Immunity experts move into state-of-the-art facilities

The Pears Building - Scientists at UCL are preparing to move into a new ultra-modern research facility which will enable them to work more closely with clinicians to develop revolutionary treatments and cures for some of the most devastating diseases of the immune system. The £60m Pears Building, which was today handed over to the Royal Free Charity by the construction company, has been created as a result of a groundbreaking collaboration between the Royal Free Charity, UCL and the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust. It will not only bring the theory and implementation of research much closer together but will also allow the public easy access to the latest discoveries in immunology. It will become the new home of the UCL Institute of Immunity and Transplantation (IIT), in Pond Street, Hampstead, one of the largest patient-focused immunology centres in Europe. Designed by the multi award-winning firm Hopkins and built by Willmott Dixon, the Pears Building has a light-filled interior with dramatic acoustic panelling and bespoke timber meeting room "pods". These, and other spaces in the building, are designed to maximise the opportunities for interaction, between users of the building, between researchers and their clinical colleagues in the neighbouring Royal Free Hospital and with the surrounding community. The building will be able to accommodate up to 200 researchers looking for cures and new treatments for global health problems including type 1 diabetes, cancer and organ rejection after transplantation, enabling it to attract further world-class talent.