexiLab has a sealed vinyl floor finish between partition walls with virtually no fixed items of furniture and equipment. All services are supplied via flexible cables or hoses, enabling easy relocation of benches, fume cupboards and other equipment. Write-up space is separated from wet areas with a transparent ‘squash-court’ wall of glass.

FlexiLab is just part of a design-andbuild package available to science-based companies locating to Cambridge Research Park. The package also includes purposebuilt premises, direct funding and flexible leasing arrangements.