Testing firm Alphabiolabs is investing £2.5m and hiring 12 scientists for the Liverpool city region COVID-19 testing labs as it looks to meet demand from commercial clients. Tony McDonough reports

Private laboratory testing business Alphabiolabs is recruiting 12 scientists for two new £2.5m COVID-19 testing labs in the Liverpool city region.

Alphabiolabs, based in Warrington, is setting up the facilities at the Sci-Tech Daresbury science and innovation campus to meet a growing demand from commercial clients for coronavirus tests.

The business is initially investing £520,000 in instrumentation and other equipment for the new labs, with the figure due to rise to more than £2.5m over the next 12 months as it ramps up its COVID-19 testing service.

Its investment will allow it to carry 2,000 samples a day initially, rising to more than 5,000 as the team grows. Daresbury Laboratory is at the heart of Sci-Tech Daresbury, a nationally-recognised community of hi-tech business and innovation.

David Thomas, managing director of AlphaBiolabs, said the new labs will enable the company to keep pace with demand for its workplace COVID-19 and antibody testing service for businesses across the UK and internationally.

Scientists will analyse swab samples taken from the nose and throat using a government-approved methodology to detect the presence of the virus. He said: “Sci-Tech Daresbury has a reputation for being an internationally-renowned centre of excellence in the fields of science and innovation, so it is the ideal location for our expansion.

“There is currently insufficient COVID-19 testing capacity in the UK to enable employers to rapidly test their staff to ensure they have a smooth transition back to the workplace in a Covid-safe manner.

We believe there is a realistic prospect of COVID-19 infections increasing throughout the winter months, and therefore will see increasing demand for testing to keep workplaces safe.

The key to our ongoing success is our heavy investment in our facilities and team to ensure we can deliver the best possible service for customers at the time they need it most. This expansion at Sci-Tech Daresbury marks another key phase in the company’s development.”

AlphaBiolabs also provides DNA, drug and alcohol testing services to a client base which includes members of the public, businesses, family and immigration law solicitors, social services, the media and universities.