An investment of £2m at the Belfast-based data hub of medical research firm Diaceutics is set to create 20 new jobs.
The company works closely with the pharmaceutical industry to help tailor medical treatments to the individual characteristics of each patient. It has become one of the world’s leading providers of precision medicine data analytics, software and service solutions.
Economic development agency Invest NI is providing over £480,000 for the project, which will create a new data platform.
The company has said it will improve the way patients are tested in advance of treatment. Two of the new roles have already been filled.
Peter Keeling, the chief executive of Diaceutics, said: “Precision medicine relies on a step change in the way patients are being tested in advance of treatment.
“High levels of missed and misdiagnosed patients still curtail the promise of precision medicine across the globe and along with the support of Invest NI we will continue to expand our collection, management and analysis of some of the most important patient testing data shaping the precision medicine space today.”
He said the investment would help the firm provide ‘real world evidence and more accurate forecasting.
“We will be working with pharmaceutical firms in the coming months, to build awareness of our advanced insights and explore opportunities to integrate those insights earlier into their commercial investments,” he added.
Grainne McVeigh, director at Invest NI, added: “Diaceutics is undertaking an exciting investment that, through the work with their pharmaceutical clients, will equip physicians with the information and tools to deliver targeted patient care based on their molecular profile, improving outcomes and containing the costs associated with a trial-and-error approach to disease treatment.”