Scientists at the forefront of medical research in Israel have moved into a £3 million suite of laboratories funded by UK donations.

The biocomplexity research building at the Weizmann Institute in Rehovot has been named after its British support group.

Weizmann UK executive director Sheridan Gould said that "some of the most urgent questions in modern biology will be addressed in this building. It will provide state-of-the-art facilities for scientists to probe the causes of inflammatory diseases such as arthritis and Crohn's, as well as cancer and female fertility."

One of the specialities at the Weizmann UK Building for Biocomplexity Research is nuclear magnetic resonance, a technique which aids the analysis of biological and chemical processes.

The institute has long enjoyed a special association with the UK.

It was originally dedicated as the Daniel Sieff Research Institute by Marks & Spencer chairman Israel Sieff and his wife, Rebecca, in memory of their son.

It was renamed the Weizmann Institute in 1949 after Israel's first president Chaim Weizmann, a chemist, who envisioned Israel as a leading centre of science.