Issue link: https://htpgraphics.uberflip.com/i/433487
33 Other major diagnostics companies have invested in the area such as Gen Probe, which bought the former University of Manchester spin-out Tepnel Life Sciences in 2009, and turned Manchester into its European HQ. At the time of the acquisition QIAGEN's main UK site was at Crawley in Sussex. However, this site was closed down and its operations are now concentrated in Manchester. Factors affecting this decision included the availability of scientific talent in Manchester as well as the regular connections from Manchester Airport to Dü sseldorf, where QIAGEN's HQ is located. QIAGEN invested to further develop the Manchester site and it now has a substantial business, with QIAGEN Manchester being a Centre of Excellence for Companion Diagnostics. Dr Stephen Little became the Vice-President for Personalised Healthcare. After three years he left QIAGEN with the intention of building another company, and he has done that successfully in Manchester with Premaitha Health on Manchester Science Park, which is developing diagnostic products for prenatal screening. The main reason for choosing Manchester to build the company over alternative locations such as Cambridge, which is where the company originated, is the critical mass of talent developed and attracted by companies such as QIAGEN and Gen Probe (now Hologic) in and around the city. Premaitha has attracted an executive and non-executive team of 20 with a great deal of experience in diagnostics – including its Chief Development Officer (from QIAGEN), the chairman (formerly chairman of DxS, who helped build the company prior to the acquisition by QIAGEN, and the Chief Medical Officer, who instructs at Massachusetts General Hospital. www.dxs-systems.co.uk and www.premaitha.com The Iona™ test supplied by Premaitha is a process configured by the company and software-enabled, which utilises equipment and reagents supplied by instrument partners. 10 20 30 40 50 60 70 80 90 100 0 ■ TALENT ■ CULTURE PLACE ■ HISTORY ■ SUPPORT ■ OPEN/INDUSTRY ORIENTATION ■ GLOBAL LINKS ■ RESEARCH Why Manchester? Chart illustrates the factors that influenced DxS/Premaitha