A bike manufacturer has reignited a historic relationship with a supplier 30-years after the pair last worked together.

Manchester-based Indian-owned Hero Cycles is back together with Reynolds, the tubing manufacturer that provided parts for the 110-year-old Viking brand in its heyday.

Hero Cycles, the world’s biggest bicycle manufacturer by volume, revived Viking after a near 40-year absence when it purchased bike distributor Avocet Cycles in 2015. Viking was then formally relaunched as part of Hero’s new UK-designed Insync range in May 2018.

Birmingham-based Reynolds provided the original parts used in Viking bikes when the brand enjoyed success in the Tour of Britain during the 1950s.

That rich heritage is being revisited in a new range of Insync bikes, the Viking Pro 400 – a limited edition range of just 400 cycles.  The range, which consists of four different models, will contain echoes of Viking’s history with features including the classic logo and vintage badge. The range includes a lightweight frame that minimises the impact of vibrations on the cyclist, resulting in a more comfortable ride. Designed in conjunction with Reynolds, the range is suitable for city riding and longer weekend rides.

The Viking Pro 400 range includes the four models, Roadmaster, Racemaster, Tourmaster and Crossmaster and will be available at selected independent bike dealers and will retail at between £699 and £1199.

Reynolds’ managing director Keith Noronha said the business was delighted to rekindle its relationship with Hero Cycles and the Viking brand.

He said: “Reynolds was a supplier to the original Viking brand and it’s great to see that famous name making bikes again. We’ve been working very closely with Hero on the design of the bikes, which incorporate a modern Reynolds tubing. Both companies have a long history and we’re looking forward to seeing our renewed links grow stronger in the future.”

Abhishek Pratap Singh, head of Hero Global Design, said the limited-edition range would appeal to cycling enthusiasts as well as being affordable for the family market.

He said: “We’re delighted to be working with Reynolds again after all these years and we’re aiming to revisit that classic British heritage with this new range. We believe the mix of modern British designed quality with a vintage twist will be popular with consumers, particularly our core family market looking to improve their fitness and health.”

Manchester has reinforced its place as a leader in translating brilliant academic science into new products and services which will transform the future of medicine and maintenance of human health.

At a ceremony in the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust / Manchester Science Partnerships Citylabs 1.0 building, partners launched ‘APIS Assay Technologies’, a new business dedicated to developing novel techniques (called biomarkers) for diagnosing disease and pinpointing the treatments which are right for each individual patient.

The initiative is the brainchild of global biotech company QIAGEN, which has already announced a major expansion of its Manchester R&D hub, and Health Innovation Manchester, the unique partnership between the city region’s universities, health and care providers and funders which is working with industry to accelerate innovation to tackle Greater Manchester’s pressing health problems.

APIS will be based in Citylabs 1.0, located on the main Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust campus alongside the Manchester Centre for Genomic Medicine.

Manchester is at the forefront of precision healthcare and is fast becoming a global life sciences cluster, augmented by its uniquely devolved £6bn health and care system.  The partnership will bring fast-tracked real health benefits to Greater Manchester’s citizens and people across the world through access to new tests and targeted treatments developed through pioneering research.

Rowena Burns, Chair of Health Innovation Manchester, said: “Greater Manchester’s vision is to create a globally-leading precision health campus for innovation, translational science and molecular diagnostics, employing up to 1,500 highly skilled people.  Our partnership with QIAGEN underlines their role as the UK’s flagship industry partner and acts as a catalyst for Manchester to become a major hub for genomic research and industry in Europe.

“This is a major development for life sciences here – and across the North – and a testament to our long-standing history of forming public-private partnerships to support the creation of jobs, growth, address the health needs of local people, while also making an important international contribution to improved diagnosis and treatment of disease.”

APIS will help to realise the clinical and commercial potential of genomic medicine in diagnostic tests and personalisation of treatment, and in the prediction and prevention of disease. Using the transformational power of genomic medicine and big data, APIS will overcome the hurdles that have so far hampered these amazing scientific breakthroughs being developed into clinically approved tests and companion diagnostics which are in day to day use.

The company already has three tests in development, including for prognostic breast cancer diagnostics.  They plan to use insights gained in oncology to expand its diagnostics services to other disease areas such as liver and lung diseases, pharmacogenomics and non-invasive reproductive diagnostics, using advanced technology. The company is actively in talks with a number of pharmaceutical and diagnostic companies about establishing partnerships.

APIS operates from Manchester’s £36m precision health campus on the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust site, announced last year. The company already employs 26 scientists and analysts, with plans to expand to around 50 employees by end of the year.

