Qkine secures lease on new premises to scale up manufacture
Qkine secured a new lease on 1 Murdoch House based in Cambridge city centre. The building will be transformed into modern agile lab and office spaces for research and process development, plus a dedicated, beta lactam free state of the art manufacturing suite.
Dr Catherine Elton, CEO of Qkine, commented “I am delighted to secure this new building for the next phase of commercial growth for Qkine as we increase manufacture capacity. The building will allow us to expand our R&D programme and provide bespoke QA testing for industry customers. In addition, we will bring stem cell and organoid culture in house as part of our enhanced application data. The facility will feature manufacture suite clean rooms, which will aid us as we work towards achieving ISO 13485 accreditation.”
With a growing portfolio of growth factors, cytokines and complex recombinant proteins, Qkine has significantly grown its customer base since moving to its current premises on the Cambridge science park. The company have moved into a scale up phase and requires additional space to increase manufacture to keep up with customer demand.
In addition to new lab spaces, the refurbishment project will include an open plan office, break out rooms, a boardroom and space for all employees to meet and exchange ideas in this hybrid working environment.
“Since covid, it’s become clear that we [as an industry] need to update our working styles and provide flexibility and support for our employees who work remotely or hybrid. Our new office will feature multiple breakout rooms to allow people to effectively take digital calls and to connect with remote colleagues. For me, it was essential that we found a building that not only supported the industry-leading research and manufacture that we carry out but also supported our employee’s well-being. Our new building backs onto a Cambridge common and the river, with many shops and amenities close by, which I believe will provide a superb work environment for everyone at Qkine” commented Catherine.
The refurbishment project is due to be completed late Autumn with most of Qkine relocating before the end of the year.
Qkine aims to amplify the impact of stem cell science on the therapies and technologies of the future by creating the highest quality and most innovative bioactive proteins.
