Leading early-stage drug discovery contract research organisation (CRO) Reach Separations has expanded its Nottingham premises in the wake of increased demand for its chiral purification services.
Reach Separations specialises in chromatography for the analysis and purification of small molecules, and has added 1580 square foot of laboratory and office space – roughly the size of an average 4-bedroom house – on the ground floor of the Laurus Building at BioCity Nottingham, where the company has been based since 2012.
The company is on-track to record an all-time high in demand for its specialist chiral purification services as well as its annual turnover, as Reach Separations’ Managing Director Duncan Cliff explains: “We have seen a significant increase in demand for large-scale chiral purification from clients across the UK and Europe, and the new dedicated large-scale laboratory space is designed specifically for chiral purification at 500g and over. We anticipate a continuation of this upward trend in demand for our chiral purification services, and alongside estimate our turnover will grow by at least 20% in 2021.
“Investment in the new laboratory and office spaces includes state-of-the-art equipment for evaporation and post processing specific to large-scale, and gas delivery systems. Having this best-in-class infrastructure and facilities is key to our delivery of the most efficient service to new and existing clients and allow us to continue to support them into early drug development. The expansion will also provide an enhanced working environment for our staff.”
He adds: “Reach Separations was founded just eight years ago, when our team of four people took on one small laboratory in the Innovation Building at BioCity Nottingham.
We now occupy two large laboratories and office space, employ 13 people, recently added two new laboratory staff to the team as a result of our growth, and have more recruitment plans in the pipeline.”
Victoria Coulthard, the company’s Global Head of Business Development, adds: “Reach has a large and varied client base across the UK and Europe with whom we have adapted to new ways of working during the COVID-19 pandemic. We have successfully maintained high levels of communication with clients both established and new via new video conferencing software, which we believe is a crucial way to do business with Europe in the coming months, whilst also keeping our carbon footprint small.”
“BioCity Nottingham is in the ideal location at the heart of the UK and is home to several CROs, which has allowed us to collaborate and bring together our specialist drug discovery expertise to help clients expedite their drug discovery projects in spite of the COVID-19 lockdown.”
She continues: “Our aim is to be the go-to chromatography provider in Europe, from early discovery to early development, and our new large-scale laboratory will be key to this next chapter of our growth.”
Reach Separations specialises in chromatography for the analysis and purification of small molecules. The company provides a high quality and efficient service to its clients returning samples and results quickly, allowing them to streamline their internal processes and accelerate their discovery programmes.
This article was written by Medilink EM Member, Reach Separations.