LabCentral and Astellas Launch Inaugural $500,000 "Diamond Ticket" at LabCentral 238

?New program, the largest of its kind, provides private lab space for innovative growth-stage biotech companies at state-of-the-art Kendall Square site -

NORTHBROOK, Ill. and CAMBRIDGE, Mass., March 5, 2024 /PRNewswire/ -- LabCentral, the first-of-its-kind shared laboratory space designed as a launchpad for high-potential biotech startups, and Astellas Pharma US, Inc. (President: Mark Reisenauer, "Astellas") today announced the LabCentral 238 Diamond Ticket award. The Diamond Ticket is the largest lab space award of its kind in the industry and provides an innovative, growth-stage biotech company with a $500,000 credit for private lab space at LabCentral 238, one of the newest facilities in the LabCentral network in the heart of Kendall Square. Interested companies can review program details and apply online before the April 5, 2024 deadline.

Astellas' support is a key part of its commitment to discovering and advancing innovative science. The company aims to deliver VALUE for patients globally by connecting entrepreneurial scientists and emerging biotechnology start-ups with strategic partnerships, joint research opportunities and investments in open collaborations. It is also aligned with Astellas' commitment of creating the future through growing the life science ecosystem where diverse scientific minds gather, connect and grow together.

"LabCentral 238 has expanded the options for growth-stage biotechs that need more space and specialized biomanufacturing equipment, enabling them to "grow" inside the LabCentral network of facilities and remain in Kendall Square," said Johannes Fruehauf, co-founder and president of LabCentral. "From the beginning, Astellas has been much more than a founding sponsor; they have been a true partner. We share a vision of accelerating life science innovation and the unprecedented Diamond Ticket program is another example of their unwavering commitment to LabCentral and the Massachusetts biotech ecosystem."

The Diamond Ticket is a new tier in LabCentral's highly successful Golden Ticket program, which awards innovative companies with lab space. LabCentral, since its founding in 2013, has worked with a range of sponsors to support its Golden Ticket program and has distributed more than 150 Golden Tickets over ten years. The new Diamond Ticket recognizes the increased capital requirements for growth-stage biotechs.

"As the founding sponsor of LabCentral 238, we saw the success of the Golden Ticket program and are excited to award the first ever Diamond Ticket to an entrepreneurial startup," said Hide Goto, President, Astellas Institute for Regenerative Medicine, an affiliate of Astellas. "The Diamond Ticket will not only provide lab space and operational support but will also give these innovative scientists access to industry experts and academia in the greater pharma hub here in Cambridge, Mass. Our goal is for the award to help turn creative ideas into real solutions that have the potential to improve patient lives around the world."

As with all LabCentral companies, Diamond Ticket candidates will be carefully reviewed based on the quality and potential impact of their science along with other standard LabCentral selection criteria. A select number of entrepreneurs will be invited to present virtually to a joint selection committee made up of representatives from LabCentral and Astellas in April 2024. In addition to the credit toward private lab space, the awarded startup will benefit from specialized research equipment, shared infrastructure and a plethora of curated events, programs and services offered to all LabCentral resident companies.

LabCentral is a proven model for accelerating the development of successful biotech startups through intentional facility design, targeted programming for entrepreneurs and scientists as well as community building. As of 2022, its resident and alumni companies have raised nearly $17 billion in funding and created 4,608 new jobs since 2013.

About LabCentral
A private, non-profit institution, LabCentral was founded in 2013 as a launchpad for high potential life-sciences and biotech startups. Operating a total of 225,000 square-feet in the heart of Kendall Square in Cambridge, Mass., LabCentral offers fully permitted laboratory and office space for as many as 100 startups comprising approximately 1,000 scientists and entrepreneurs. More information is available at www.labcentral.org. 

About Astellas 
Astellas Pharma Inc. is a pharmaceutical company conducting business in more than 70 countries around the world. We are promoting the Focus Area Approach that is designed to identify opportunities for the continuous creation of new drugs to address diseases with high unmet medical needs by focusing on Biology and Modality. Furthermore, we are also looking beyond our foundational Rx focus to create Rx+^® healthcare solutions that combine our expertise and knowledge with cutting-edge technology in different fields of external partners. Through these efforts, Astellas stands on the forefront of healthcare change to turn innovative science into VALUE for patients. For more information, please visit our website at https://www.astellas.com/en.

Cautionary Notes?Astellas?
In this press release, statements made with respect to current plans, estimates, strategies and beliefs and other statements that are not historical facts are forward-looking statements about the future performance of Astellas. These statements are based on management's current assumptions and beliefs in light of the information currently available to it and involve known and unknown risks and uncertainties. A number of factors could cause actual results to differ materially from those discussed in the forward-looking statements. Such factors include, but are not limited to: (i) changes in general economic conditions and in laws and regulations, relating to pharmaceutical markets, (ii) currency exchange rate fluctuations, (iii) delays in new product launches, (iv) the inability of Astellas to market existing and new products effectively, (v) the inability of Astellas to continue to effectively research and develop products accepted by customers in highly competitive markets, and (vi) infringements of Astellas' intellectual property rights by third parties.

The safety and efficacy of the agents discussed herein are under investigation and have not been established. There is no guarantee that the agents will receive regulatory approval and become commercially available for uses being investigated. Information about pharmaceutical products (including products currently in development) which is included in this press release is not intended to constitute an advertisement or medical advice.

SOURCE LabCentral