, (NASDAQ: ICLR; ISIN:IE0005711209), a global provider of outsourced development services to the pharmaceutical, biotechnology and medical device industries, today announced plans to further expand its UK hospital-based presence on the Manchester Royal Infirmary Campus. ICON has secured a 40,000 square foot pre-let at Citylabs, a newly developed biomedical centre of excellence which was formerly the Manchester Royal Eye Hospital.

ICON currently operates a state-of-the-art, hospital-based Clinical Pharmacology Unit on the Manchester Royal Infirmary Campus, where it will continue to run its Phase I operations until fully transitioning into the new, larger Citylabs facility, currently targeted to open in Q4 2013. Along with ICON's Translational Medicine Research Centre, Citylabs will feature biohealth organisations, including the Central Manchester University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust, The University of Manchester and other commercial research organisations.

“We are pleased to be expanding our early phase development services through the establishment of a Centre of Excellence for Translational Medicine in Citylabs,” commented Dr. Mario Rocci, President, ICON Development Solutions. “This expansion will enable ICON to increase the capacity of its Clinical Pharmacology Unit in Manchester as well as the scientific services that are essential in providing a world class offering.”