$13.3M to expand GSK Singapore R&D site

UK drug major GlaxoSmithKline has opened a new S$20.0 million ($13.3 million) medicinal chemistry laboratory at its Centre for Research in Cognitive and Neurodegenerative Disorders, which is located in Singapore's biomedical research hub, Biopolis.

"This new investment in GSK's R&D facility will enhance our drug discovery capabilities in Singapore. Our goal is to identify a clinical development candidate by the end of 2007 and we are on track to achieving that. The key drivers for GSK investing in Singapore are the quality of the research base and our access to high-quality graduates and researchers," said Paul Chapman, director of the CRCND.

GSK aims to double the number of researchers hired to almost 60, with half of them locally sourced. According to the firm, the new facility enables researchers to adopt a collaborative approach that is at the cutting edge of work practices at GSK facilities around the world.