A medical research laboratory is set to be built in Govan after plans were submitted by a Dutch property firm working in partnership with the University of Glasgow.
Kadans Science Partner, which focuses on research buildings, has requested permission from Glasgow City Council for a four-storey health innovation hub on empty land, previously used as a temporary car park, at Linthouse Road and Holmfauld Road.
The company has said the facility would provide a “platform for ambitious research and innovation” as well as bringing jobs to the area.
It has been described as a “precision medicine health innovation hub” and would have links to the nearby Queen Elizabeth University Hospital.
In July 2020, the University of Glasgow announced it had been awarded £38 million to create a ‘Precision Medicine Living Lab’ — “an internationally leading project focused on translating cutting-edge science and innovation into a real world clinical setting.”
Government funding for the project was provided through UK Research and Innovation’s Strength in Places Fund. An investment of £27.5 million was also made by the Glasgow City Region City Deal and the council.
Kadans’ plan, on land most recently used as a temporary overspill car park for the Queen Elizabeth University Hospital, is being delivered in partnership with the university and Scottish Enterprise, the application stated.
It said: “The flexible environment can be fitted out in the future with specific tenant needs for research, learning and discovery in the field of precision medicine.
“The lab and office areas are complemented by shared social and collaboration spaces to promote high levels of interaction between the building users.”
The proposed facility has been described as a “global centre of excellence for precision medicine” with “unparalleled interactions between academia, industry and the health service.”
Precision medicine involves the tailoring of medical treatments to each patient’s characteristics to help treat people quickly and more effectively, and is “made possible by using cutting-edge medical tools such as more precise diagnostics, imaging, genomics and artificial intelligence”.
Partners in the ‘Living Lab’ project include NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde, BioClavis, Canon Medical Research Europe, Glasgow City Council, Glasgow City Region, Glasgow Science Centre, iCAIRD, Kadans, MR CoilTech, Precision Medicine Scotland, Scottish Enterprise, Siemens Healthineers and Skill Development Scotland.
When funding for the project was initially announced, University of Glasgow principal, Professor Sir Anton Muscatelli, said: “Glasgow and Scotland are world-leaders in the field of precision medicine — and the new Living Lab will turn our research and innovation excellence into clinical practices, offering an unparalleled opportunity to deliver benefits for patients and savings for the NHS.”