QIAGEN is a world leader in genomic medicine and molecular diagnostics, with an existing research and development centre in Manchester.  In 2020, the company’s Manchester business will take possession of Citylabs 2.0, a flagship facility on the Citylabs campus, anchoring QIAGEN’s European Centre of Excellence for Precision Medicine and global hub for diagnostics development. HInM forecasts that the total campus will continue to develop as home to a vibrant community of large and small businesses, drawn by the adjoining centres of clinical and academic excellence, and providing up to 1500 highly skilled jobs.

Peer M. Schatz, Chief Executive Officer of QIAGEN, said: “We’re proud that QIAGEN was selected as a partner to create this innovative new company APIS, which we believe has the potential to accelerate scientific discovery and drive the development of valuable molecular tests. We believe that this partnership with the great scientific and clinical expertise and capacities found in Manchester will accelerate molecular biomarker research, leading to the development of new and promising diagnostic assays.

“This collaborative initiative can serve as an incubator for translating genomic biomarkers into clinical use. We are certain that the people of greater Manchester and patients all over the world will benefit from advanced diagnostic insights.”

Ian Kavanagh, Chief Operating Officer of APIS Assay Technologies, said: “We are very excited about the challenge that lies ahead. APIS combines scientific talent, unique development expertise and cutting edge technology, helping us bring molecular diagnostics to benefit patients around the globe.  Our business model rests on three pillars – a biomarker industrial research program, the fast-tracking of biomarkers and diagnostic platforms for market sale and contract development.”

Health Innovation Manchester – the ground breaking partnership between the NHS, industry and academia to accelerate proven innovations into health and care – led the consortium including Manchester City Council, Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust, the University of Manchester, Greater Manchester Combined Authority and Manchester Science Partnerships.

Sir Richard Leese, Leader of Manchester City Council, said: “This is a landmark moment which will help confirm Manchester as a world leader in this fast-growing industry. Some of the most groundbreaking life sciences research being done anywhere is taking place right here and it has the potential to be an important element in our city’s future success – not just boosting our economy but also opening up revolutionary health benefits for Manchester people.”

Sir Mike Deegan, Chief Executive of Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust said: “Securing and expanding QIAGEN’s future on the Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust site is a pivotal component of our vision to create an internationally-leading research and innovation campus focused on integrated diagnostics leading to better care for our patients. Modern healthcare requires us to handle massive arrays of data from a huge range of technologies to come up with the right answer for patients. This has never been clearer than with genomic medicine, QIAGEN’s immediate focus, which holds the power to deliver transformative clinical benefits at the level of individual patients – the heart of precision medicine.”

Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, President & Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester, said: “The University is looking forward to welcoming Qiagen to Manchester’s thriving and exciting global healthcare research and development sector.  It will add another dimension to the world-leading genomic, biological and precision medical research already taking place in the city and at our University.  Our own research in this area is world-renowned and I’m delighted we’ll be enhancing that reputation even further by working closely with Qiagen in this rapidly emerging industry.”

Tom Renn, Managing Director of Manchester Science Partnerships, said: “We are delighted to see the launch of this ground-breaking venture in biomarker commercialisation and look forward to working closely with the APIS team to support its growth.  They are joining a cluster of ground-breaking health and medical technology companies already in Citylabs 1.0 and will be at the heart of Greater Manchester’s upcoming globally-leading genomics campus for innovation, precision medicine, translational science, and molecular diagnostics.”

A new air link between Manchester and Derry has celebrated its inaugural departure.

Loganair will operate flights between the two cities six days a week, covering weekdays and weekends, operated by the airline’s fleet of Embraer 145 regional jets, and with flight-times of just 70 minutes.

The route will give customers from the North West of England the opportunity to travel to the unique, walled city – a former UK City of Culture, famous for its fantastic nightlife, historical attractions, engaging museums and nearby championship golf-courses.

Notably, the City of Derry is also located nearest to some of Northern Ireland’s most spectacular filming locations for the hit series, Game of Thrones.

Loganair has a long history of service at City of Derry Airport, and was the first airline to fly commercial services from the airport in April 1979.

Regular flyers are also eligible to join the airline’s loyalty programme, Clan Loganair, which rewards frequent customers with points for each journey which can then be exchanged for free-of-charge flights.

Jonathan Hinkles, Loganair’s Managing Director, said: “These new air services offer a fantastic gateway for our customers in the North West to reach Derry, whether for business, to visit family and friends, or simply to explore everything that Northern Ireland has to offer visitors.

“It is evident from the fact that our very first flight is completely full, that the new route is being well received in the North West and we’re confident the air link is welcome news to those living in and around the Manchester region.

“We’re also pleased to expand our destination map from Manchester, with customers now able to book services from the city to nine destinations across the UK and Europe.”

Julian Carr, Aviation Director at Manchester Airport, said: “We’re delighted to see Loganair expanding their presence here with the launch of this new route to Derry.  It’s a fantastic city to explore and one that I’m sure will prove hugely popular with our passengers.”