ICON Opens Translational Unit in Manchester

ICON has opened a purpose-built clinical pharmacology unit in the Central Manchester University Hospitals Foundation Trust (CMFT) campus in Manchester, UK. In June the company began initial studies at the unit using translational medicine methodologies to expedite drug development projects.

The 34-bed hospital-based unit brings ICON’s Phase I global bed capacity to more than 280 beds, and includes a sample handling lab, 24-hour medical cover, local GMP pharmacy, access to the Accident and Emergency department at the Manchester Royal Infirmary and local bioanalytical support. The unit also features four pharmacodynamic testing suites, where ICON models pathologies to identify early efficacy signals of compounds in clinical areas such as Neuropathic Pain, Anxiety and Cognitive Degeneration.

Alan Morgan, ICON group president, Early Clinical Research, commented, “ICON has conducted clinical pharmacology studies in Manchester for over 25 years, and the opening of this translational medicine unit further demonstrates our commitment to streamlining the process that guides new compounds through the early phases of development into treatments that improve human health. Our collaborative relationship with the CMFT, and the location of the new unit on one of the largest teaching hospitals in the UK, facilitates unrivalled access to the expertise, specialist procedures and patient populations necessary to bring life saving medicines to market faster.”