APC and VLE Therapeutics, the Irish multinational group responsible for breakthrough pharma process research and development (R&D) and manufacture, has today announced a groundbreaking expansion that involves a €100 million capital expansion to form a globally unique Medicine Accelerator Campus in Cherrywood, Dublin, and the creation of 300 R&D jobs.
The 130,000 sq ft campus, the largest R&D site in the biopharma sector in Ireland and the expanded home for APC and VLE, will integrate the latest developments in scientific research, AI, neural networks, and scientifically-led manufacturing activities. This value chain is transforming medicine development and the time to patient for new and advanced therapeutics.
Partnering with eight of the top 10 pharmaceutical companies globally and a wide range of biotechs, APC and VLE works across a wide range of therapeutic areas. The group is currently working on 35+ medicines that transform patient treatment in areas such as oncology, respiratory disease, Alzheimer’s, HIV, and more at its HQ in Dublin.
Serving as a global research epicentre The Medicine Accelerator Campus represents one of the most disruptive businesses in pharmaceutical development, digitalisation, and manufacturing.
Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Employment of Ireland, Simon Coveney, said: “The Government, through Enterprise Ireland, is committed to scaling and building globally impactful Irish multinationals that will help drive the Irish economy and our competitive advantage forward. APC and VLE’s announcement today is testament to that Irish multinational ambition in action, and we are delighted to support them on their patient-focused mission.”
APC was founded in 2011 by Dr Mark Barrett and Professor Brian Glennon, UCD School of Chemical and Bioprocess Engineering. VLE Therapeutics was founded in 2020 as a spin-out of APC.
The addition of 300 roles will bring the combined team to over 600 scientists, digital experts, and manufacturing professionals –bringing The Medicine Accelerator team to a global stage.
This significant growth underscores the organisations’ dedication to fostering talent and creating a powerhouse team to drive advancements in research, digital capabilities, and manufacturing.
The organisation has also developed iAchieve, a cutting-edge digitalisation platform that meticulously digitises every facet of a medicine’s development and manufacturing journey.
This digital transformation is a step change in medicine R&D and presents huge opportunity for medicine acceleration through AI and other advanced digital applications.
Dr Mark Barrett, CEO and co-founder of APC and VLE Therapeutics, said: “Reimagining how medicines are developed and accelerated to patients is our motivation, our purpose. Today’s announcement of an additional 300 new jobs, along with a €100 million capital plan to create a new 130,000 sq ft Medicine Accelerator Campus in Cherrywood, Dublin, demonstrates our confidence in our team to deliver on that purpose.
“We are 100 per cent behind them, they are simply extraordinary. As an Irish multinational company, it also solidifies our confidence in the biopharma ecosystem in Ireland as a global hub, one that is trusted and central to medicine supply chains globally, to drive further innovation in the areas of pharmaceutical R&D, digitalisation, and manufacture.
“This new expansion will further strengthen our competitiveness through increased integration of the latest developments in sustainability, artificial intelligence, and breakthrough science.
“It will enable our team to reimagine and transform medicine development and manufacture. I am so excited to see our organisation pursue such a patient-focused mission.
“The support of Enterprise Ireland has been pivotal in accelerating this expansion, and we look forward to continuing to work with them on our mission to accelerate medicines to patients.”
Leo Clancy, CEO, Enterprise Ireland, said: “Enterprise Ireland has been proud to partner with APC, and later VLE, to support its scaling journey since its infancy. The expansion is a huge milestone for this Irish company and we look forward to working with APC and VLE as they continue to grow and scale globally.”
APC was the overall winner of the 2011 NovaUCD Campus Company Development Programme, the forerunner of the UCD VentureLaunch Accelerator Programme.
