ALDERLEY Park will play a crucial role in the ongoing national fight against the coronavirus from this week.

The Medicines Discovery Catapult, based at the former AstraZeneca site, is being transformed into one of three hub laboratories across the country to carry out testing for Covid-19 on an unprecedented scale.

It comes as the coronavirus has rocked the nation – forcing a lockdown to keep the public save and the NHS protected, with hundreds of patients already killed by the virus.

Samples will be delivered to the hub laboratory at Alderley Park from across the country for analysis, with the aim of allowing uninfected frontline NHS staff to return to work.

Professor Chris Molloy, chief executive at Medicines Discovery Catapult, said: "At a time of national challenge, harnessing the great strengths of the UK’s businesses, universities, the NHS and research institutes requires expert teams working to a common purpose.

“The immense effort by so many partners to establish these national hub laboratories will provide vital information on the level of Covid-19 infection across the UK. It also demonstrates innovative medical science being delivered at scale.

“At Medicines Discovery Catapult, we are well placed to lead the establishment of the hub laboratory at Alderley Park – bringing together the scientific, clinical and industrial know-how from many organisations, and engaging a skilled local workforce, to support increased capacity Covid-19 testing.”

The hub is one of three to have been announced by Government, alongside sites in Glasgow and Milton Keynes.

Work to set up the Alderley Park laboratory has taken place at an unprecedented pace ahead of its opening this week.

Medicines Discovery Catapult has worked closely with experts from the regional pharmaceutical, academic and clinical community – including universities, NHS, biotechnology and industrial firms – to deliver this vital national service.

Universities, research institutes and commercial companies across Britain are also lending their testing equipment to the new hub laboratories.

Skilled volunteers from across the scientific community, with the relevant expertise and experience needed to carry out Covid-19 testing, will process samples around the clock.

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Dr Kath Mackay, managing director of Bruntwood SciTech Alderley Park, added: “At Alderley Park we have the infrastructure and network of expertise that the Medicines Discovery Catapult needs to launch this critical facility, and we are proud to be working together with the wider science community on such a vitally important project.”

Equipment already in use for COVID-19 testing or other vital work is not being taken for these new laboratories.