A new £22.5 million centre for world-class biomedical research is being opened today at the University of Leicester.

Part of a total £300m university development plan to transform the campus, the new facilities will help the University maintain its international reputation for biomedical research, providing fundamental insights into the mechanisms of disease and potential future drug targets.

Director of the Wellcome Trust Dr Mark Walport will formally open the new Henry Wellcome Building, which has been funded jointly by the University and the Wellcome Trust.

Completed in early-2005, the five-storey building provides first-rate facilities for more than 200 scientists.

Among the features of the building are: 20 large laboratories, offices, writing-up areas, meeting rooms, a lecture theatre, cold rooms, dark rooms, a wide range of instrument areas, cell culture facilities, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) suites, autoclaves, stores and interactive areas.

External links

• The University of Leicester