A new £1m diagnostic health testing and screening venture opens in the Liverpool city region. Tony McDonough reports
A new £1m diagnostic health testing and screening venture has been launched at Sci-Tech Daresbury, Liverpool city region’s science and innovation campus.
Sankey Biolabs is based at The Innovation Centre. It is headed by laboratory manager Frank Whitfield. He leads a team of biomedical scientists and support staff. New staff will be recruited as demand grows.
It provides diagnostic blood testing services to a range of companies, organisations and occupational health specialists, with a focus on the health and wellbeing of employees nationwide.
Its initial array of blood testing profiles ranges from immunity screens for blood-borne viruses such as hepatitis B, hepatitis C and HIV. The facility also screens kidney, liver and lipid profiles, as well as specific tests for cardiac risk, pre-diabetes and vitamin D deficiency. It aims to deliver same-day results.
“We pride ourselves on providing a quality service to an expanding client base,” said Frank. “We are delivering reliable and timely diagnostic information through pathology testing solutions across a number of disciplines. These include serology, clinical biochemistry, haematology and molecular biology.
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“Increasingly, people want to make informed decisions about their lifestyle, and employers are consciously looking to invest in the health and wellbeing of their workforce.
“Sankey Biolabs has been established with these market opportunities in mind. We have ambitious growth plans and we are well-positioned to expand and react rapidly to client requests by offering bespoke testing opportunities in niche markets.
“We’ve made a strong start and are actively looking to expand our offering, by providing our services to the life insurance sector, sexual health clinics, private GP surgeries and, in due course, directly to individuals.”
The Innovation Centre is a 24,000 sq ft building which is home to around 80 science and technology-based businesses. John Leake, business growth director at Sci-Tech Daresbury, added: “We’re thrilled to welcome Sankey Biolabs to our campus.
“Frank spearheads a company that combines sharp business acumen with scientific innovation to address a key unmet need. It will help companies develop better wellbeing strategies for their workforce.”