GE to open biopharma lab in Turkey

GE Healthcare Life Sciences will open a technology and training lab for the fast-emerging biopharmaceutical and biotechnology industry in Turkey.

The laboratory will open to customers, industry and academic partners from mid-2015. Other similar facilities are already operational in the US, UK, China, India and Sweden.

The GE Healthcare Life Sciences Technology Laboratory will feature the company’s latest tools and technologies for drug discovery, protein science, and bioprocessing research. It will offer advanced technical training and technology evaluation to the Turkish biopharmaceutical sector, as well as being open to universities as a location for elements of biotechnology degree courses. Academics, pharmaceutical and biotechnology researchers will also have access to the laboratory for small scale research studies using the latest GE equipment, as will GE customers from the Middle East and Russia.

Turkey plans to expedite the transformation of its healthcare sector through domestic manufacturing of both devices and pharmaceuticals, with plans for local pharmaceutical manufacturing to represent 60% of the country’s consumption.

Dr. Irem Yenice, Biotechnology Division Manager, Arven said, “The GE Healthcare Life Sciences Istanbul Technology and Training Laboratory is an excellent commitment to Turkey’s biotechnology goals, and will be very useful to Turkish research & development and industry. Connecting different scientific fields and helping to strengthen industrial applications, the laboratory could be an important support to growth and innovation in Turkey.”

Myra Eskes, GM, GE Healthcare Life Sciences Eastern & Africa Growth Markets said: “Our investment in the Istanbul Technology and Training Laboratory underscores GE’s commitment to supporting growth in life sciences and the biopharmaceutical industry in both Turkey and the region, complementing and strengthening academic and industry investments in biopharmaceutical research and manufacturing.”