Crown Bioscience to double capacity of PRECOS facility, rename UK site

Existing Facility will become Centre of Excellence for Hormonal Oncology and Step up European Operations

Crown Bioscience, Inc., a leading global drug discovery and development service company, has announced that it will double the capacity of the recently acquired PRECOS (Preclinical Oncology Services Limited) facility and will rename the site Crown Bioscience UK Ltd. (Crown UK). In addition, it was announced that Mike Prosser, Executive Director at Crown Bioscience has been appointed General Manager for Europe, responsible for leading both  the next stage of its UK development as well as Crown’s continued growth in Europe. These moves mark the completion of the PRECOS merger into the Crown organization, while the increased capacity represents a significant investment and long-term commitment to both its UK and European businesses.

The expansion of the Nottingham site will see the facility nearly double its operational footprint, encompassing both in vitro and in vivo capabilities, and is scheduled for formal opening on February 13th 2015. In parallel, the UK site will now become Crown's center of excellence for models of Hormone Related Cancers (Breast, Prostate, Ovarian), while continuing to provide a wide variety of oncology services - both on-site and through accessing the global Crown network - to clients around the world.

Dr. Jean-Pierre Wery, President of Crown Bioscience, commented:

Since the acquisition, Crown has been working to fully integrate the talents and resources of the company into the organization. These changes, in particular the opening of the new facility, will help us lead the way in the study of Hormone Related Cancers, as well as strengthening our position in Europe.

Mike Prosser, the newly appointed GM, added:

Since the merger, investment in Crown UK has been key to the advancement of Crown Bioscience’s service portfolio, such as the development of an irradiation treatment platform for preclinical screening of drug-irradiation combination therapies. In 2015 we aim to continue our expansion of service provision, complimenting both the new therapeutic focus and expanded capacity of Crown UK, and in doing so leveraging and supplementing Crown’s arsenal of services and capabilities.

The acquisition of Crown UK in 2013 was significant in positioning Crown Bioscience as the world’s premier oncology contract research organization, offering a comprehensive range of services and now a key supplier of Oncology and CVMD services with a global footprint, spanning three major continents including North America, Europe and Asia Pacific. With the recent expansion of the research center in North Carolina, strengthening the company’s presence in North America, the expansion of the U.K. facility is part of Crown’s wider strategy to reinforce and increase operations within Europe.

PRECOS Ltd., was established in 2004 as a specialist business unit by the University of Nottingham and then achieved its independence in 2010. The company focused on pre-clinical research and the development of services in oncology providing unique patient relevant and predictive cancer models to over 30 national and international biotech and pharmaceutical companies. In 2013, PRECOS was acquired by Crown Bioscience as part of a global expansion strategy for specialized services in oncology for pharmaceutical and biopharmaceutical companies around the world.