Hammersmith Medicines Research (HMR) is a specialist clinical pharmacology unit, with 145 beds in a purpose-designed building, close to an NHS hospital. Since 1993, we’ve provided industry-leading services to pharmaceutical companies for phase I and phase II clinical trials.

In 2001 we set up our own laboratory, and over the last 17 years we’ve built up our range of services so that we now offer a wide variety of specialist analytical techniques.  In January 2009, we moved to new premises with state-of-the-art facilities including:

• Automated sample handling, sorting, and storage
• Fast sample delivery to the laboratory from the wards via pneumatic tube transmission
• Storage at 4°C, –20°C, –70°C, and liquid nitrogen; continuous temperature monitoring
• Sophisticated laboratory information management system
• Data export in sponsor’s format
• Swipecard-control access to all areas
• Licence and facilities for handling radioactivity

Our vastly increased capacity supports multicentre trials and trials done in other research units.  The central laboratory is gaining a reputation in its own right.

Competitive pricing, fast communication, excellent quality standards, and on-time delivery of results, are key features of our service.  We also offer investigator support specifically tailored for the pharmaceutical industry.

We have a well-established team of experienced Biomedical Scientists with Health Professional Council (HPC) registration, and who participate in the Institute of Biomedical Scientists (IBMS) continuing professional development (CPD) programme.

Other equipment includes:

• BD FACSCalibur flow cytometer
• Helena AggRAM platelet aggregometer
• Dade Behring PFA-100 platelet function analyser
• Speedvac SPD 121P concentrator and freeze dryer
• BioMAT2 class II safety cabinet
• Triturus automated ELISA analyser
• Siemens Immulite 2000 immunoassay analyser
• Beckman Coulter DxI 800 immunoassay analyser
• Beckman Coulter DxC 600 random access analyser (+ 1 backup)
• ADVIA 120 haematology analyser
• Qiagen Symphony aytomated DNA and RNA extraction
• Qiagen Rotor-Gene Q real time PCR machine
• Instrumentation Laboratory TOP300 coagulation analyser
• Waters Acquity H-Class UPLC analyser
• Seward 3500 stomacher
• PerkinElmer Oxidiser 307
• PerkinElmer Envision plate reader
• PerkinElmer Tri-Carb 3100TR low activity liquid scintillation analyser

Large menu of clinical laboratory tests:

• Safety pathology – extensive range of tests
• Biomarkers for kidney, heart, liver, gut, peripheral tissue, lung, inflammation and immunology
• Method setup and validation as required
• Same methodology for the life of a clinical trial
• Whenever possible, same reagent lot number used for the life of the trial
• Own established reference ranges, based on a large population of healthy volunteers