GALLERY: Pharmaceutical company Astra Zeneca given green light for £330m Cambridge campus to accommodate 2,000 staff

A pharmaceutical company has been granted permission to build a global headquarters in Cambridge for 2,000 staff.

Astra Zeneca’s £330million Cambridge Biomedical Campus proposal was approved by Cambridge City Council. It is due to be completed by the end of 2016.

The site will become the company’s largest centre for oncology research. There will be an animal testing facility for early stage cancer research.

An Astra Zeneca spokesman said: “Our move to Cambridge reflects its global importance as a centre for biopharmaceutical research and development.

“The city offers invaluable access to world-leading scientific expertise and provides excellent opportunities for collaboration with renowned academic research institutions, pre-eminent hospitals and cutting-edge biotech companies.

“The Cambridge site will become our largest centre for oncology research worldwide. Beyond cancer research, our research and development will focus on cardiovascular and metabolic diseases, respiratory, inflammation and autoimmune diseases and conditions of the central nervous system.

“The site will bring together our small molecule and biologics research and development, opening up opportunities to exploit the promise of small and large molecule combinations. Additionally, we will have medicinal chemistry, high-throughput screening and cellular and molecular biology, as well as clinical development and pre-clinical research capabilities located on the site.

“As our largest oncology research centre, the new site will also include a purpose-designed rodent facility principally to support our early stage cancer research.

“Animal studies are a vital part of the research process, and are required by regulators before they approve a new medicine to be tested in humans during clinical trials.”