THE University of York's new £25 million Bioscience building was officially unveiled today by Lord Sainsbury, Minister for Science and Innovation.

Its state-of-the-art laboratories will research several different fields of biology, including cancer research, plant science, and ecology.

The Government has invested £21 million in the new building and equipment, with major contributions from Yorkshire Cancer Research and the University of York.

The three-wing department of biology building has state-of-the art laboratories and a ground-breaking central technology "hub", housing specialist equipment worth £5 million. The hub allows researchers from

different disciplines to share high-tech equipment. The existing buildings have also been refurbished to bring them up to a high standard for 21st century science.

Major research projects the department has undertaken recently include a revolutionary method for detecting which human embryos are most likely to develop successfully to the stage at which they implant in the

womb.

Lord Sainsbury said: "I'm delighted

to see our investment in the infrastructure of Universities is paying off in the form of this new Bioscience building at the University of

York. This important facility for biological and medical research is precisely the kind of project that is needed."

Updated: 13:28 Friday, July 18, 2003