Pharmaceutical company AbbVie has opened a research centre in Oxford following investment exceeding £120 million.
The 12,000-square-foot facility was launched by AbbVie to strengthen its research in immunology, neuroscience and oncology.
Its development follows the company’s acquisition of Oxford-founded biotechnology business DJS Antibodies in October 2022 and forms part of AbbVie’s wider UK strategy involving investment in scientific research, academic partnerships and the development of talent.
AbbVie Oxford is intended to make use of the city’s life-sciences ecosystem, which brings together academic and clinical expertise with a strong pool of scientific talent.
Jon Sedgwick, AbbVie’s senior vice president and global head of discovery research, said the expansion would build on that foundation, increase scientific capabilities and deepen collaboration across the UK life-sciences sector.
The centre brings together the operating model of a biotechnology business and AbbVie’s worldwide research and development expertise and resources.
Kelly Sanderson Schrems, AbbVie UK’s vice president and general manager, said scientific discoveries achieve their true value when they result in innovations reaching patients who need them.
Across the UK, AbbVie works with more than 100 universities and research organisations annually.
A partnership with the University of Oxford examines how patients with particular inflammatory conditions respond to different treatments over time, with the findings intended to inform the development of future medicines.
The company also backs a postdoctoral research programme at Oxford investigating the biological causes of inflammatory diseases.
AbbVie currently has more than 1,100 employees based at its UK locations in Oxford, Maidenhead and Marlow.