NEW YORK CITY-Roche and Alexandria Real Estate Equities, Inc. inaugurated on Tuesday the Translational and Clinical Research Center at the Alexandria Center for Life Science in what has become Manhattan's east side medical corridor. Roche announced its plans to make the move from Nutley, NJ—after also considering shifting to New Brunswick—last year.

The Roche TCRC is part of the Pharma Research and Early Development organization, and will serve as the hub for pRED activities in North America, underscoring the center's importance to pRED and Roche. In addition to advancing Roche's existing portfolio, the TCRC experts will aim to access external innovation by identifying collaborations ranging from very early discovery platforms through advanced stage molecules. The Roche TCRC staff will officially move into the Alexandria Center for Life Science on January 2, 2014.

“We are pleased to have the TCRC based at the Alexandria Center for Life Science and excited by the collaborative opportunities afforded by its proximity to patients and world-class expertise in experimental medicine,” says Dr. John Reed, head of Roche pharma research and early development. “New York City has much to offer – it is the most populated city in America, has seven outstanding medical schools and also ranks second in the U.S. in medical research funding (NIH). Therefore, we believe this is the best location to pursue the goals of the TCRC as well as our global research and development organization.”