The MRC Protein Phosphorylation Unit has had a mutually beneficial commercial collaboration with Upstate Inc over the past 11 years, which in 1999 led to Upstate setting up the European division of the company in Dundee. The Dundee based company has been extremely successful, has grown to 78 staff and was a major reason why Upstate was acquired by Serologicals of Atlanta in October 2004 for $205 million. Upstate now operates as an independent Division of Serologicals, which is capitalised on the NASDAQ index in the USA.

Further expansion of Upstate Dundee will now take place, following construction of a new building, which was officially opened by Scottish Executive Deputy First Minister, Jim Wallace on March 8th 2005. The opening of the building was also attended by Edmond Fischer, the 1992 Nobel Laureate for Medicine or Physiology, whose discovery of Reversible Protein Phosphorylation as a control mechanism opened up the area of research that is Upstates'core business. When Jim Wallace pulled the cord to unveil a plaque, Eddy Fischer was amazed to see that the new building had been named after him, a very nice surprise! Upstate will consolidate all their UK operations in the new building in Dundee, relocating their assay development group from Cambridge, UK and their marketing from Milton Keynes, UK.