The Government unveiled its new national cancer strategy for England on World Cancer Day, in a push to improve patient outcomes through earlier diagnosis, faster treatment, technological innovation and personalised care.

It outlined a range of ambitious targets, which included:

  • Diagnosing 75% of cancers at stage 1 or 2 by 2028
  • Investing £2.3 billion investment to deliver 9.5 million additional tests by 2029
  • Expanding genomic testing and robot-assisted procedures.

Although the headlines focused on clinical outcomes, it’s easy to overlook the role life science real estate (the laboratories, innovation hubs, diagnostic centres and collaborative research spaces) will play in helping the government’s ambitions.

The infrastructure behind faster diagnosis

The plan’s commitment to improving diagnosis will need to look beyond just increasing our testing capacity and boosting the sector’s workforce. Delivering millions of additional diagnostic results will also require highly specified, high-throughput lab and clinical environments.

Purpose-built lab space, designed to CL2 standards, with resilient power supply, fibre connectivity and high air-change capacity, can ensure diagnostics can operate safely at the speed and scale we need.

LS Estates’ new urban sciences building at Canary Wharf, 17 Columbus Courtyard, shows how buildings can be designed to respond to this future need. It will offer:

  • 256,000 sq ft of laboratory and office accommodation
  • Fully fitted labs from 1,500 sq ft for rapid occupation
  • Shell and core flexibility for scaling businesses
  • 4.5MVA dual power supply and resilient fibre connectivity
  • Shared equipment rooms and dedicated goods lifts

These elements have been incorporated into the building’s retrofit to ensure tenants have the right infrastructure they might need to innovate at pace.

The Golden Triangle’s cluster advantage

A headline of the cancer plan is its emphasis on the need for better diagnostics and genomic testing. This is where geography and sector clustering could become increasingly important.

The UK’s Golden Triangle, linking London, Oxford and Cambridge, concentrates the region’s world-class universities, NHS trusts, genomic expertise and AI research capabilities.

In London alone, proximity to institutions such as Genomics England, the Francis Crick Institute, the Institute of Cancer Research and top-tier universities has created an ecosystem which combines a critical mass of clinical data and cutting-edge research.

With life science increasingly relying upon and overlapping with innovations in AI, robotics and data science, the clout of London’s cluster really matters. Innovation districts, such as those emerging at Canary Wharf, help to bring together:

  • Access to patients and clinical trial infrastructure
  • AI and robotics capability
  • Deep venture capital networks
  • NHS and regulatory presence
  • Regional and international connectivity

London is also positioned as Europe’s leading city for VC investment into life science, with an excellent ability to match capital with research in support of the government’s ambitions. 

Events such as London Life Sciences Week reinforced this global clout and London’s eagerness to host the next generation of life science innovators.

Designing future-ready spaces

The cancer plan included a target to expand robot-assisted procedures to 500,000, technologies which will require space and specialist environments with high power capacity, technical resilience and robust servicing.

As well as meeting sustainability goals, buildings which are designed as all-electric, EPC A-targeted or BREEAM Excellent also provide occupiers with the power density and flexibility needed for the medical technologies of the future. 

Click here to learn more about the features at 17 Columbus Courtyard

Features at 17 Coumbus Courtyard, such as all-electric design and dedicated plant space, can accommodate for increased power needs. At the same time, the building’s generous slab-to-slab heights of up to 4.65m and central core floorplates up to 24,000 sq ft deliver larger spaces these future technologies will need.

The need for flexible and more collaborative spaces

Precision medicine also depends on individuals and the collaboration between academia, biotech start-ups, established pharma, clinicians and data scientists. The cancer plan’s commitment to expanded genomic testing will need laboratory capacity that can grow alongside emerging companies and university spinouts.

As a result, adaptable, move-in-ready space is becoming increasingly important. The approach at 17 Columbus Courtyard will allow for fully fitted laboratories for early-stage occupiers alongside shell and core floors for scaling companies.

Key features supporting these start-ups and spinouts will include:

  • Fully fitted CL2 labs with benching, piped gases and recirculating fume cupboard provision
  • Shared equipment rooms reducing capital expenditure
  • On-site café and breakout areas designed for collaboration
  • Six bookable meeting rooms and event space for knowledge exchange
  • Immediate access to public transport and international links

These shared, adaptable facilities seek to reduce friction and speed up bench-to-bedside breakthroughs.

The built environment’s leading role

The government’s national cancer plan is a bold strategy, but its success will likely depend on the UK’s capacity to support the discoveries and scientific breakthroughs of tomorrow.

Today, we can put ourselves in the best position for success by creating world-class facilities and giving occupiers the space and flexibility they need to innovate at pace.

Life science real estate, particularly in clusters such as Canary Wharf and elsewhere across the wider Golden Triangle, will play a leading role in enabling this.