CHANCELLOR of the Exchequer George Osborne was in Shepherd's Bush this week to open a major new medical research facility.
The £73m Imperial Centre for Translational and Experimental Medicine (ICTEM), next to Hammersmith Hospital, will be used to turn scientific discoveries into new therapies as quickly as possible.
The six-storey building, in Du Cane Road, combines laboratory spaces for up to 450 scientists with a facility for evaluating and developing new treatments through clinical trials with patients.
The centre has taken more than four years to build and includes a designated Cancer Research UK centre and one of the largest cardiovascular research facilities in Europe, taking up three floors.
Mr Osbourne, said: "It's an honour to open this new Imperial Centre for Translational and Experimental Medicine.
"It is what this country's vision for the future of life sciences is all about. This new centre rises to the challenge of ensuring we remain a world leader in life sciences. The future is academic research, clinical practice and industrial application coming together.
"Our future depends on the work going on at Imperial and in world class labs like this across the country."
