WuXi AppTec has opened its expanded Laboratory Testing Division (LTD) facility in New Jersey. The grand opening event was attended by state and local officials including State Senator Linda Greenstein. The new facility will enhance WuXi’s integrated testing service portfolio enabling drug developers to accelerate their projects from labs to patients.

The expansion will double total operation space to more than 115,000 square feet, and will create over 200 jobs. After the expansion, LTD’s combined New Jersey operation will be one of the largest laboratories for preclinical and clinical drug development testing in the U.S.

The new site will establish a center of excellence for drug development and provide high quality services to the U.S. pharmaceutical and biotech industries.

“The Garden State continues to be an important life science hub. This expansion will allow our team to deliver high quality service with faster turnaround times, better leverage the resources and expertise of the local pharmaceutical and biotechnology community, and develop a stronger connection with our customers,” said Jason Liu, senior vice president of WuXi AppTec and chief operating officer of the LTD.

“We are delighted for this opportunity to better serve our global customers and to support local economic development in New Jersey,” said Ge Li, chairman and chief executive officer, WuXi AppTec. “We will continue to enhance WuXi’s capabilities and capacities to enable our global partners to discover and develop drugs more efficiently and cost effectively ultimately benefitting patients worldwide.”

WuXi AppTec is a global company headquartered in Shanghai, China. In addition to the New Jersey site, WuXi also has U.S. facilities in Philadelphia, PA; St. Paul, MN; Atlanta, GA; San Diego, CA; and Boston, MA.