Leamington Spa 'super lab' opens to speed up covid testing

Generic super lab image of Leamington Spa super lab
The new lab will also create over 1,500 skilled jobs for the region Credit: PA Images

The UK’s first testing megalab - the Rosalind Franklin laboratory in Royal Leamington Spa has opened and will be processing hundreds of thousands of COVID-19 samples every day to rapidly detect new variants and help stop the spread of the virus.

The laboratory is the biggest of its kind in the UK Credit: Department of Health

The new state-of-the-art laboratory is at the heart of the UK Health Security Agency’s (UKHSA) plans for the next part of our battle against the pandemic. In recognition of her outstanding contribution to our current understanding of genomic sequencing – one of our weapons in the fight against COVID-19 – the laboratory is named after Rosalind Franklin.

The Rosalind Franklin Laboratory aims to create and upskill scientists with a programme of training and, with close links to universities, inspiring a new generation to choose a career in STEM. The new laboratory will create up to 1,500 jobs when fully staffed, with over 300 people on-boarded already and over 700 more joining in the near future. Around 60% of the staff hired so far coming from within 30 miles of the site.

Under the leadership of former deputy Chief Medical Officer, Jenny Harries, the UKHSA’s top priority is managing the spread of COVID-19 as restrictions ease, and building the UK’s capabilities to ensure we are prepared against other potential future threats.

Following the announcement, Health and Social Care Secretary Sajid Javid said:

In the coming months, the laboratory will carry out genotype assay testing, using ePCR machines to rapidly detect COVID-19 mutations indicating whether positive test samples contain known variants, and genome sequencing to confirm known variants and identify any new mutations.

The strength of the UK’s genomics science base and diagnostics sequencing industry has allowed the UK to genomically sequence over 600,000 positive COVID-19 tests, rapidly identifying COVID-19 variants and capturing critical data, enabling scientists to track and stay ahead of mutations in the genome of the virus.

Health worker completing coronavirus test Credit: PA images

More than 200 million COVID-19 tests have been conducted, including over 100 million PCR tests which has enabled over 4.8 million positive cases to be contacted and told to self-isolate by NHS Test and trace. This testing network will continue to provide essential public health data for the UKHSA to tackle current and future infectious disease threats.