3CR Bioscience is a genomics-focused biotechnology SME based in Harlow. Founded in 2017, the company is run by a team of scientists, Steven Asquith, Dr Nisha Jain, and Dr John Holme, who have been developing industrial biotechnology in Hertfordshire and Essex since the early 2000s. Their goal with 3CR Bioscience specifically was to develop affordable, high-performance scientific reagents to empower scientists and advance genomics globally.

3CR Bioscience currently supplies 600+ customers in over 50 countries worldwide across industry, academia, government funded research and not-for-profit organisations. Their core business focuses on PCR genotyping reagents and assay design, with their flagship, patented PACE® allele-specific PCR Master Mix, and ProbeSure™ Master Mix. 3CR Bioscience is privately owned, allowing them to deliver industry leading products at market changing prices.

Steve, Nisha, and John began working together at KBioscience, Hoddesdon, a biotech start-up founded in 2002 by former GSK colleagues, and pioneers of high-throughput genotyping technology, Phil Robinson, and Jon Curtis. When KBioscience was acquired by LGC in 2011, the team stayed on in Senior Management positions, successfully expanding the company’s services and products across life sciences. After a further sale, Steve and John exited the company and partnered to establish 3CR Bioscience, to focus on building a dedicated reagent manufacturing company with innovation and affordability at its core. Nisha, with over 15 years’ experience in molecular biology and genotyping joined 3CR Bioscience as Operations Director in 2018.

Their combined efforts and patents have shaped the company’s success; they now make up the company’s senior leadership team, along with Jon Curtis, co- founder of KBioscience, as Non-executive Chair and Nazma Saffin, who joined as General Manager in 2022 bringing with her 20 years genotyping and lab management experience.

In 2019, 3CR Bioscience relocated its operations from Biopark, Welwyn Garden City to Harlow. The directors needed a facilities that could cater for the scientific and logistical needs of the growing company and quickly identified several key requirements for their new location. Firstly, they needed a place with economical and efficient transport links to facilitate travel and shipping to the rest of the world. They also needed facilities that were secure, had space for growth, and were cost-effective. Additionally, the new location had to be commutable for their team which was spread across Hertfordshire, North London, and Essex. Harlow emerged as the ideal choice.

The decision to establish 3CR Biosciences in Harlow for the next phase of growth has proved to be a wise move, allowing 3CR to optimise its operations and leverage the advantages offered by the location. The company has benefitted from outsourcing to local third-party service providers for meeting rooms, admin support and other aspects of facilities management.

Work has recently begun on 3CR’s expansion project, doubling the footprint of the business on-site to increase manufacturing capacity to meet the increasing demand for the technology-leading genotyping reagents. The expansion also paves the way for additional products, services, and a growing team, having recently recruited fresh talent from surrounding local areas for scientific and logistics roles.