Denmark-headquartered Novo Nordisk, a global healthcare company, said that it will expand its research and development center in Beijing from currently 100 to 200 employees by 2015. The expansion will mainly be dedicated to a new Diabetes Research Unit.
“By doubling the current staff at our R&D Center, Novo Nordisk acknowledges the achievements of the Chinese staff since the center was established in 1997. And once again, we demonstrate our long term commitment to take part in the scientific and technological development of China, while at the same time helping Novo Nordisk to get access to the tremendous resource of talents, ideas and innovation in China” said Mr Mads Krogsgaard Thomsen, executive vice president and Chief Science Officer at Novo Nordisk.
The future research scope will now be broadened to include biopharmaceutical approaches to develop new treatments against diabetes as well as the conduct of pharmacological studies. The R&D team in China will eventually take part in all aspects of drug discovery, from innovation to developing drug candidates for clinical studies in humans.
The Novo Nordisk R&D in Center China is based in Zhongguancun Life Science Park in Beijing and has evolved into a center of excellence for Novo Nordisk in molecular biology, protein chemistry and cell biology. Currently, the R&D Center in China employs around 90 scientists.