News Release Communique
National Synchrotron Project Attracts Pharmaceutical Group
As First Industrial Investor
-- Saskatchewan government also commits matching money
SASKATOON, SK. Boehringer Ingelheim, one of the world's leading pharmaceutical firms, has become the first industrial company to invest in a beamline at the Canadian Light Source (CLS) synchrotron project now under construction on the University of Saskatchewan campus.
University of Saskatchewan President Peter MacKinnon and Dr. Paul Anderson, Senior Vice-President R&D of Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd., made the announcement today at a special event to mark completion of the stadium-sized building that will house Canada's first state-of-the-art synchrotron.
Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd., a subsidiary of the multinational Boehringer Ingelheim group of companies, will contribute $500,000 over the next five years toward the cost of a beamline (conduit for carrying synchrotron light to experimental work stations) and related facilities. Saskatchewan Economic and Co-operative Development will match this sum.
The beamline will be used for protein crystallography which involves using synchrotron light to study protein crystals, research which can lead to the design of new drugs. With a synchrotron, scientists can determine crystal structures in weeks to months instead of months to years.
"We're delighted to receive this beamline contribution from Boehringer Ingelheim which we expect will be the first of many from companies that recognize the benefits of using synchrotron science to develop new products and solve industrial problems," said MacKinnon.
Anderson said, "At Boehringer Ingelheim, we are extremely pleased to contribute to the construction of this state-of-the art research facility. The protein crystallography beamline will be an invaluable tool for our scientists and other Canadian researchers. This investment is a further example of our commitment to research and development in Canada."
The first light will shine down the beamlines in January of 2004. Construction of the $173.5-million national facility is on time and on budget.
Funding is now in place for half a dozen beamlines. CLS is seeking additional capital investment partnerships to build the full complement of more than 30 beamlines. Each beamline costs about $5 million and is dedicated to a different type of synchrotron science.
A synchrotron is a huge, donut-shaped ring that accelerates a stream of electrons and manipulates them to create a beam of light billions of times brighter than the sun. This rare light can then be used by industrial and university researchers as a revolutionary new tool to observe structures and chemical reactions at a molecular level.
The CLS is owned by the U of S. CLS construction is mainly funded by the Canada Foundation for Innovation, the Canadian government, the Saskatchewan government, the Ontario Innovation Trust, the Alberta government, the University of Saskatchewan, the City of Saskatoon and SaskPower.
The Boehringer Ingelheim group of companies, with headquarters in Ingelheim (Germany), is one of the 20 leading pharmaceutical firms in the world and reported revenues of almost DEM 10 billion in 1999. Substantial research and development, production, and distribution facilities are located around the globe. In 1999, Boehringer Ingelheim spent DEM 1.6 billion on R&D, equivalent to 16% of total sales. As a research-driven company, Boehringer Ingelheim has R&D centres in Argentina, Austria, Canada, Germany, Japan, USA.
Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd. is one of the fastest growing pharmaceutical companies in Canada. The company has a major research and development centre in Laval, Quebec, making Boehringer Ingelheim one of the largest Canadian investors in pharmaceutical research and development. For more information please visit Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd.
Information on CLS is available from the www.lightsource.ca.
For more information, contact:
Kathryn Warden
Research Communications Officer
Office of the Vice President Research
(306) 966-2506 Phone
(306) 966-2411 Fax
kathryn.warden@usask.ca
Office of the Vice-President (Research)
Nicole Gareau
Coordinator, Communications
Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd./Ltée
Research and Development
Tel: (450) 682-4640 ext. 4301
Fax: (450) 682-6279
ngareau@lav.boehringer-ingelheim.com
Boehringer Ingelheim (Canada) Ltd.
Last modified: 2012-01-19 17:01:42