Merck & Co Inc officially opened its state-of-the-art research facility in the heart of the Fenway and Longwood neighbourhoods with a ceremony attended by more than 200 employees and local dignitaries.

Named for a Boston native, the Edward M Scolnick Research Centre, will house approximately 500 employees, including 400 scientists and 100 support and administrative personnel. Scientists working in the building's laboratories will focus on discovering treatments for cancer, Alzheimer's disease and obesity. Dr. Scolnick, an internationally recognized biomedical researcher, is the retired former president of Merck Research Laboratories, the research arm of Merck, release from Merck said.

The facility is located on the campus of Emmanuel College and was designed by the architectural and engineering firm Kling to be a flexible environment that can be reconfigured easily to meet the ever-changing needs of biomedical research, the release added.

"For more than a century, Merck has discovered innovative new medicines to address diseases for unmet medical needs," said Raymond V Gilmartin, chairman, president and chief executive officer of Merck & Co Inc. "Today we open the Edward M. Scolnick Research Centre to continue that important work in the name of a prolific scientist who led Merck's research efforts for many years," he added.

Dr. Peter S. Kim, president of Merck Research Laboratories, added, "We're confident that our scientists will thrive in the Boston and Cambridge environment, and we plan to draw upon the area's talent in our efforts to discover new medicines for three of the most significant medical challenges facing us today, those of cancer, Alzheimer's disease and obesity."

The Edward M. Scolnick Research Centre, which is also known as Merck Research Laboratories-Boston, is the company's 11th research site worldwide. It joins a network of research facilities located in seven countries, including Canada, Italy and Japan.