CARDIFF, Wales– Kay Swinburne, MEP visited GE Healthcare’s Maynard Centre in Cardiff, Wales on Friday 23rd September. The Maynard Centre, operational since 1980 and with approximately 450 employees, is a key research and manufacturing facility for GE Healthcare’s Life Sciences business.

During her visit, Dr. Swinburne met with GE Healthcare scientists who are developing new, innovative technologies and products used in biomedical research and for the discovery of new drugs. The Maynard Centre is the global headquarters of GE Healthcare Life Sciences Cell Technologies business, headed by Dr. Amr Abid. At The Maynard Centre, the company has established a world-class cellular research group under the directorship of Dr. Stephen Minger, who is known globally as a leading stem cell scientist.

Kay Swinburne MEP said, “I am very pleased to have the opportunity to come and see the research being carried out for myself. The technologies being manufactured and developed by GE Healthcare in Cardiff play a key role in the global fight against disease. I was encouraged to see that the company has established such a world-class research group here in Cardiff, attracting highly skilled staff. This is good for science, good for European healthcare and good for Wales.”

Dr. Swinburne also toured the manufacturing facility for GE Healthcare’s Whatman range of products, specialist paper-based filters used in many healthcare diagnostic applications. The company’s flagship product the Whatman 903 Specimen Collection Device, is the international standard for blood sample collection, transport, and archiving and is used in the majority of new-born baby screening programs worldwide, helping in the early detection of a range of diseases.

Nick Main, Site Director for The Maynard Centre added, “We were delighted to welcome Kay Swinburne to see our Cardiff laboratories in operation and to meet the highly talented staff here at GE Healthcare. Our research here is developing new ways to cut the cost of developing new drugs and to enable the new and rapidly developing field of regenerative medicine. These are important issues for us here in Wales, in Europe and worldwide. GE Healthcare’s research in Cardiff is aligned with, and supports, policy development in the European Union to encourage and develop innovative technologies to improve the health of all Europeans.”

The Maynard Centre is part of a wider network of GE Healthcare Life Sciences’ manufacturing and research operations. The company has facilities in Sweden, China and the USA. The scientific research team in Cardiff also has close connections with GE’s Global Research Centers in Bangalore, India and Niskayuna, New York.

About GE Healthcare (NYSE:GE – News)

GE Healthcare provides transformational medical technologies and services that are shaping a new age of patient care. Our broad expertise in medical imaging and information technologies, medical diagnostics, patient monitoring systems, drug discovery, biopharmaceutical manufacturing technologies, performance improvement and performance solutions services help our customers to deliver better care to more people around the world at a lower cost. In addition, we partner with healthcare leaders, striving to leverage the global policy change necessary to implement a successful shift to sustainable healthcare systems.

Our “healthymagination” vision for the future invites the world to join us on our journey as we continuously develop innovations focused on reducing costs, increasing access and improving quality around the world. Headquartered in the United Kingdom, GE Healthcare is a unit of General Electric Company (NYSE:GE – News). Worldwide, GE Healthcare employees are committed to serving healthcare professionals and their patients in more than 100 countries. For more information about GE Healthcare, visit our website at www.gehealthcare.com.