UK'S World-leading Clinical Imaging Centre opened by GSK, Imperial College London and the MRC

Pioneering collaboration between industry, academia and the public sector to advance the development of new medicines<em> - News Release </em>

Issued by GlaxoSmithKline, Imperial College London and the Medical Research Council

Under strict embargo for
00.01 BST
Wednesday 13 June 2007

GlaxoSmithKline's (GSK) new Clinical Imaging Centre (CIC) was officially opened today by the Right Honourable Alistair Darling MP, Secretary of State for Trade and Industry. The new centre represents an investment of over £50 million and is a pioneering collaboration between industry, academia and public sector.

Commenting on the collaboration and state-of-the-art facility, Mr Darling said: "This new centre is right at the forefront of the fight against some of the major diseases in the world. It means a world leading facility based here in the UK bringing the best of industry and academia together backed by the Government. It will give researchers what they need to enhance our reputation as a world leader in science, research and putting great ideas into practice, speeding up the process to deliver the new medicines that patients need."

GSK's CIC is a unique venture undertaken by GSK, Imperial College London and the Medical Research Council - the largest new imaging centre in Europe dedicated to development and application of imaging techniques for clinical research. The collaboration will combine the expertise and knowledge each partner has developed in the use of imaging technologies and will apply it to the development of new medicines across a broad range of diseases including cancer, cardiovascular disease, and psychiatric and neurological disorders. One of the world's largest industry-university-government collaborations, the CIC will create a globally-recognised centre of expertise in West London and substantially increase the entire research base in medical imaging in the UK.

"GSK's investment in this state-of-the-art research facility reflects the positive environment for science and innovation in the UK. The science we conduct here will transform the lives of patients in the UK and around the world. It is important to us, and to the UK, that the environment remains supportive," said Dr Moncef Slaoui, Chairman, GlaxoSmithKline Research & Development. "This facility will allow GSK to partner with Imperial College and the MRC to create a world-class scientific collaboration, utilising the latest advancements in imaging to better understand diseases and how to treat them."

Sir Richard Sykes , Rector of Imperial College London, said, "This centre is a prime example of what can be achieved when universities, government and industry work side by side. It enables us to translate our scientific advances into improving patient care as quickly as possible. By combining the expertise of leaders in imaging technology and giving them access to the very latest equipment, we can advance our understanding of diseases that affect millions of people."

The CIC building, which is adjacent to the Hammersmith Hospital site of Imperial College London, was carefully selected for the new development as it is already home to many of the world’s leading experts in imaging technology.

"The CIC is located at the heart of a clinical research centre comprising the MRC's Clinical Sciences Centre, Imperial College and Hammersmith Hospital and will benefit from the dynamism which prevails there," said Professor Colin Blakemore, Chief Executive of the Medical Research Council. "It has been an eagerly awaited addition to the site, providing substantial additional resources to a group of clinicians and scientists buzzing with ideas on how to make the most of such equipment and facilities both academically and to the benefit of patients. Imaging is allowing us to go further than many of us had imagined possible in understanding how the human body works and is an area which will greatly inform therapeutic interventions and drug development in the years to come."

Modern imaging technology provides a 'window' through which to study in fine detail both disease processes and the action of potential medicines in human organs such as the brain, heart and lungs - disease-associated changes in glucose metabolism, for example, or the affinity of the drug for its target. Its sensitivity allows molecular interactions to be probed.

Backed by a 10 year commitment by GSK to invest £11 million a year in this centre, the CIC will use and advance the latest technologies in magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) and positron emission tomography (PET). Its facilities include an advanced radiochemistry development facility, two MRI machines and two PET scanners which give the unit the capacity to conduct up to 2500 scans annually. Built over 3 floors it will be staffed by almost 80 clinical, scientific and support staff, plus an additional eight Research Fellows from Imperial College.

The whole Burlington Danes centre, which encompasses the GSK CIC, Imperial College London and MRC facilities, will eventually employ around 400 researchers and support staff. Around half of these will be new positions. In addition to the research centre, the completed development will include affordable housing for over 300 health workers, provided by the Charity Trustees for Hammersmith Hospital's partner Thames Valley Housing Association.

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For further information please contact:

GlaxoSmithKline UK Media Enquiries:
Philip Thomson, Joss Mathieson or Gwenan White on +44 (020) 8047 5502

Imperial College London Media Enquiries:
Laura Gallagher on +44 (020) 7594 6702

MRC Media Enquiries:
Laure Thomas +44 (020) 7670 5139

Notes to editors:

1. The new CIC facility was built through funding by each of the collaborators: GSK - £46m, Imperial College London – £28m, MRC - £9m

2. Imperial College London - rated as the world's ninth best university in the 2006 Times Higher Education Supplement University Rankings - is a science-based institution with a reputation for excellence in teaching and research that attracts 11,500 students and 6,000 staff of the highest international quality.

Innovative research at the College explores the interface between science, medicine, engineering and management and delivers practical solutions that improve quality of life and the environment - underpinned by a dynamic enterprise culture.

With 62 Fellows of the Royal Society among our current academic staff and distinguished past members of the College including 14 Nobel Laureates and two Fields Medallists, Imperial's contribution to society has been immense. Inventions and innovations include the discovery of penicillin, the development of holography and the foundations of fibre optics. This commitment to the application of our research for the benefit of all continues today with current focuses including interdisciplinary collaborations to tackle climate change and mathematical modelling to predict and control the spread of infectious diseases.

The College's 100 years of living science will be celebrated throughout 2007 with a range of events to mark the Centenary of the signing of Im perial's founding charter on 8 July 1907.

Visit Imperial at www.imperial.ac.uk

3. GlaxoSmithKline – one of the world’s leading research-based pharmaceutical and healthcare companies – is committed to improving the quality of human life by enabling people to do more, feel better and live longer. For company information including a copy of this announcement and details of the company’s updated product development pipeline, visit GSK at www.gsk.com

4. Medical Research Council – dedicated to improving human health through excellent science the Medical Research Council (MRC) invests on behalf of the UK taxpayer. Its work ranges from molecular level science to public health research, carried out in universities, hospitals and a network of its own units and institutes. The MRC liaises with the Health Departments, the National Health Service and industry to take account of the public's needs. The results have led to some of the most significant discoveries in medical science and benefited the health and wealth of millions of people in the UK and around the world.

In this field of imaging, the MRC funded Sir Peter Mansfield when in 1973 he devised a way to harness cells' natural magnetic properties to produce images of soft tissue in humans, leading to the development of magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Today all major UK hospitals have whole-body MRI scanners. Visit the MRC at www.mrc.ac.uk