Pharmaceutical company AbbVie has expanded its research and development facilities in Oxford as part of more than £120m invested and committed to scientific research, academic collaboration and talent development across the UK life sciences sector.

The new 12,000 sq ft facility will strengthen the company's research capabilities in immunology, neuroscience and oncology, building on its acquisition of Oxford-founded biotechnology company DJS Antibodies in October 2022.

AbbVie Oxford is intended to combine the agility of a biotechnology company with the resources and expertise of AbbVie's global research and development network. The expansion will support work on disease targets and potential combination therapies, with a focus on identifying new approaches for conditions where significant unmet medical needs remain.

Jon Sedgwick, senior vice-president and global head of discovery research at AbbVie, said the Oxford site would build on the region's concentration of academic and clinical expertise and scientific talent, while enabling deeper collaboration across the UK life sciences ecosystem.

The company already works with more than 100 universities and research organisations in the UK each year. 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. AbbVie also funds a postdoctoral research programme at the university examining the biological drivers of inflammatory diseases.

Kelly Sanderson Schrems, vice-president and general manager of AbbVie UK, said investment in research needed to be matched by effective access to innovative medicines if the UK was to remain competitive as a life sciences destination and improve health outcomes.

She remarked: “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.” 

AbbVie employs more than 1,100 people across its UK sites in Oxford, Maidenhead and Marlow, with the new facility marking a further expansion of its research presence in the Oxford life sciences cluster.

Pic: Ahmad Ardity