EDUCATION
Leading the field - the National Horizons Centre is helping attract talent to the North-East .
bio-based industries set to transform the UK economy , including biologics , industrial biotechnology and biopharmaceuticals .
As director , Jen plans to work with key stakeholders to build a strategic regional partnership to promote the Tees Valley as a leading region for bioscience research .
She uses the example of the National Horizons Centre ’ s Central Park base as an example of the close cooperation which will help drive forward this ambition .
The centre sits as part of a cluster of excellence which includes Teesside University ’ s Centre for Professional and Executive Development , as well the National Biologics Centre operated by the Centre for Process Innovation .
Naturally , any talk of a geographical cluster for bioscience invites comparison with the “ Golden Triangle ” centred around Oxford , Cambridge and London .
Challenging the South-East for primacy in the life science sector is a lofty ambition , but Jen believes the National Horizons Centre can act as a lodestone , bringing together the various businesses operating in the sector .
By helping to attract talent and investment to the North-East , the National Horizons Centre can ultimately help shift the centre of gravity in the bioscience sector further towards this region .
“ We ’ ve already got some truly global companies operating here such as GlaxoSmithKline , Fujifilm and Quorn , along with some fantastic SMEs producing some truly innovative products ” she says .
“ I really believe we can work together to put the North-East on the map .
“ Here at the National Horizons Centre , we ’ ve got a very strong research base in areas such as bioprocessing , biotherapeutics and medical diagnostics , so we want to work with our partners to ensure that we can utilise our expertise to maximise their strengths .”
Over the last year , since it was officially opened , the National Horizons Centre has already made considerable headway in this regard .
Jen points to a research partnership with Quorn to test different methods of making mycoprotein , the main ingredient in all Quorn products , to improve its sustainability and quality .
In addition , the National Horizons Centre is hosting Hexis Lab , a North- East skincare company which is utilising the centre ’ s state-of-the-art equipment to research the different properties of natural compounds .
The centre has core skills in bioprocessing , proteomics and genomics , featuring a Water ’ s Innovation Laboratory , equipped with the latest mass spectrometers , a fermentation and bioproduction facility , and animal cell culture and microbial growth rooms . The centre also hosts next generation sequencing tools alongside modern imaging tools , including Raman confocal microscopy , fluorescence lifetime confocal microscopy and animal cell sorter .
Jen is also keen to utilise leading edge research from other disciplines at Teesside University and apply it to the work being done at the National Horizons Centre . In particular , the role of digital within the bioscience industry promises huge potential .
In one such example , researchers at the centre have been working to develop a virtual reality bioreactor .
Not only can this provide a safe
virtual learning environment to train process operators in various emergency scenarios , helping to prevent costly mistakes , but in a post-Covid world where face-to-face contact may be limited , students can be taught processes and equipment-use from within their homes .
“ I want the National Horizons Centre to be a sustainable and agile environment where people want to work , learn and collaborate ,” says Jen .
“ The Covid-19 pandemic has not only shown how important the bioscience sector is within our economy , but also how close cooperation between public and private institutions can yield fantastic results .
“ The National Horizons Centre is perfectly placed to drive forward innovation and growth in this region and establish the North-East as a global hub for the bioscience industries .”
For more information visit tees . ac . uk / nhc
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