FOUR life sciences companies are using a £900,000 business incubator suite in the region.
The Centre of Excellence for Life Sciences (Cels) opened the facility yesterday.
Cels at Newcastle is the first unit of its kind in the region, and is in Newcastle University's medical faculty.
Kenny Lang, Cels director of business incubation, said: "Business incubation facilities for life sciences companies, such as Cels at Newcastle, are just one of the ways in which Cels is driving the region's healthcare economy, aiding knowledge transfer and helping to convert scientific ideas from North-East England's top universities into commercial opportunities."
Four early-stage life science business identified by Cels as having significant commercial potential have moved into the facility.
The companies; BioTransformations, Selective Antibodies, Genesis Genomics and HB Innovations, are pioneering techniques in areas such as roadside drug testing and targeted cancer therapies.
Professor Colin Self, chief scientific officer at BioTransformations, said: "This is the ideal setting for early-stage businesses such as ours, right at the heart of one of the most outstanding academic institutions in the country for life sciences, with close access to clinicians."
The incubator suite includes four laboratories, which were equipped with £900,000 from regional development agency One NorthEast.
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