The Wellcome Sanger Institute sequences 40,000 billion letters of DNA every day and holds 84 petabytes of data in its online facility. UK Innovation Corridor (UKIC) members heard both figures, among many other impressive figures, during a recent visit to the Wellcome Genome Campus at Hinxton, where the Board met on site.
The Campus is anchored by the Sanger Institute and a growing cluster of genomics-led companies. The tour took in its history, current expansion plans, and the everyday research that keeps Hinxton among the world’s leading genomics sites. Members also heard about the long-term skills pipeline that supports the science, and the deliberate co-location of research, training and enterprise on one site.
A small detail was much enjoyed: the original red telephone boxes preserved inside the BIC building, now tucked between offices and labs, providing some unique history, on-site.
Genomics at this scale does not appear overnight. The Hinxton campus is the product of decades of decisions about land, infrastructure, skills and partnership. Those are the same conditions UKIC is working to create at points all the way along the corridor, from the Royal Docks through Hertfordshire and Essex to Cambridge and Peterborough.
