New £20 million robotic AI lab to accelerate fight against deadly infections and help phase out animal testing

A new high-security robotic AI laboratory designed to accelerate the discovery of next-generation drugs and vaccines for high-risk and deadly infectious diseases has launched in Liverpool.

 

A first of its kind in the UK, the £20 million Liverpool Accelerate Laboratory will be open to industry and academics to develop innovative new treatments using human organoids that provide a more accurate indication of the impact of new treatments than tests based on animals.

The laboratory has been developed through the Infection Innovation Consortium: iiCON, which advances pioneering infection R&D through collaboration between industry, researchers and the NHS.

 

Built at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and supported by £10 million from the Liverpool City Region Life Sciences Innovation Zone programme, the new facility is due to open fully in 2027 and will provide a safe environment where partners can work with dangerous pathogens using cutting-edge automated technology.

 

The new secure Containment Level 3 (CL3) laboratory is fitted with state-of-the-art liquid handling systems, robotics, and AI. It also meets Schedule Five biohazard security requirements, meaning it is future-fit for the safe handling of dangerous pathogens. The laboratory is a high-security, steel-clad facility that responds to forthcoming changes in the Terrorism Act – making it a key UK biosecurity asset.

 

As well as saving lives and supporting cutting-edge industry innovation, the laboratory is forecast to generate £40 million of investment in the first three years – creating well-paid jobs and driving research.

 

 

The new lab will utilise organoids, in which human cells are grown into miniature organs that provide a better indication of how new treatments will react in the body than tests based on animals.

 

The pioneering technology supports the UK Government’s £75 million national roadmap to move away from animal testing in science in favour of human-relevant, ethical and accurate alternatives.

 

Open to businesses of all sizes, iiCON will support initial pilot research to enable companies to use the laboratory to explore new approaches using organoid testing – offering particular benefit to SMEs and start-ups developing novel drugs and vaccines.

 

The facility will offer a range of organoid models including liver, lung, tonsillar, and skin – offering commercial collaborators the opportunity to trial and develop new drugs and vaccines. The laboratory will enable closer collaborations with industry and long term will support regulatory dossiers for approval of new treatments.

 

The facility will also support the next phase of iiCON’s development, bolstering the infection innovation ecosystem between industry, academia, and the NHS to enhance the discovery and route to market for new drugs and vaccines.

 

Part of the Liverpool City Region Life Sciences Innovation Zone, the facility has been funded by a £10 million investment from Liverpool City Region Combined Authority, alongside funding from Research England’s Expanding Excellence in England E3 fund, and The Wolfson Foundation.