Corporate Vision Issue 11 2018

CORPORATE VISION / Issue 11 2018 11 , Life Science Group Ltd (LSG) is an independently owned UK based company providing a range of immediately available products for cell culture applications, in addition to contract manufacturing services to support both life science and research activities. Following their success in the 2018 Corporate Excellence Awards where they were awarded accolade The Leading Providers of In Vitro Life Science Products - United Kingdom, we profiled the firm and spoke to JennyMurray to discover more about the diverse range of products they provide. Tailoring Each Project to Fully Meet Client Expectations Since their inception, Life Science Group Ltd (LSG) have been providing their clients with a range of immediately available products for cell culture applications, in addition to contract manufactur- ing services to support both life science and research activities. The firm’s customers are based in research institutions, both academic and industrial and their manufacturing partners fall within the Life Science industry. Going into further detail the firm’s overall mission, Jenny begins by detailing how the team work together to ensure that they are able to achieve their main goal. “Here at Life Science Group Ltd, our aim is to provide first class customer service, which is backed by technical expertise. The Management Team has over 30 years’ experience in the production of sterile sera, media and antibodies for the research, manufacturing and in vitro diag- nostic industries. “Through regulatory compliance, we can offer complete assurance that our products come with full traceability and are supplied following all relevant licensing agreements as required by UK law. We fully support the UK NC3Rs; to Replace, Reduce and Refine the use of laboratory animals in the UK. “In addition to this, our compli- ance with relevant legislation and regulatory rules ensures that we deliver quality products and ser- vices within legal requirements.” LSG is a small, customer fo- cused company. Every product or service that they provide is fully customisable. The firm is open to client-led audits, and all of their customers are encouraged to visit their facilities, as Jenny explains. “We remain very aware of the needs of our customers, both in product and in the regulatory framework and continually work to meet these demands and improve the services that we can offer and the adoption of new regulatory standards, where applicable. “As manufacturers and not purely distributors, we are able not only to offer material in the exact format required but also to offer prices to meet demanding budgets.” When discussing what it was like to work within this specific industry, Jenny informs us of the techniques the team at LSG employ which enables them to stay ahead of emerging devel- opments. “LSG is continually seeking to develop new material or modify existing products. The compa- ny has recently entered into a Knowledge Transfer Partnership (KTP) with Coventry University. KTP is a UK-wide programme that serves to meet a core strate- gic need and to identify inno- vative solutions to help support business growth. This project will focus on the use of AQIX® RSI Biopreservation Medium as the base constituent of a range of new, defined animal-free cell me- dia as an alternative to FBS-con- taining media. These media will be designed for long term cell storage (freezing) and prolifera- tion of a variety of different cell types, and will meet the needs of the research community, the demand of the Cell Therapy and Vaccine industries, and the legal requirement of the Home Office.” Bringing the interview to a close, Jenny reflects on the internal culture at LSG, highlighting the ways in which the firm ensures that all of the staff are equipped to provide the best possible service to clients. “At LSG, we operate very much as a team with shared respon- sibility for the success of the business. It is the intention of the Directors of the firm to place the company into Employee Owner- OCT18288 ship in order that all staff mem- bers are involved fully within the business. Aligning the interests of companies and their employ- ees can make companies focus more on the long term, securing more sustainable growth.” Looking ahead to what the future holds, Jenny signs off by reveal- ing what the future has in store for the firm. “Moving forward, we are aware that, as a company, some of the raw materials that we currently source will become more difficult to obtain through a variety of factors including climate and a change in agricultural/farming methods globally. We are de- voting resources to partner with suppliers to maintain the supply chain in a variety of different geographies, and also to jointly develop products that either aug- ment or replace existing product in a variety of applications.” Contact: Anne Van der Valk Address: Unit 14, Crowhill Farm Ravensden Road, Wilden, MK44 2QS, UK Telephone: 01234 889180 Web Address: www.lifesciencegroup.co.uk