Arcis Biotechnology, which has recently helped develop new coronavirus testing capability, is moving to larger offices and lab space at Sci-Tech Daresbury. Tony McDonough reports

Biotech research business Arcis Biotechnology has moved to bigger Liverpool city region premises following a period of sustained growth.

Arcis was based at the Innovation Centre and ITAC Laboratory at the Sci-Tech Daresbury science and innovation campus. It has now relocated with the campus to a new 2,109 sq ft facility in Techspace One.

The move has allowed the business to consolidate its laboratory and office teams into the same workspace, comprising 997 sq ft of office space and 1,112 sq ft of lab space, enabling greater collaboration and knowledge sharing between different elements of the business.

In April, Arcis joined forces with fellow Daresbury tenant, Perfectus Biomed, to develop a new coronavirus RNA extraction research kit to add to the UK’s testing capacity during the COVID-19 epidemic.

It has designed and custom-built its own laboratory space in order ensure it fully services its specialist requirements, with manufacturing, R&D, cleanroom, testing, packing and labelling facilities all incorporated in one facility.

Dr Jan Rogers, chief scientific officer at Arcis, said: “Sci-Tech Daresbury has proven a perfect home for our business in recent years, and has provided the support that has proven crucial to our expansion. It’s testament to the flexibility of the site that our ongoing growth can be accommodated within the campus.

“Our new facilities will be crucial for our future work as we look to expand our technology into next generation sequencing within cancer diagnostics as well as infectious diseases for clients across the UK, Europe and North America.”

Techspace One is a laboratory and office building for companies from sectors such as biomedical, materials, process technology and clean technology . The three-storey multi-let building provides a combination of 33,000 sq ft of wet and instrumentation laboratories, grade A office accommodation, meeting hubs and break out areas.

John Downes, group chief executive of Sci-tech operator Langtree and chair of the Sci-Tech Daresbury joint venture company, said: “Arcis Biotechnology is a perfect example of the sort of business that we’re proud to have at Sci-Tech Daresbury and Techspace One.

“The company’s journey and the ease of the transition to its new location within the campus embodies the ‘home for life’ concept that is so important to us.”