Dante Labs to process 50,000 Covid-19 tests per day at ex-Lighthouse Lab site at Charnwood Campus

Dante Labs has announced it has taken on a state-of-the-art laboratory, formally a Lighthouse Lab, at the Charnwood Campus in Loughborough. The Charnwood lab will be operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week, and will deliver Covid-19 RT-PCR testing and clinical whole genome sequencing at scale.

The lab will use smart automation and machine learning to enable superior precision, sample tracking and quality. The initial capacity will be 50,000 Covid-19 samples per day.

The site will employ expert scientists, researchers, technicians, and other highly skilled workers, many of whom will be drawn from the local area. As such Dante Labs will benefit from an abundance of top life sciences talent, with some of the UK’s most prestigious universities on its doorstep. The lab hopes to become a destination for talented graduates looking to take the first step in their life sciences careers.

Andrea Riposati, CEO at Dante Labs said, “We’re truly delighted to be moving into the Charnwood Campus. Not only will the lab help accelerate the UK’s Covid-19 testing and sequencing capability, but it will also see us invest in the vibrant local community. Our expertise in whole genome sequencing and testing means that this lab will immediately play a crucial role today in managing the Covid-19 pandemic, and in the next decades to enable whole genome-based personalized medicine across the world.”

Gosia Khrais, Commercial Director at Charnwood Campus said, “All at Charnwood Campus are excited to welcome Dante Labs as new occupiers to the site. The team’s leading life sciences experience, capacity and expertise will be a valuable addition to the campus and the local community. The long-term management of, and research into, Covid-19 is vital work and something we at Charnwood are honored to be a part of.”

With a presence in the UK, Italy and the United Arab Emirates, Dante Labs has carried out over three million Covid-19 tests since the start of the pandemic. The Cambridge-headquartered company is investing heavily in UK facilities, personnel and research and development following the success of its partnership with NHS Test and Trace.

Dante Labs is a global leader in whole-genome sequencing, which not only has the potential to better our understanding of Covid-19 transmissibility and variants but will transform global healthcare systems and accelerate the implementation of precision medicine. The business has performed tens of thousands of whole-genome sequencing tests for individuals in 97 countries and counting.

Last week, Dante Labs appointed Illumina Chief Operations Officer Bob Ragusa as a Board Member, to bolster its global precision medicine initiative.

Dante Labs recently acquired Cambridge Cancer Genomics as part of its ambition to create global excellence in precision oncology with the potential of impacting millions of patients worldwide from the UK.

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