The Lighthouse Lab in Alderley Park is now operational, testing patient samples for coronavirus.
Alderley Park is the second site to become fully operational, after the Health Secretary officially opened the first Lighthouse Lab in Milton Keynes last week. The final site will open in Glasgow next week.
Testing Minister Lord Bethell spoke to teams at the two fully operational Lighthouse Labs on Friday to thank them for their tireless efforts to rapidly scale up testing and was taken on a virtual tour of the new site at Alderley Park.
Testing Minister Lord Bethell said "Our target to reach 100,000 coronavirus tests a day requires a national effort. It is truly humbling to see remarkable experts from across the country use their skills to rapidly scale up testing capacity, with people from all sectors including industry and academia working tirelessly each day.
"Today is a milestone moment, as we applaud the staff at Alderley Park, the country's second mega-lab.
"I had the privilege of speaking personally to some of the exceptional staff that made the Lighthouse Lab project possible, but I want to extend my thanks to every single person doing their bit to help the country get through the coronavirus pandemic."
National Testing Coordinator Professor John Newton said: "Every day we take important steps to provide the testing capability the country needs to respond to this pandemic, as Lighthouse Labs increase their capacity and new drive-through testing sites are set up.
"The Lighthouse Labs will be the biggest network of diagnostic testing facilities in British history. In unprecedented times, remarkable people across the country are achieving unprecedented things. Alderley Park will help to rapidly scale up testing thanks to its team of highly skilled staff working tireless around the clock."
The new Lighthouse Lab at Alderley Park facility is hosted by the Medicines Discovery Catapult, working closely with AstraZeneca.
