AbbVie has opened a new 12,000-square-foot Oxford research facility to expand drug discovery across immunology, neuroscience and oncology.

The expansion forms part of more than £120 million invested and committed by the pharmaceutical company to scientific research, academic collaborations and talent development across the UK life sciences sector.

The new facility builds on AbbVie’s research capabilities established through its October 2022 acquisition of Oxford-founded biotechnology company DJS Antibodies. The site will combine the scientific capabilities of the acquired business with AbbVie’s global research and development network.

Jon Sedgwick, senior vice president and global head of discovery research at AbbVie, said: “AbbVie Oxford is expanding to further harness the leading life sciences ecosystem in Oxford that brings together academic and clinical expertise and strong scientific talent.”

He added: “Human biology and reverse translation are fundamental to our approach for identifying promising disease targets and combination therapies to advance potential new medicines for people living with serious diseases where significant unmet needs remain.”

The company said the investment will support the expansion of its scientific capabilities and strengthen collaboration with researchers and academic organisations across the UK.

Building on Oxford’s biotechnology research capabilities

The expansion follows AbbVie’s acquisition of DJS Antibodies in October 2022, bringing an Oxford-founded biotechnology business into its research organisation.

The new facility will support research across three therapeutic areas: immunology, neuroscience and oncology. AbbVie said the site combines the agility and entrepreneurial spirit of biotechnology research with the resources and expertise of its worldwide R&D network.

The investment also reflects the company’s existing academic relationships in the UK. AbbVie supports and engages with more than 100 universities and research organisations each year, working with researchers on scientific programmes and potential future treatments.

One collaboration with the University of Oxford is investigating how patients with certain inflammatory conditions respond to different treatments at molecular and clinical levels over an extended period of their disease. The research aims to help guide the development of future medicines.

AbbVie also funds a postdoctoral research programme at the University of Oxford investigating the biological drivers of several inflammatory diseases.

UK research investment and academic partnerships

Kelly Sanderson Schrems, vice president and general manager of AbbVie UK, said: “Scientific discovery is only the beginning. Its real impact comes when innovations reach the patients who need them.”

She added: “Countries that combine good access and uptake of innovative medicines with world-class research and development are best placed to attract global life sciences investment and improve health outcomes.”

Schrems said the UK had made important commitments to life sciences growth, adding that delivering on these commitments was critical to maintaining global competitiveness and ensuring innovative medicines reach patients.

AbbVie employs more than 1,100 people across its UK sites in Oxford, Maidenhead and Marlow, covering research and development and other business functions.

The Oxford expansion adds to the company’s existing UK operations and its academic collaborations, with the new facility intended to increase the research capabilities available to its scientists.

The wider investment commitment of more than £120 million covers scientific research, academic collaborations and talent development across the UK, rather than the Oxford facility alone.